How To Choose Your Courses
How To Choose Your Courses
Aside from the already daunting task of choosing your academic path, choosing your courses each semester can also be stressful. These helpful tips will help you set up an efficient course schedule each semester, from your first year to graduation.
How To Choose Your Courses
It's finally that point in the semester when it is time to start preparing for the next one. It can be overwhelming to juggle fulfilling requirements, taking enough credits to graduate on time, choosing elective courses, and picking the best times to attend class that fit your busy schedule. Following these four tips will take you from being overwhelmed to creating the perfect semester schedule.
1. Take advantage of the general education requirements
Making sure that you complete your general education requirements is very important because these courses are necessary to graduate. You definitely don't want to reach graduation, only to find that you're missing six credits in history. One way to avoid this mess is to take a few of these core classes along with classes for your degree. This approach can help you maintain a balanced course load by taking a variety of classes of different subjects and difficulty levels.
Another strategy that can be helpful to some students is finishing the gen ed requirements early. One advantage to this is that it can help students entering college who are uncertain about their future majors explore their interests. General education requirements, sometimes called the core curriculum, encompass a wide selection of liberal arts and sciences courses designed to cultivate a well-rounded education. For instance, you might choose to take an introductory course in Environmental Biology to satisfy your natural science requirement, uncovering your passion for environmental conservation and ecology. Alternatively, taking a Designing Digital Media course to fulfill your humanities requirement might guide you toward majoring in Digital Design.
Besides helping you find your interests, finishing your gen ed requirements early can also help you focus more fully on the degree you are working towards as you won't have to simultaneously take those courses along with your major courses. Moreover, excelling in these courses early on can significantly enhance your GPA, allowing you to establish a strong academic foundation during your initial years in college. This can be beneficial for scholarships, graduate school applications, and securing internships.
2. Take elective courses and explore
If you’re short a few credits, want to gain additional skills, need a GPA boost, or are simply eager to learn something completely new, an elective course will be a valuable addition to your semester schedule. The beauty of elective courses is that they can be in any subject you want. They don't have to fulfill an academic requirement and you still earn credits while having the opportunity to boost your GPA. You’re a Computer Science major but have always been interested in storytelling? Take a creative writing class to develop your creativity.
Also, selecting elective courses that align with the degree you are aiming to pursue can significantly enhance your graduate school application. Not only does it demonstrate your commitment and passion for your chosen field, but it also demonstrates your proactive approach to academic preparation. Graduate admissions committees often seek well-rounded candidates.
If you are considering a higher educational degree, an elective course is also a great way to test the waters of the subject you want to pursue. It can provide you the basics to get started in a new area of study. Elective courses can provide networking opportunities, help you gain skills and build your resume, give you the space to grow personally and professionally, and give you a competitive edge.
3. Optimize your schedule
Choosing the right class times can be difficult as a student balancing academics, work, and life. One of the first steps to selecting courses that take place at times that work for you is understanding when you are the most productive. If you find that you have the most energy mid-day, taking afternoon and evening classes may be the right choice for you. If you’re most productive in the morning, you might thrive in an 8 AM class.
Another helpful strategy to consider is blocking your classes during certain times of the day, rather than having classes spaced out with a few hours in between. This approach can maximize your efficiency by allowing you to concentrate on your studies during dedicated time blocks, and it can also free up larger chunks of your day for work, extracurricular activities, or personal commitments.
Additionally, having your classes grouped together can reduce the need for multiple commutes to and from campus, potentially saving you time and energy. If you can, keeping your classes within two or three days in the week can give you full days of time to yourself. You can use those extra days for an internship or indulge in your favorite activities.
4. Seek academic advisement
Your academic advisor is there for you throughout your college journey. Never hesitate to reach out to them if you have questions about requirements or need help choosing courses and planning your semester. Academic advisors are there to provide you with professional guidance on choosing courses that will help you succeed and reach your goals.
One helpful tip in choosing your semester courses is having an academic advisor help you create a graduation plan, which is a very helpful tool students should utilize. A graduation plan, also called an academic or degree plan, is a personalized and structured outline of the courses and requirements a student needs to complete in order to graduate with their intended degree program and by their intended graduation date. The plan can help you stay on track and guide you on what courses should be taken each semester.
Another extremely helpful tip that an academic advisor will be able to assist you with is choosing courses that can fulfill two requirements at the same time. For example, a general education requirement in the humanities might also be able to satisfy your major in Communication and Media. This double-dipping approach not only streamlines your academic workload but also maximizes the value of each course, allowing you to make the most of your college experience and potentially graduate earlier. Keep an eye out for such courses, but, if you’re unsure of what courses might satisfy two different requirements, you can always reach out to your academic advisor for assistance.
Create the perfect course schedule
When planning your semester, remember these tips to make the process go more smoothly and stress-free. Take advantage of general education requirements and stay open to exploring new subjects. You can create a graduation plan that is tailored to your interests and goals by registering for interesting electives and taking classes that satisfy multiple requirements. Your course selections play a significant role in shaping your college experience. With thoughtful planning and the right support, you can make the most of your time in college one semester at a time. At NJIT, you will have unwavering support every step of the way, no matter what you study. Start your next semester with purpose at NJIT—apply today!