Schedule Building: 5 Quick Tips

Hey Bearcats!

So, with spring semester advising getting underway I figured I would let you all in on some tips to help put you in the best position to succeed when building a schedule!

#1: Plan, plan, and plan some more!

When building a schedule make sure you have all of the information you can, get on your MyLander and check out all of your options. Build tentative schedules, a bunch of them, and have back up plans. Maybe your go to elective filled up, what now? Make sure you have options!

#2: Know your strengths and weaknesses

Know what you are good at and what gives you issues so you can be the best you. Do you hate mornings? Maybe try to avoid 8am courses. Maybe you can't focus after lunch, or do not do well with online courses. Maybe you aren't great at Math and English and need to focus extra on those courses, so try to not schedule them at the same time.

Put yourself in an environment to succeed, schedule based on your strengths. While it may not always be perfect, and sometimes you just have to take the course regardless of time or your other classes, if you are aware of it you can avoid a lot of potential problems.

#3: Just because you CAN, does not mean you SHOULD

Pay attention to what you are doing when building your schedule, remember these words on a screen become real course and real workloads come spring time. So yes you could probably fit in an extra lab science, or take every course on a T/TH so you avoid going in on Fridays. But those long days and heavy workload can really wear you down. Make sure you are giving yourself enough time to get everything done and give it your whole effort.

#4: Ask questions!

If you are not sure of something, maybe you want to work through potential schedules, or discuss a class's workload, or just meet a professor you have never had before. Reach out! Get in contact with myself, the professor, other students who have take the course. All of these things will help you understand just what you are getting yourself in to next semester. Gather all the information you need and anything you can't find reach out to someone who may have it, we are all glad to help!

#5: Pay attention to your credit hours!

Remember for the LIFE scholarship (or to move from HOPE to LIFE) you must have a 3.0 GPA and 30 CREDIT HOURS, so keep track of everything and make sure that your year will total to that important 30 mark if those apply to you!