Talk With an Academic Advisor

In the process of choosing your schedule, you will probably have to meet with an academic advisor. This is the person who will help you with course conflicts, adding or dropping courses, scheduling of classes for future semesters, and deciding on majors and minors. This person is a key resource for you - and should be the person you turn to with any academic issues or conflicts. Don’t be afraid to use your academic advisor as much as you want to—that is what this person is here to do for you!

With Independence Comes Responsibility

One of the major differences from high school to college is that now you will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning. What does that mean? In college there is very little hand- holding. No one will remind you when papers are due or to go to class, hold you accountable for doing your homework every night, or choose your schedule for you. If you are not a morning person, scheduling a 7AM class might not be the best idea. The same being said if you like to have your evenings free you might try and avoid a 6PM class. Take your time making your schedule and make sure you set yourself up for success.

Ask your mentor what kind of schedule they found worked best for them. They might even have some helpful tips for you.

Life is About Balance - So Are School Schedules

Typically during orientation and/or when meeting with an advisor, you’ll be advised of the general education requirements as well as your major requirements, if you’ve selected one. Think about taking courses in areas you are passionate about and one or two courses in areas you think are interesting, but you might not know much about. College is a time to focus on your passions, but it is also a unique time to explore and learn about new fields of study. Your favorite classes might be in a discipline you have never explored!

If you took any AP, IB, and pre-college course credits, they may count as some of your general education requirements. While most colleges only accept certain test scores (e.g., a 4 or 5 on an AP exam), you can ask your college advisor to double check.

Remember that you can always add and drop classes with no penalty during the first week or two of classes. Take careful note of the deadlines to add and drop courses. You do not want to wind up being forced to take a class you did not intend to take, or worse yet withdrawing from a class and not having a full schedule. Be sure to discuss all of your plans with your academic advisor.

Consider using one of these weekly schedule templates to write out and organize your class schedule

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