Creating the Perfect Schedule (For You!)

Since school is about to begin, I think it is about that time to talk about how to create the perfect college schedule! The awesome thing about college is that you have free reign over mostly everything, including when and what you want to do regarding classes! Since it is near the end of summer, I’m sure most of you new high school graduates have gone to orientation and created your schedules, but may not be satisfied with them. After all, the registrars don’t know you personally and what you like. I’m also sure that some of you felt the pressure and picked random classes just to be done. But the awesome thing is that most schools allow you to go back and change your schedules up until classes start! So here are some tips to create the perfect schedule (or rework the one you’ve got)! 

1. Plan around your sleep schedule.

  

Now I know this sounds silly, but sleep is a pretty big deal in college. It is super coveted; it is probably the holy grail of college students everywhere. If you get the chance to sleep, then you’re a baller and pretty much doing big things. So, if you know that you are a night owl or a grouchy morning person, then it wouldn’t make sense to take that 8 AM class, even though you know you’d be done for the rest of the day. It may seem that that would be a reasonable thing to do, but it’d be better to push that class to a later time, so instead of wishing you were asleep, you could give your full attention to the material. Also, try to incorporate naptime! If you do this, I promise it will be the best decision you ever make during the semester! Planning all your classes during the morning, and having time to sleep during the afternoon, or planning a two-hour break between two classes can do this. 

2. Give yourself a chance to eat. 

Try to plan classes with at least a thirty minute to an hour break in between to give your self a chance to eat and keep your strength up.

3. Try to plan classes in the same general area. 

I go to a big school. Therefore, most of the classes are in different far apart locations on campus. For those just starting out and are taking CORE classes, it’d be best to take classes that are generally in the same area so you aren’t running back and forth with a bag full of heavy textbooks. 

4. Balance easy and hard classes. 

Most students take the base amount of classes for a semester starting out, which is 12 hours. This equals maybe three to four classes. The key to a successful is semester is balancing the level of work between classes. I personally think that every one should pick classes that are relatively easy with classes that are relatively hard. Another way of looking at balancing classes is choosing ones that you know offer a lot of extra credit and is easy to get an A in, with ones that require a lot more attention. Knowing that you have a class that can boost your grade should that Calculus take a turn for the worst is reassuring.

5. Balance the length of classes. 

No matter how many hours a class is, that never really signifies how long the class is. I’ve taken classes that were 50 minutes long to 2 hours and 45 minutes long, and they all were worth three credit hours. MWF (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) classes are typically shorter lengths because they occur more frequently than TTH (Tuesday, Thursday) classes. Try to the same number of classes on all days of the week, like two per day. It’s gonna suck if you plan all your classes on TTH. Those hour and fifteen minute classes will eventually creep up on you. And I brought up the 2 hr and 45 minute classes because as a freshman I auditioned for the art school and got it; so those are the lengths of studio classes.

6. Try to pick things that you like and try to pick things you can handle. 

This goes for subject material and the days you take them. If you have to take a science to fill a core requirement and you know that you are not good at science, it would make sense to forgo that chemistry 101 and take natural resource conservation (or something). This is what I did. Natural resources was reading based, and since I’m more English and history oriented, this was a more appropriate choice. Also, college offers are multitude of classes for each requirement, so it is very possible that you will find something to hold your interest for a semester. Most likely the classes you take will be held on Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, or Tuesday, Thursdays. Keep this is consideration while choosing classes as well. 

I hoped that some of these tips helped so you can create an awesome schedule! Let me know if you have any questions!

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