Be Strategic with Your College Schedule
Maximize Your General Education and Elective Requirements
Your college career may sometimes seem like one endless strategy session. Sometimes it really is. As soon as you get through the midterm exams of your current semester, it’s once again time to start constructing the puzzle that will be your following semester’s schedule.
The reality of designing your class schedule from one semester to the next is often far more nerve-racking than the leisurely review of elective courses you completed prior to your acceptance. What was once a fun and exciting activity is now a grueling act of assessing priorities, realistic need for sleep or food, and whether the space and time continuum can be ignored just this once.
Take heart. While the perfect schedule may not exist, it is possible to create an effective schedule that maximizes your gen ed requirements and electives to support you in your future career goals.
Look Ahead, Plan Ahead for Smart Scheduling
A common mistake made by many college students is failing to tactically plan for junior and senior year. Of course, every student knows what upper-level classes they need to take or want to take, but how often do those same students look at exactly how often those classes are offered? This fatal mistake has caused many seniors to drop a minor or spend an extra semester in school to meet all their requirements. Use your early years to study the course catalog and make sure you are aware of which required courses are offered during select semesters or simultaneously with other requirements.
With this information in hand, plan the rest of your schedule accordingly. Conventional wisdom may encourage satisfying gen ed requirements in your first two years, but academic advisors know that’s not always the best strategy. If you plan to study abroad, or need to accommodate those elusive major requirements, it may be wise to save some general education classes for later. As you advance in your major and explore career options, it may even benefit you to wait and choose general requirements that will bolster industry-specific knowledge.
Curate Electives to Strengthen Candidacy
Electives are meant to help you emerge from college as a well-rounded individual who will be a productive member of society. Many students look at electives as an opportunity to boost their GPA, give themselves a break with something simple, or explore their hobbies. These are all valid ways to broaden your education and serve your best interests. Another way to make efficient use of your electives is to apply them to your overall career strategy.
Your area of career expertise will most likely not exist in a vacuum in the real world. Students who study biology are aware that in their future job, they will use biology as it applies to some industry or research solution. Therefore, a biology major may want to choose electives that will enhance knowledge in a particular field of interest, such as neuroscience, healthcare management, or public health policy. Alternatively, this student may want to pursue electives in social sciences that support a foundation of ethics for future work.
When you think of all your college courses as opportunities to maximize your higher education experience, you will approach that first career with a solid base of knowledge. Use this time wisely to help you research industries and develop skills for greater career satisfaction and success.
If you are struggling to determine the best strategy for your college courses, an education consultant might be right for you. Contact us today for a complimentary Strategy Session. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for additional resources for making the most of your education.