Pick Your Classes Wisely
After pondering about what to write, I’ve decided to compile a list of tips for incoming college freshmen on picking classes, since I know you guys should be getting your acceptance/waitlist/rejection (hopefully not) letters about now.
It took me a year and a half to finally figure out what I wanted to do in college and really start focusing, but my lack thereof before is now kicking me in the butt. I’m double majoring in Japanese and international business, which means I need a total of 156 credits to graduate. Unfortunately, I spent my freshmen year taking useless classes I didn’t need, and now when I want to take my major-required classes, I’m either missing prerequisites or don’t have enough credit. Not fun. :O
So don’t be a dumb dumb like me, and learn from my mistakes:
- If you know for sure what you want to major in, take a look at your major requirements, which can usually be found on your school website or will be given during orientation.
- Pick your classes accordingly, and get the prerequisites out of the way.
- If you are double, triple, or quadruple majoring, see if any of your other major requirements also satisfy a core. Don’t take more core classes than the minimum requirements. It’s a waste of time.
- Try to take around 15-16 credit per semester. Of course, if you came in with 100 AP credits or you want to take more, by all means, do go for it.
- If you don’t know your major, but have a general idea of the field you want to go in, try to take a look at the requirements for the majors in that field and take core classes that are related to them. Even better, find core classes that satisfy some major requirements.
- If you don’t know your major, decide on it ASAP. The less time you spend taking useless classes, the better.
- Decide CAREFULLY. And once you do make your choice, stick to it, or at least limit the switches to being in the same school to spare yourself from starting from scratch.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew, but at the same time, you should take as big as a bite as your mouth can afford. College is expensive, and the more you get out of it, the more your getting back for your money’s worth. Know your limit, but don’t underestimate your abilities.
Of course, if you’re happy wandering through college aimlessly and plan on staying in there till kingdom come, ignore the above tips and go smoke some hookah 
Kaylee says:
I’m still in high school, and I always figure out which courses I need to take first, but it’s hard when I’m interested in so many different areas and I’m not sure which one I will pursue!
I’ve ended up taking a lot of “core” classes that are prerequisites for different areas, so I have less room for the fun/interesting classes, like yearbook, photography, psychology, philosophy, politics… (Some examples off the top of my head.)
It would be so much easier if I knew EXACTLY what I was doing
Kaylee´s last blog post..Got talent
Mimi says:
High school is a good time to take some interesting classes, especially if your schedule allows for it. If you want to double/triple major in college and graduate in 4 years, you might not get the chance to take those fun/relaxing classes D:
Cat says:
That’s a lot of hours you need to complete! Good luck with that!
Looking at your requirements and checking with a counselor once in a while to make sure you’re still on target is definitely good. It’d suck if you’re about to graduate but were missing a class =O I had a couple friends who seemed to enjoy college enough that they took 7-8 years in undergrad, haha.
Cat´s last blog post..Another look at design
Mimi says:
It actually happened to a friend of a friend of mine, who found out a semester he was supposed to graduate that one of his credits didn’t transfer over, so now he can’t graduate with the rest of his friends D:
Some people have so much fun in college that they don’t want to leave
April says:
Poor me for having 36 units this sem including the fcking summer classes. We don’t have the right to pick our subjects, we’re following a course curriculum and with that, here we are now, suffering from so many subjects plus a no-vacation this year sucks BIG TIME.
Mimi says:
36 units? That sounds crazy! But being given a set curriculum does make things easier, and you don’t need to stress out over which classes to take.
Niki says:
Well, I’m only in grade ten, but I have been thinking about college lately. I want to be a graphic designer for sure, so me and my parents have been talking about the different colleges that I can go to, and what courses I need to take for the next two years. But thanks for the early advice
Niki´s last blog post..Questions = Cool Answers.
Mimi says:
Ooo, a graphic designer! It sounds fun, and it’s good you’re looking into it already. I wish I had started thinking about my college choices when I was in 10th grade. :/
John says:
Most colleges mandate you don’t even make a decision until your third year, primarily because they know that you’re going to change your mind six times until you realize that ___ is what you want to do.
Good luck with you, though!
John´s last blog post..Trust
Mimi says:
Third year? You’re supposed to be taking your upper level courses your third year, if not sooner. The reason core classes are there are so students who don’t know what they want to do can figure it out asap.
Regina says:
I’m still in high school, and I don’t really know what I want to be. My parents are pushing the medicine/business envelope (being Asian, of course), but I’m not sure I want to be limited to only those two choices.
Oo, I’m curious, you say you’re from Toronto, which university are you at?
Regina´s last blog post..A Day At Home
Mimi says:
Ahh, typical asian parents. I’m surprised they didn’t try to push law or engineering
But you really should pick something YOU want to do, not what your parents want for you.
I used to live in Toronto (like, 8 years ago?), but I’m currently in MD, USA right now.
T Edwards says:
I cant stress enough the importance of CAREFULLY deciding on a major and STICKING TO IT. I changed my major twice and wound up getting a 5 and half year 4 year degree.
T Edwards´s last blog post..First 5 Things I Learned About Blogging
Mimi says:
That’s what I’m trying to avoid, especially since tuition just keeps getting more and more expensive. -_-
Dayna says:
I can no longer choose my classes as they are rather “fixed”. I’m studying in the Accounting field btw. We really have to choose carefully, studying something we don’t like will make life hell in school.
I hate audit but I love management accounting but both are compulsory subjects so I try to live with it.
Dayna´s last blog post..Rowdy and noisy kids should be disciplined
Mimi says:
My classes are fixed now too, since I need to take them in order to get my degree. Yeah, there are some I hate, some I love, but since they are required, well, I guess there’s nothing I can do except try to live with it too.
rikuka says:
I hope that everyone who hasn’t yet gone to college realize what great tips these are. I made so many mistakes my first & even second year! -_-”
&& my cousin who’s 21 went back to school this spring semester and took all of these unnecessary class that his counselor signed him up for!! She is such a bitch.. she told him that he had to take a “College Success” course. wtf is that!? so yeah another tip would be talk to someone who already knows what’s up (not somebody who’s trying to make you spend tons of money on useless shit so that they can keep their job)! >.<
rikuka´s last blog post..funkanometry
Mimi says:
Wtf, that’s crap! Making you take classes you don’t need? What a waste of time and money! Yeah, it’s definitely a good idea to talk to people who know what’s going on, I just wished I had done the same 2 years ago.
Ongaku says:
haha, while those are all very good points and, I agree, should be done to help college students more… A lot of people never know what they want to do in life and never really do until they start trying out a bunch of things. I was lucky, in that, I knew exactly what I wanted. I think for a lot of people, going straight to college after high school is stupid because they aren’t ready. I waited 2 years before going.
Sadly, my sister didn’t get that choice because she got a full scholarship and the whole first year she spent changing her major over and over… She is on the second semester of her second year and just barely decided on a major, hopefully she keeps it, haha!
Anyway, I know waiting to decide on a major will make it tougher later on, but rushing to decide a major is even dumber because that is what you are going to be stuck with the rest of your life, even if you end up hating it. It’s all about pace and not stressing over it, finding what you like to do most.
Wow, your major sounds hard. I admire you for that, good luck in all of it!
Ongaku´s last blog post..I Survived!
Mimi says:
Yeah, I definitely agree with you. That’s what core classes are for though, for you to try out different things and hopefully find one you’re interested in. But the thing with me is that I KNEW what I wanted…I was just being plain dumb -_-
But definitely, find something you like, and then stick to it, even if it means putting off college for a bit. That’s smart
Katy says:
I feel lucky that I never had to choose my own classes! Even when we went to school for graphic design, our program was already set so they just sent us a new schedule every quarter. We didn’t get to choose the times which kinda sucked (although I managed to switch all the classes to times I wanted) but it did take a lot of pressure off us.
Katy´s last blog post..My Last Supper
Mimi says:
Gah, I wish it could be like that for us too…but I do like the fact that I get to pick late classes and being able to sleep in
Nicolah says:
I love your tips! I wish someone told me these when I first started college because I took a bunch of useless classes.. And then I had to start over in order to help out my major.. It sucked so bad. I keep telling my little sister that and she doesn’t listen, but, it doesn’t hurt to tell them!
Mimi says:
Ah, sounds like me. I wish somebody else told me these tips too!
Deanna says:
I was lucky. I knew what I wanted to take when I got to university so I didn’t have to switch majors or anything. Actually, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in until my second semester of my first year, but from what I can remember, the list of courses available for first year students were pretty limited. But then again it’s been 6 years since I began my university journey so what I think I remember and what actually was may not be the same. Either way, I was happy with the course choices I made. And the amount of courses you take doesn’t matter as much as what the actual courses are. I took 5 courses one semester and it was so hard because I had so much work do to, but then on another semester I had 7 courses (overload) and it was the easiest semester I had up to that point. I guess you just get lucky sometimes.
Mimi says:
Yeah, sometimes the professors you get can make all the difference, even if the class is the same. This is why I always look up the professor’s ratings before I decide which one to take
Amber says:
I actually did find this helpful, considering that I’ll hopefully be going to college soon (I have to accept my admission still, bah!). One of my biggest concerns is making sure that I’ll have enough time to work and do other things in addition to my major and other things that I’m interested in. The college I applied to has a set program, although still offers several different types of courses within that set program, so it probably won’t be as easy to pick them out as I hoped!
Though, of course, above all else is paying for it… It’s a wonder I can’t just donate a kidney to the college and have ‘em take that as my funding!
Amber´s last blog post..I need a new hobby
Mimi says:
Lol at “donate a kidney”. It’s crazy how expensive tuition is becoming. But yeah, trying to make your courses fit your schedule is such a pain, especially when you’re a freshmen and pick last -_-. Good luck with everything though!
Justin says:
Thanks for the tips. I’m not being dumb like you.
Cool majors! I’m double majoring in computer science and mathematics with a minor in theater.
Justin´s last blog post..Fun In The Snow
Mimi says:
Haha, I sure hope not! I actually considered being a computer science major, but omg, math? I think I’ll pass
Tin says:
I just finished college last year. Fortunately, I didn’t have to think about what subjects to take since the school provides a curriculum for each course. The only problem is deciding what course to take. I regret taking up my course.
Anyway, thank you for sharing these great tips.
Those who would be going to college soon must plan their subjects ahead.
Tin´s last blog post..Create Your Own Pastry Charm!
Mimi says:
I guess there are pros and cons of having a curriculum set out for you. But if anything, I learned the importance of planning ahead, so eh, I guess I got something out of my stupid mess :/
Gel says:
Sorry for the late response on your link exchange request, I just added your link
Anyway about college, i’m currently on my 3rd year. I’m supposed to be graduating already but I transferred schools and shifted to a different course. It’s really important to be in the right course from the onset to avoid being delayed and wasting money! College is so challenging though — mentally, physically, emotionally… and socially? Haha. It all depends on how you go through it every single day.
Mimi says:
Tell me about it! And yeah, when it really comes down to it, every single day counts, and little things build up. But I guess this would be what they call preparation for the real world, right?