Helpful tips for choosing college classes

When it’s time for them to decide what classes to take, choosing and registering for classes can be stressful—but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few steps students can take to effectively plan out their college schedule:

Talk to an adviser

Most universities have student advisory offices. This is a helpful tool for students struggling to choose a major or decide the general direction they want to go. Advisers can help students explore their interests and choose classes that will help them focus in on what they want to study.

Advisers can direct students to resources about majors and classes, but also career exploration, major changes, and general academic and graduation requirements. Talking to an adviser can help students set themselves up for success early in their college experience.

Many schools will also have self-service advising tools to help students who prefer to plan independently.

Consider your schedule

When students meet with their advisers and start planning classes, they should consider what times they work best and what they want their schedule to look like outside of class. Class scheduling in college has more freedom than a high school schedule, but students will likely have more responsibility, so they should plan to keep a good work-life balance.

This is also important to consider because students can over-exhaust themselves. Too many classes or a combination of difficult classes means a heavier workload, which can quickly cause burnout. Planning carefully while choosing classes will help prevent that from happening.

Talk to other students

A great way for students to determine what classes to take is to talk to their fellow students. Hearing experiences from others can help them make informed judgments and decisions and might help them narrow down the field even more.

This is also a good practice when trying to choose professors. Students can learn from their peers what professors’ teaching styles are like and how big the workload might be. This will help students choose teachers that will cater best to their learning styles and help them understand the content quickly.

Some schools offer peer mentoring programs that help connect new students to upperclassmen to answer these types of questions.

Focus on major and minor requirements

Students should focus first and foremost on the requirements for their major and minor. College is supposed to be a fun experience, and there will be plenty of room for fun classes. However, getting major and minor requirements taken care of first will help students graduate on time and not have to spend money on extra semesters.

Once students organize their schedule and have all their required classes planned, it will be much easier to see where they can fit their fun classes and generals in. It will also help them make sure they have their prerequisites planned out.

Register early

Students should make early registration a priority. Depending on their major, students may find they are required to take classes that are only offered during a select few semesters. Registering early will help them to get into their required classes with plenty of time to spare. It’s OK to do a little schedule rearranging, but it’s much easier to stick to what has already been planned.

Registering early also gives students the option to change classes around if they need to. Should they decide to change their major or take different classes, they’ll have plenty of time to make those changes without having to worry about disrupting their entire graduation plan.

Choosing classes can feel overwhelming at first, but starting early to plan and prepare a schedule will ensure a successful, fulfilling college experience for any student.