Make your College class schedule work for your

Your College class schedule is more than a schedule. As a matter of fact, creating an efficient schedule that fits well with your extra-curricular activities such as partying (yes, that counts), volunteering, interning, working and other 'ing' words you can think of makes all the difference when you have a million things to do.

Having a great College class schedule will depend on how many choices you have at your school. For example, the number of classes and number of teachers will definitely limit your choices especially if you attend a community college. However, there are a number of ways you can go around this.

The first thing you can do is to research the professor(s) who are teaching the class. You can go to web sites like www.ratemyprofessors.com. When you're there, you can search a professor by school/university, subject matter, and last name. The search will give you reviews, warnings, and advice from other students who have previously taken a class from this particular professor. You may also get some not so good sentiments if the teacher was too tough and the student did not get a good grade in the class.

Photo by UBC Library Graphics

One thing to remember about these ratings is to use them wisely especially if you get mixed reviews (e.g. one student thinks a teacher is great while another thinks they are biased etc.) When creating a College class schedule, look at both opinions and weigh your options. Ask yourself if the teacher's good reviews make up for the bad ones. Also, consider applying these reviews to more difficult classes (e.g. Physics, Biology etc.) and compromise for the easier ones (e.g. Dance History, Speech etc.). Remember, this is a great tool to get some guidance but it should not be the ultimate factor in making a decision about your class schedule.

After the teacher's reputation, the second aspect you should look at is whether you are required to take a particular class. I say this because students are sometimes given alternative classes that will satisfy the same subject requirement. If you are not so sure about the teacher or the class, having your education plan handy would make this process easier. In addition, your student advisor can most likely give you teacher or alternative class recommendations. If you decide that this teacher fits your needs, then you can start looking at other classes that will go well with your other classes.

Last but not the least, the actual time of the class. matters a lot. The time of the class would first depend on how many alternate class times you school offers for a certain semester or quarter. If you are a morning person, then a class that starts at 7:30 in the morning would work best for you and vice versa. Also, having big chunks of free time is good to have if you have a part-time job. You can do this by scheduling two to three classes right after another. However, leave enough time in between classes so you can get to the next one and/or take a little breather. These little breaks will ease your stress and also give you time to review last minute topics during exam time.

When you are in the process of creating your College class schedule, you are also making the choice on how busy and organized you will be for the next 10-18 weeks of school. Prioritize the things that matter the most to you so you can get the most out of your time. You are given much more choices in College compared to your high school days, take advantage of these choices and use them judiciously.

For an example of a college class schedule. download it here

To download the sample class schedule right click on the 'Download it here' and from the menu select 'save as. This sample requires Adobe reader.

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