Course Considerations
It’s that time of the year—registration for the spring semester is fast approaching! Fears of being a second semester junior aside (that’s for another post), I figured I’d give you a little insight into my registration thought process. When it comes to picking classes to take, I look for a combination of things:
- Class time: I am not a morning person. Any class earlier than 10am, and the professor inevitably asks me if I’m okay at least twice. A professor once asked if I needed some coffee. Early class? Avoid at all costs. I also have to take into account that I need a few solid chunks of time free so that my work schedule is somewhat normal. It’s also important that none of my classes overlap with each other, and that I have enough time to get from one class to the next. Second semester of my freshman year, I made the mistake of not paying attention to where all of my classes were, and consequently had to practically sprint from main campus to the Commons, and then back to main campus. I did get a lot of exercise though…
- Professor: I really like taking classes from professors that I’ve had before. I go into the class already knowing their expectations when it comes to class participation and grading, and it also helps the professor to know who I am by name, which makes going to office hours and asking for help significantly easier for me.
- Major requirements: I am so much more likely to take a class if it in some way fulfills a requirement for one of my majors. This is pretty self-explanatory, and I think that pretty much everyone feels this way. I want to graduate in four years, and it’s better to finish requirements sooner rather than scrambling to find classes to fulfill them later.
- Friends: I love taking classes with my friends! Studying is so much easier and less of a chore if I can do it with my friends or other people that I’m familiar with. I study best when I can talk through the material with another person, so having people in my classes that I know is extremely helpful. Exhibit A: next semester, I am planning on taking a class with Victoria and another of our friends, and we have grand plans for study parties and acing all of our tests.
- Novelty: In my Educational Psychology class last semester, we talked about how students pay more attention to things that are novel. I want a class to teach me new things, and to keep my interest all semester long–this might be an idealistic wish, but nevertheless, it’s what I hope for.
This may or may not be the way that other people pick their classes, but basically this is my personal thought process. It may be headache-inducing at times, but in the end it generally works out and sprinting across campus is kept to a minimum–and I promise to keep you updated on how the mess you see below turns into a functional schedule!
