Choosing college classes often feels overwhelming. Your school may have hundreds — if not thousands — on offer. You need to make sure you choose classes that interest you, bring you closer toward meeting your graduation requirements, fit into your schedule, and are not too difficult. Here are a few things to do to make sure you achieve all these goals.
1. Talk to Your Academic Advisor
Although you should check yourself what core classes you need to take and how many electives you have available, it’s still a good idea to discuss these requirements with your academic advisor. This will ensure you’re on track to graduate by your desired date and you don’t waste your time taking classes you won’t be able to count toward your qualification.
2. Finish Core Classes Early
A good strategy is to finish your core classes early and focus on the classes for your major later. Start mapping out how you’ll spread these across your first several semesters at college. Ask your academic advisor if your idea is feasible.
3. Think About Your Schedule
When deciding which classes to take this semester, think about how you’ll spread them across the week. You may like to have a consistent schedule or you may prefer a couple busy days combined with a couple days with less classes.
You also need to decide if you’d prefer to take classes in the morning, afternoon, or night. This will depend on when you feel you’re best able to focus and how you want to fit classes around other commitments, such as extracurriculars and a part-time job. Lastly, if it’s an option at your school, consider if you want to take online as well as in-person classes.
4. Ask Students for Feedback
Talk to students who have already taken a class you’re interested in. Find out what they liked about the class, its level of difficulty, and what you’ll need to do to succeed. You could also ask other students what classes they enjoyed the most and which professors they found the most engaging.
5. Create a Reasonable Course Load
You may be tempted to take as many classes as possible to graduate sooner or to challenge yourself with difficult classes. However, you’re much more likely to succeed if you have reasonable expectations. Don’t take more classes than your academic advisor recommends and choose a mixture of challenging and easier classes. Bear in mind, you may need to dedicate more hours to studying in your own time than you expect.
6. Register Quickly
You put in a lot of effort coming up with the ideal schedule — but there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to take all your top choices. If a class is popular, it may fill up fast. Register as soon as possible to increase the chances that you’ll be able to take all the classes you want. It’s also a good idea to have some backup options, just in case.
Another decision you need to make is where to live. You’ll find Durham College student housing at Foundry 1805. You’ll be just steps from North Oshawa campus in a fully-furnished platinum suite that features upscale furnishings and top-tier appliances. Apply now to move in for the fall semester.