College Success Tip – Plan The Perfect Schedule

Part of being efficient with your time means planning out the perfect schedule.  You are allowed to take whatever classes you want, as long as the combination allows you to meet all of your requirements for graduation.  It is important to plan a schedule to fit your desires, rather than letting your schedule dictate your life.  If you want an easier schedule in the Fall, then save your harder classes for the winter.  If you plan to ski on weekends all Winter, then you may want to take a tougher class load in the Fall.

You should have a very good idea of which classes you need to take so that you can graduate.  Sit down with your academic advisor and map this out semester by semester.  Sure it may change a little along the way, but at least you will have a good idea of what you need to take and can build a schedule around the lifestyle that you want as a student.  You may also want to make your senior year easier than some of the others – you will want the extra time for student activities, a great social life and either conducting your career search or filling out applications for graduate school.

Going back to the importance of time management, make sure to strategically schedule your classes in as small of a window as possible.  For instance, take all of your classes Monday – Thursday and give yourself Friday off.  Another idea would be to make sure that you schedule all of your classes between 8am-Noon or 10am-2pm so that you are in “class mode” as little as possible.  Then you can study before or after and have the evenings for activities, relaxing and going out.

The Bottom Line: You are paying good money to attend the school of your choice – you deserve to plan the perfect schedule to fit your needs.  Condense your classes into as small of a time frame as possible, map out each semester well in advance and try to give yourself a break senior year…. you will be glad you did!