Six Steps to a Perfect Schedule
By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22
~The (almost) headache-free way to schedule next semester’s classes~
Trying to get all of your classes
—
the right courses and the right time with the right teacher —
can sometimes feel like a ferocious free-for-all.
But with patience and a little strategy, figuring out next semester’s schedule should feel less like a mad dash and more like a fun puzzle. (Not even an exaggeration — I’m not the only one who finds planning fun…right?)
Here are the top tips to finessing fall semester and taking another step towards that degree.
The Steps:
- BEFORE YOUR REGISTRATION APPOINTMENT figure out which classes are most important. These would include classes for your major, classes meant to be taken in sequential order (like Chem 105a and Chem 105b, etc.), and classes that you are supposed to take during a certain year (like WRIT 150 and GESM’s for freshman).
- Once you have these classes figured out (I would recommend talking to an adviser first), find them in the course directory. Click “Add to myCourseBin” for several sections of the same class, including any discussions, labs, etc.
- After you have done this, return to your course calendar where you’ll see a lot of duplicate classes and a lot of red. Now here comes the fun part! Figure out which classes are only offered at certain times and delete any classes that conflict with them. Eliminate conflicting classes until you have all yellow. Double check that you have all of your required classes and don’t have doubles of the same class.
-
With your core schedule in place, go ahead and add classes
to your CourseBin
that are more flexible. These include GE’s and classes that can be easily taken other semesters. Add a lot of these since now you will have to work around your core schedule.
- Keeping in mind which classes are the core classes, go to your calendar and use the same process of elimination to delete any classes conflicting with these core classes. Should more than one GE or similar class work, then lucky you, you have options! If you ended up eliminating all of your added classes, go back to the course list and keep on adding classes until something works. You may have to take a class outside of your comfort zone, but this can end up being a great experience!
-
Use this same process for any one or two unit classes you are interested in (check out this great list of a few we recommend), and voila! You have your schedule!
Other pro-planning tips to keep in mind:
Figuring out class times
If you have the flexibility in your schedule to play around with the times of your classes, there are a few guidelines you should follow.
Firstly, know yourself. You might like the sound of going to bed early every night and being able to wake up in time for a 6AM workout and 8AM class…but is that really going to happen? Not being honest with yourself and your sleep habits will likely end up with you sleep deprived and skipping class, both of which are detrimental to grades and your mental health.
On the other side of this, scheduling your first class of the day at 2PM because you think you’ll be waking up wayyyy before then and being productive doesn’t always work either. A lot of times, a 2PM class means waking up at 1:30PM and rolling into class with bedhead…definitely not speaking from experience…
Schedule the negative space
Keep in mind to “schedule” things other than class. I would recommend purposefully having breaks between blocks of class for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Having too many classes back-to-back either leads to starving yourself half the day or skipping class to grab some food. I would not recommend either.
If you have hopes of getting a job, joining a lab, running a club, or pursuing some other not-class activity, I would maybe think twice about adding those extra few units of classes (excluding core classes — keep those). You will be much happier and get much more out of both classes and extracurriculars if you’re not rushing from one thing to the next all day long.
What if you don’t get the classes you wanted?
Cry? Scream? Drop out of college?
None of the above! Not getting that class you had your eye on is a pain in the butt, especially if it is one of the “core classes” described above. But it’s certainly not the end of the world. You have several options:
- Keep on checking back in on the class you didn’t get. Other people drop classes and switch up their schedules all of the time, so there is a good chance that a spot will open up.
- If you couldn’t get your desired class due to other schedule conflicts, look into summer classes! Check with your academic adviser to find community colleges in your area that will fulfill class requirements.
- Do some research online and see if there are any classes that offer duplicate credit. Depending on your major requirements, these can be substituted for core classes.
A final note: Even if your schedule turns out the opposite of how you wanted it, try to relax. Half of your college education is about learning how to handle things when they don’t go according to plan. Make an appointment with your adviser, don’t lose perspective, and trust that everything will work out. Good luck, everyone!
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