8 Tips for Choosing College Classes
For some students, choosing college classes is not the best time, but others look forward to it. Usually, your advisor will guide you in the right direction for which classes to take. Most of the classes will be required for your major, and the others you decide yourself. Here are some tips for choosing those classes.
Required classes first
Some prefer to take the harder university required classes (usually called Core or General Education courses) first to get them out of the way. These usually include philosophy, math, science, economics, etc. It really depends on the type of person you are. For some, mixing the harder and easier classes is good, too. You just don’t want to end up s a senior stuck taking all your remaining required classes.
Take classes that relate
Going through each semester, I realized that a lot of my classes would cover similar information. If you can figure out which classes have similar content, take them in the same semester. For example, I was learning similar information in my Philosophy in Film class and my Communication Film Studies class. Setting up your schedule like this is great. It’s like a two-for-one deal. But be sure not to choose all classes with a large amount of work. You don’t want to be writing 5 papers a week when it could be spread out to make it more manageable.
Read course descriptions
You can always learn more about the content of the class in the college course catalog. Knowing what you are going to learn contributes to if you want to take that class or not. You may completely change your mind about a class after reading the description.
Don’t choose a class because your friend is
One of the first tips I learned as a freshman was to not choose a class just because my friend is planning to take it. Of course, it would be fun to have class with your bestie, but remember that you are here for yourself, not them. Talk to your advisor and choose classes that you need to take or that interest you. Choose one that you know you will get a good grade in. At the end of the day, you are working for your own future and GPA.
A/M/L
Choosing either art, music, or a language is a hard decision because you cannot change it afterwards. I chose music because I thought it would be the most fun and interesting. I absolutely love it.
Time
It is important to find the best possible time that you know you will thrive throughout the day so you can schedule your classes accordingly. Some students prefer 8 a.m. and all morning classes, and some students like afternoon classes. But, if you know you won’t get up in time for an 8 a.m., and you can’t concentrate in the late afternoon, choose classes between 9:30 and 2 p.m.
Choose a good professor
Lots of students find it helpful to choose a class based on the professor that teaches it. Sites like ratemyprofessors.com are good to see the professor’s overall performance, what is good or bad about them, and how hard or easy the class is. Talking to other students who have taken the class is good too.
Register early
Registration is the most nerve-racking part of the process for me. At some schools, everyone in the class registers on the same day and time. This causes the internet to move slowly, which is frustrating. It is good to choose your classes early and register on time because the classes will usually fill up fast. If you wait too long, you will end up with a night class or 8 a.m. class because those are the only times left. Also, be sure to have a backup classes and times in case the classes you want are over-enrolled.