General education (G.E.) classes

General Education (G.E.) classes are classes taken in the first two year that every student will need to take regardless of major. They cover a variety of subjects or categories from English to Math to History and you typically have options to choose from in each category. The purpose of G.E. classes are to “teach diverse skills that every person should master in order to lead a productive life, become a knowledgeable citizen, and communicate ideas as a useful member of society, regardless of her chosen course of study.” G.E. classes can be especially helpful for students unsure of what major they’d like to pursue as it invites them to learn about different academic areas.

Lower-division electives

No pressure, but the earlier you know what you’d like to major in and which school you’d like to transfer to, the more favorable it will be for you because you can begin to plan out your courses from your first semester/quarter. These courses include lower-division electives that can pertain to your major or focus, or they can be general electives that fulfill the university’s requirements.

Classes that are related to your major/upper-division courses

This category is mainly for once you enter a university as a junior because your courses as a junior and senior will almost exclusively be courses for your major. However, if you know early on that you’d like to major in Psychology, for example, taking an Intro to Psychology course will not only fulfill a G.E. requirement, but will also fulfill a requirement for your major and you don’t have to wait until Junior year to take it.

Don’t go overboard with credits

Only bite what you can chew and if you are a first year student you should especially keep your credits to a lower and manageable number like 12 semester units, or equivalent.

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