SCHEDULING CLASSES
One of the first steps of academic success is to make a class schedule. This process, if done properly, is a little more involved than most students think. So many times, when advising students, I have heard, "What should I take?" or "Tell me what I need to take." This, too me, is not the best approach to setting up a class schedule. To make your college experience more enjoyable and less stressful, I recommend taking an active role in your class scheduling. First of all, when you first enroll in college and meet with an academic advisor, you should secure a degree requirement worksheet for your own records. This will allow you to see exactly what you will need to take through the years at college. Be sure you check off courses as you pass them so you will always have a visual aid of your progress.
As each semester offers pre-registration period, you should sit down with that worksheet and a course schedule. Know what your work and other obligations are going to be for each semester and pencil in a schedule BEFORE you meet with your academic advisor. You may be asking yourself, what then do I need an academic advisor for if I am doing all the work? Well, obviously, you need the signature of your advisor for the schedule to be processed, but, more importantly, your advisor will review your proposed schedule with you and look for any potential problems.
There are many inside tips to a successful class schedule that a good advisor will be able to point out to you. For example, in most cases, I tend to advise against taking Introductory Psychology and Sociology in the same semester. The two disciplines are quite different, yet, they also hold many similarities which may lead to confusion among many students --- Psychology has a theory called FUNCTIONALISM and Sociology has a theory called STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM and these two theories are very different despite their similar names. An academic advisor will help you with these little tips and do their very best to put together a schedule that best fits your needs.
One more thing to keep in mind, when putting together a schedule, do not over-load or under-load yourself. Most colleges consider 12 credit hours (4 regular courses) as a full-time load, and, as a general rule, that is an ample load, especially if you have employment and/or family responsibilities. However, you don't need to restrict yourself to that guideline if you feel you can handle more. In fact, especially for those wanting to graduate as early as possible, I recommend to sign up for more than 12 hours in a semester. If, once classes begin, you feel that you have taken on too much, you can always drop a class --- be advised, this decision is best reached EARLY in the semester during the "drop-add" period. Dropping a course during this time will not reflect on your transcript or impair your GPA.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when signing up for classes. You must know your needs and limitations and meeting with your advisor is an important aspect of the process. Remember, review your graduation requirement worksheet, setup a proposed schedule before meeting with your advisor, spend some time with your advisor asking questions, and be confident that you have put together the best possible schedule for the upcoming semester. In order for any semester to be successful, putting together a good class schedule is the first key to success.
