Crafting the best college schedule can be a daunting task.
While your advisor is going to be very helpful with this, there are also some considerations that you can make on your own. Some classes—especially upper division classes—are going to be unavoidable, and some might have terrible professors no matter how you try to do it. However, with many lower division classes, you have various options and are able to be more flexible with who you want your professor to be. Take advantage of this! It can boost your GPA and save you from many nights staying up late. It can also introduce you to some really amazing professors. As I was told my freshman year, the professor makes or breaks the class. Because of that, I definitely recommend making that your first factor in choosing a class if possible. While it is great to have Fridays off, it also isn’t always possible, so that’s key to remember.
Use Rate My Professors and ask other students
This website has been instrumental in selecting my professors, and I have generally found it to be pretty accurate. This is the easiest tool to figuring out how a class might look. All you need to do is put in your school and the professor’s name, and a ton of information will populate on them from students who have taken the class. They answer the questions that will help you make the decision between taking and dropping classes:
- Will there be huge papers?
- Is this professor a hard grader?
- Are there pop quizzes?
- How easy is it?
- How do other students feel about the overall quality?
- What kinds of issues will you have to look out for?
- Who is the best possible professor to take this class with?
When there are multiple professors for the same class, especially with electives and lower division GEs, this can be a lifesaver. My academic mentor told me during my freshman year that the professor makes the class, and this is advice that I absolutely stand behind.
In addition to using Rate My Professors, it’s often helpful to talk to other people in your dorm/community/major when working out that perfect college schedule. These people will likely have valuable advice about what professors to take and which ones you should avoid at all costs. Whether it’s a matter of workload, personality, or timing, this can be incredibly helpful.
Multiple times in my first few years, I simply asked other people about classes (including those that I absolutely HAD to take!) and was able to decide when I should take it based off of their responses. If you have a packed spring semester, take that essay-heavy class during a lighter semester. If an easy professor is going to teach a class another semester, just take it with them then instead of taking it now with a harder professor. That advice is invaluable.
Talk to Your Advisor
Your advisor is your #1 source for all schedule-related inquiries. At my university, we had quite a few advisors. We had a major advisor to help us with everything major-related, a general advisor to answer general questions, and minor advisors for any minors we took. While my tactic of meeting with my major and minor advisors each semester might have been a bit much, I DEFINITELY recommend meeting with your major advisor. This is the best way to ensure you’re not missing anything. Too often, people realize during their senior year that they’re missing a class or their credits don’t add up. Your major advisor is the fastest solution to fixing this, and they’re trained in creating that perfect college schedule!
Major advisors are usually a professor within your department. For example, my major advisors happened to be one of my favorite professors (who I took five classes with!). Going to him each semester to catch up and work out the details of my schedule was not only reassuring, but it also helped to build a relationship. When you need letters of recommendation, this person will know you best! If you don’t know who your major advisor is, it usually says it on your department’s website. Just schedule an appointment or show up to office hours, and they will help you make that perfect college schedule!
Balance Your Schedule
Only YOU know what you can handle. You can gauge the difficulty of classes and professors from your advisor, Rate My Professors, and other students, but you’re the only one who knows your stress levels and commitments. This is a mistake that I saw far too many people make, and I want to address it.
For many programs, classes do not necessarily need to be taken in a particular order. Some are prerequisites for others, yes, but oftentimes, there’s wiggle room. If you’re looking at your schedule and going oh, shit, it’s probably time to re-evaluate. Balance is key in many areas of life, and college schedules are no exception. If you know that you’re going to be working a lot a particular semester or have heavy family obligations, maybe try to shift a heavier load to another semester. If you’re taking a class that is notoriously difficult, try cushioning that with some easier electives.
It often helps to make a mockup schedule in Excel or Google Calendars. Monitor how you feel and be realistic with yourself. If you have a sinking gut feeling that it will be too much, listen to that. If you feel like you can take on more now, listen to that. The instances when I saw people listen to their gut versus just looking at their major map resulted in tremendous differences. One of them was very productive. One of them was loaded with turmoil and stress. It’s not hard to figure out which one is the right choice.
Consider Your Other Obligations
This goes hand in hand with the tip above. Many students have to work while they go to school, and many also take up internships or research. This adds a significant time burden, especially when factoring in travel time. It can get even more difficult when considering the hours (full-time vs part, morning vs evening). I had at least one job for most of my time in school, but I was fortunate enough to have flexible employers. Many of my friends did not have this opportunity, and in the era of Zoom classes, several of them would be logged on from their place of work. While this is an unfortunate situation, it’s something to honestly consider as you plan your classes.
Even if this doesn’t apply to you, you should consider what is happening in your life and when it is happening. Work, internships, volunteering, commuting, family, and friends are all things that come up, and you need to know how to work around them. Additionally, some people work better in the mornings or evenings. I knew that I hated evening classes, so I’d avoid those whenever possible. You can’t always get what you want, but it definitely helps to go about it deliberately when planning.
When you go to make your perfect college schedule, make a list of your obligations. Consider everything: work, school, volunteering, internships, family, friends, etc. Then look back at your rough schedule of classes you might take and factor this in. As with above, it often helps to write this out or to make a sample schedule. Once more, pay attention to that feeling in your gut. It will take you a long way.
Make Sure You Have Backups and Monitor Registration Often
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it’s important to always have a backup plan. Registration can often make it difficult to get your top choice in classes, especially for lower division classes. Sometimes, no matter how much you try, you won’t get your perfect schedule. Because of this, you should find second (and maybe third) choice options for professors/classes. Before your registration time comes, you should monitor the seats available in classes. By being prepared, you’ll be able to go into registration calmly, and you won’t be scrambling if all of the seats suddenly disappear from the class you were hoping for.
Whether you write this down or make a digital list, it helps to have some alternate classes on hand when you sign up and to know what you’re getting into. I can’t emphasize this enough, and I think it’s something colleges don’t often tell us! You will be ahead of many of your peers if you do this, and you will be able to confidently get the *second best* class and go in with clear expectations.
Bottom Line
Planning the perfect college schedule can be a headache, and it definitely comes with some stress. However, if you take a breath and go in with a logical plan, everything will work out. Use the resources available to you–professors, advisors, friends, Rate My Professors–to get a good idea of what’s coming. With that, list out your priorities and brainstorm ways to balance. Finally, always make sure to have a backup. By using this strategy, registering will be a breeze!
See the infographic below for an easy-to-use plan.
