Selecting Classes

The semester is finally underway, and after weeks and weeks of dreading the onslaught of a full course load I am finally starting to adjust, and I am slowly starting to organize my schedule. And while I am hesitantly confident in succeeding this semester, I do wish my schedule was a bit more condusive to, well, sleep.

The nice thing about most classes here is that, like many other schools, you have options as far as what to take and when to take them. The only real exception (of which I am aware) is our Architecture department, because the curriculum there is extremely rigid. They found a schedule that works for them and they are sticking to it.

For almost any other department, though, you have some freedom to create your own schedule as you see fit. Don't like getting up in the morning? Take all your classes after eleven. Want to get them all done before lunch? See if you can schedule three of your classes in the morning. Professors are likely to teach multiple classes each day, and they can be offered at a couple different times. Most academic departments understand that not everyone will have the same schedule, and for the lower-level classes that everyone has to take, they will make sure the timing allows for almost everyone to take them.

Now, depending on the class you may have a few different options. Some classes are offered in the morning and some are offered later that same day, so you can choose whether to go to class earlier or later. You may also have the option to take classes on a Monday/Wednesday schedule or a Tues/Thurs schedule. This means you have a lot of wiggle room when selecting your classes. If there is a class that you need to take that is only offered at one specific time one specific day, then you can register for your other class on a day that is more convenient for you.

*insert flashing lights and sirens here*

Word to the wise: you may be tempted to try to squeeze all your classes into three or four days to give yourself a day or two free during the week for homework/jobs/whatever. You may even be tempted to take the Tues/Thurs evening class even though they run for two and a half hours because you won't have to take the Mon/Wed/Fri class in the mornings. Unless your schedule demands this of you or you are some freak of time management, please rethink your decision!

I have made this mistake before. Twice, actually. I am surprised I didn't get the picture the first time. I had the option of taking Differential Equations in the morning Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for an hour a piece, or take the class for just shy of three hours twice a week. I opted for the latter, even though the class ran from 6:30-9 at night. Needless to say I was not exactly thrilled halfway through the semester when I was slowly starting to run out of stamina. My free Friday just became the time I used to fit in all my homework, and my free time went down the drain.

I am not saying this is a bad idea for you. If you can make it work and still have time for fun things, go for it! But in my personal experience, spreading out your classes a bit will give you more time during the week to work on homework, not to mention more sleep time during the week too, so that when Friday comes along, you can take your one morning class and have the rest of the day (and possible weekend) to do the stuff you like, like joining a student organization or heading downtown. Do whatever works best for you; if you plan it right, you'll be able to take the classes when you want, do homework when you want, and not drive yourself insane. In the end, that's all any of us really want out of college classes, isn't it?