I’m staring at my screen, aligning colourful boxes into columns, stacking classes next to each other as strategically as possible on Draft My Schedule. So much has occurred in the lead-up to my appointment time, a million factors swarming my mind when considering each class:
- Do I have friends taking the class?
- What days is the class offered?
- How does it fit into my schedule? In which semester should I take it?
- Do I take it in person or online?
- Who is the professor? What are they like?
- How is the course evaluated?
- How difficult is the class? Is it a “bird”?
- Is the class useful to me?
- Is the class required for my academic progression?
- Am I even interested in the class?
There is so much more that goes into selecting courses now in university than before, owing largely to the variety of available options and the huge degree of flexibility students are given in building their schedule. Because of just how much there is to consider, finding your hypothetical “ideal” schedule is near impossible—it’s all a delicate balancing act of checking off the boxes and choosing which factors you value the most.
I’ve found that the first week in the beginning of each semester exemplifies this balance. Just a few weeks ago, I was deciding whether I should switch out of a course that was supposedly “not applicable” to my career to something that would be more “useful.” I’d asked a few upper years for their advice, read the courses’ syllabi and tested out what my schedule would look like after the shifts. I’d wonder how I would feel during finals when studying each class and whether my interest in one could last the entire semester. With no way of knowing for sure during those days, I was eagerly anticipating for the add/drop deadline to come and go so I could relieve myself of the pressure of choice—and yet, at the same time, I was also dreading potentially regretting my decision once that date passes.
To help myself make a difficult course choice this semester, I took what I learned last semester to be more well-informed before that final course drop deadline. On the last day to change my courses, I remember trekking through the snow all the way to Huron to trial a class on Chinese history and culture, telling the professor that I was just there to see how I’d liked it. Although I ended up deciding not to switch into that class, I’m glad I gave the class a try to make a better-informed decision.
Based on my experience and what those around me have felt, I’ve learned that there really is no magic advice for choosing your classes; some will always be inherently easier for you, more interesting for you, or better positioned for you. However, the best thing you can do is to be prepared beforehand to discover this.
Plan for the best time slots with your ideal professors after talking with people and getting recommendations from those who have taken the class. Read through the syllabus and understand how evaluation works. Clarify whether the class is a requirement for your program. Even trial the class once or twice to see if you’ll enjoy the content. Of course, this is all tedious work, but it will be worth it—after all, your courses are the routine you’ll follow every week for an entire semester; they will be the content you engage with and discuss with your peers, and they will likely be the reason you pull all nighters to study during finals. In that case, you might as well make sure you enjoy the courses that you are selecting.