Every year, students get the chance to choose their classes for the upcoming semester. It is extremely important and critical that students pick the right classes not only for their GPA but to graduate on time and gain the most out of their learning experience. As a seasoned Junior, here are some tips when choosing your Smeal schedule:
- Make a Master Schedule that roughly outlines what classes you must take for your major and when they are offered. This will allow you to see if certain classes are only offered in the Fall or Spring so you know when you have to schedule them for. After that, you are able to play around with those classes to see which ones fit with your other classes, like Gen-Eds or minor classes, to create the best schedule for you. Additionally, see if any classes have pre-requisites to them so you know which classes you have to take first and whether or not you are eligible for certain classes, especially higher level ones.
- Meet with an advisor! They are extremely helpful when choosing classes and can even show you classes that you might not have known about. Advisors at Smeal are great resources for even choosing professors, as some students prefer certain learning styles over others. Therefore, choosing the right professor for your learning requirements can be important, and advisors would be able to help you with that.
- Pick classes that sound interesting to you. You will have a much more enjoyable time if you are interested in the class content, and subsequently, that will be reflected in your academic performance. With higher level classes, you typically have more flexibility on which classes you can take, so utilize that flexibility and select classes you are interested in.
Overall, your Smeal schedule can be an asset to your learning in college and teach you new skills that you are interested in learning more about. Often these classes teach students skills that can be taken into their future career, so it is very important to choose your Smeal schedule wisely!
