New year, new semester, and the love-hate relationship of signing up for classes has been the trending topic on every college students mind. I can honestly say it most definitely was on the top of my list. Signing up for classes can be both exciting and challenging, in a way where you feel “in control", but at the same time you don’t. In some cases, it can feel a bit stressful and frustrating because you’re the one planning on picking the right time, the perfect professor, and the overall factor of managing an environment that you will be in, for a whole semester. If you are lucky enough you are able to find classes with such ease, but when you leave things for last minute, that’s when stress kicks in even more because the deadline for signing up is just around the corner.

Now with such an over whelming moment in our college pathway we wished we had someone by our side the whole time. Giving us their input, their opinion and even some organizing skills to set our daily week schedule. Realistically that is not the case. As a college student, we learn to do task like these, all on our own. The good news is, you are not alone! There are thousands of students going through the same thing right now, but don’t fear one can get through it with a calm mind set. Here are some helpful tips that I would most definitely encourage any college student to keep in mind. These tips helped me feel calmer, more concentrated and less stressed in organizing my new school semester.

8  Tips in Picking Classes for a New Semester:

1. Create a semester goal check list:

With a new semester approaching you want to start with having a list of goals for the semester. This helps a lot because it gives you that extra push to keep organized on what you need to get done for the semester. A semester goal list also is a great key for you to set goals that will help you pursue more confidence, get out of any comfort zone and to feel on top of your school game. It helps to keep track of any future due dates that might be important for the new semester.

2. Check Out Your Class Options

If you are already sure of your major the first tip suggested is to check and review your course listings on what classes you are required to take. This is important for you to be on track of your major path. Now, in case you are still not sure of what major you want to pursue. Do your research and check what requirements are valid for most of the majors available in your college/university.

3. Visit Your Advisor

It is very important to know where your college/university’s advisement office is. Try to set an appointment with your advisor before registration. It is very helpful and if you have any questions that might come, they are there to help. After having a meeting with an advisor, I can assure you will have a better knowledge on your registration process and have any questions answered.

4. Required Courses Out of the Way first

With the excitement of starting a new semester we want to jump and get the hard classes out of the way first. What we tend to forget is that most of our required classes are electives, such as math, history, philosophy,etc. A huge tip is to get those core requirements out of the way first because college students do have a decent number of electives that must be taken in order to graduate. Get those courses out of the way, so the last few years of your college experience becomes an experience of more focus on your intended major.

5. Maintain Your Balance

As a college student, our objective is trying to graduate in 4 years. Realistically it is not the same pathway for everyone. Every person who attends college encounters a different experience and gradating in more than 4+ years is not a taboo anymore. Overthinking definitely takes over and when registration comes we want to take as much classes as we can. This is where we need to think thoroughly and find a balance in weather we should take 4 or 5 as recommended. College should be an experience to remember, and another tip is to maintain a balance with it. Do not over pack yourself with work and classes and go at a good pace that not only you will enjoy but also do great in your classes.

6. Register Early is a Must

Registering early is super important. You do not want to leave things last minute. You never know if there might be any reason that may affect your registration and that you might need to get fixed first before adding a class. Be alert of your assigned registration date and be the first to have more options to take.

7. Keep note of your pathway

It is recommended to always keep note of any important information that you get out of meeting with your advisor, any future classes you found out you need to take and to just have a tracker to know what to do after registering. This is helpful and keeps you up to date with any future events. Jotting and writing things down help memorization and you feel more organized in your student duties.

8. Have Fun!

Lastly, no one ever said registering for classes should be boring or stressful, which at times it might be. Don’t forget you should do your research and look for classes that you do need to take but also be interested in taking. There are many options that one can take along the way. This is also a great opportunity to open doors to new learning experiences. Have fun and enjoy the process of registering.

These tips are just few of the many that can be very helpful for a less stressful registration experience. College should be about having fun and enjoying every minute of it. Lets stress less and be our most calm self while we are at it.

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