Planning your Classes

So it’s your first semester.  A lot is on your mind.  Did you pack everything that you needed?  What clubs are you going to join?  What if you have issues with your roommate?  What if your classes are really hard?  And so on and so on.  Hopefully, this WEPO blog has provided many answers to these questions.  But what about the questions that crop up after you’ve arrived, the ones that hit you when you feel like you’ve already gotten the hang of college?  At this point, you’re simply trying to get all your stuff together for your current classes, when you’re already forced to look ahead to next semester.  This is when you start asking different questions.  What classes should I take?  Should I take this class with this professor or that professor?   Can I wait to take this class next year instead of next semester?  Will I be able to handle taking 2 math classes and physics in the same semester?  And that can get pretty stressful.

But it doesn’t have to be.  First of all, there are quite a few resources available.  You can talk to your advisor to make sure that you are meeting all of your academic requirements.  You can talk to Cheryl; she always has loads of advice.  You can ask your friends to see what classes they’re planning on taking to get a feel of what other people are leaning towards.  I think the best resource though is upperclassmen.  They can give you tips on which classes to take first because they can help with future classes.  They’ll be able to tell you the teaching styles of different professors which could help your decisions.  So go ahead – ask us anything.  We’d be happy to help.

Now for the main reason for this blog post.  Deciding what classes to take shouldn’t just be something you only think about when it’s time to schedule.  I’m here to tell you that it’s more important than that.  If you want to make the most of your time at college, you should plan further than just the upcoming semester.  You should sit down with you advisor to create somewhat of a roadmap for the next four years.  It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed class by class and it’s by no means set in stone.  Even so, it’s incredibly helpful.  It will allow you to know where you stand if you have to retake a class.  It will help you plan around co-ops and study abroad so that you can still graduate on time.  Lastly, planning ahead will give you an idea of what room you have to maybe double major or add on minors.  This leads me to my second point – explore what you feel passionate about and how you want to use that passion.  Who knows?  You might end up really enjoying a topic and decide to learn more and add it to your curriculum.  As a senior, I feel like there are one or two minors that I would have liked to pursue.  I would have been able to fit them into my schedule, too – if I had just planned ahead more.  For instance, there were classes that could have double counted and given me room in my schedule, but I hadn’t thought of that at the time.  The bottom line is, with good planning, you can accomplish all that you want in college.  This is your education, so make the most of it.

Erika Arrojado is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!