Choosing classes, planning schedule doesn’t have to be painful, arduous

David Burke
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Every college student understands choosing classes is an
important but potentially intimidating and frustrating process.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are
ways to choose your classes wisely and ensure your quarter is
interesting and enlightening instead of boring and arduous.

Two obvious reasons to take a class ““ the ones focused on
at Orientation ““ are to begin working on the coursework for
your major or to fulfill some of your general education
requirements. But those aren’t the only reasons to take
classes. 

Most students at UCLA will have plenty of free space during the
course of their college career to take classes that don’t
fulfill any requirements and still graduate on time. One good
reason to take a class is to explore other subjects outside your
major to see how much you enjoy them. This ensures that you
will choose a major you will genuinely enjoy, which is vital to a
good college experience. You don’t want to be in your second
or third year at UCLA when you realize you’re unhappy with
your major. You need to get a feel for your major and a couple
other areas that you might be interested in when you are a
freshman.

While it’s nice to get your GEs out of the way early, you
do not have to feel a sense of urgency: you have four years to
complete them. Instead of rushing to fulfill your GE
requirements, you might be better off taking a class that you think
sounds interesting or fun. Some of the most enjoyable and
rewarding classes I’ve taken during my first three years at
UCLA fit into this category. If you find a class that strikes your
fancy, go ahead and enroll.

Once you’ve come up with a list of between 10 and 15
classes that you are interested in taking, you should have some
flexibility to decide the days and times you want to have class. A
lot of students try to squeeze all of their classes into three or
four days so they can have days off during the week or long
weekends. However, I like to have class everyday because my
schedule becomes more spread out and I’m doing something
related to school each weekday. But if you’d really like a
day or two off, try it and see if you can make it work.

When choosing times for your classes, the most important thing
is to choose a time when you will actually attend class.
Don’t enroll in an eight or nine o’clock class unless
you are willing to wake up for them and get enough sleep the night
before. If you live in the dorms, it is unrealistic to think you
will go to bed before midnight or one o’clock every
night. There are just too many distractions and fun things to
do. So unless you are willing to attend class frequently on
six or fewer hours of sleep, try to avoid early morning
classes. 

If possible, it’s a good idea to schedule your classes so
you don’t have a long break in between them. It would be
ideal if you could schedule your classes one after another, with
perhaps a one hour break during the day. It will give you a
chance to grab a quick bite, finish up homework, or do some last
minute studying. Your weekdays will seem much shorter and you
will have a lot more free time.

But before you enroll in any class, you should visit
bruinwalk.com and see what other students have said about the
professor and the class. Most classes and professors have neither
spectacular nor horrible reviews, but if reviews are particularly
good or bad, it’s a good idea to make a note of it. Try to
avoid a professor or a class students rampantly dislike and try to
take a class with a professor they love.

Don’t use bruinwalk.com to find and take extremely easy
courses, though. They may boost your GPA, but they are a waste of
your time. You are here to learn, not to take meaningless
courses. 

One final tip to help you gain an ideal class schedule is
over-enrolling. Enroll in one more class than you plan to take and
then drop the class you like the least before the deadline.
It’s a great way to ensure you will have one less bad class
each quarter. For your first quarter, this means you should
probably enroll in four classes and drop one once the quarter
starts. Taking more than three classes your first quarter is not
advised “”mdash; you’ll have enough other things to adapt to
as it is.

Although it can seem intimidating and frustrating, if you do it
right, choosing classes can be painless and even pleasant. So
relax, take your time, do some research, and have a great
quarter!