As a college student, one task that you will be doing often will be choosing classes. Every semester, you will need to figure out what classes you have left to take or want to take and then create your schedule for the upcoming semester. There are many things to think about when choosing classes. Every student bases his or her decision on different factors. Some of the most common ones that every student may want to think about are listed below:
Class Size
For some students, class size is not a factor, however for others, it is the most important factor. Some classes, especially classes that are required by the whole student body, are usually crowded. Some classes are as small as ten or twenty students and then other classes are as large as two hundred students. If you do not want to be a ‘number’ in your professor’s classroom, then you may want to find out what the maximum number of students is being allotted for the class you want.
Professors
Every college has a favorite professor among students and every college has a professor that all students say you should stay away from. So how do you know which professor you want as your teacher? Ask around. Ask students in your other classes if they have had a certain professor or which they would recommend. You can also try to sit in on a class to see if the class and/or the professor is one you could handle. Of course you should ask permission from the professor or registration office before sitting in on a class. Also in this day and age of the Internet, you can check out professor rating websites, such as ratemyprofessors.com, which can actually be pretty accurate.
Academic Advisors
Most colleges will require that you meet with an academic advisor your freshman year and possibly thereafter. The purpose of the academic advisor is to help guide you to the right classes so that you can complete your degree in a quick and efficient manner. Your academic advisor will also help you if you cannot decide which classes you should take. Sometimes your degree may only require that you take a social science, however that could be anything from Economics to Psychology. Your advisor will be able to help you with which class would be more beneficial to your degree and if you plan on transferring colleges they will help you with classes that will transfer in the future. It is recommended that you meet with your academic advisor at least once, if not twice, per school year. With tuition as expensive as it is, you’ll want to make sure you’re going down the right path toward your degree.
Required Classes
Of course, if you have classes that are required for your major or are general requirements, you’ll want to get those out of the way as well. Remember, if you are taking a class that is a general requirement, it will normally have 100+ students in it (at most colleges). Also, try and shy away from taking these classes in the early morning. Classes this size don’t usually take attendance so it can be very tempting to sleep in and miss class.
Interests
Regardless of what you are majoring in, you will have a certain amount of electives that you must take. This is the perfect opportunity to take classes that may interest you or may be beneficial to your educational career. Maybe there is a class you can take that relates to one of your hobbies, or you can check out our list of recommended classes to take.
One thing about required classes and electives: some students tend to do well taking all similar courses during the same term (example: taking all business-related classes) and some students do better balancing out their schedule by taking two classes related to their major, and two classes considered as an elective. Sometimes the latter helps, as taking all similar classes can get you bored of the subject matter very quickly. It is best to balance things out with classes from all sides of the educational spectrum to help keep your mind fresh and open.
Of course when choosing classes, you should coordinate them time wise with your life such as work, clubs and other responsibilities that may interfere with class selection. Also make sure that you do not overwhelm yourself by taking on too many classes or too many hard classes that will require a lot of studying, writing, projects or concentration. Try to spread these classes out over a few semesters to give yourself an even class load. By choosing the classes that you are comfortable with, you will have an enjoyable college experience.
|
