It’s that time of year again when students get a wonderful and well deserved break in the middle of the week – it’s advising time. Not only is this a time for us to sleep in, it is a time for us to think about where we are in our programs and to think about how we would like to proceed.
Throughout the semester we get so busy with our current classes that sometimes we forget to evaluate our progress and to take the time to really consider the major we have chosen.
I personally like the fact that it is mandatory for students to meet with their advisers when picking out their classes. Sometimes advisers have a different approach to planning your schedule because they know the difficulty factor of the class.
It is also a good idea for students to meet with their advisers because they give you the honest truth on whether staying with this particular program is the best option or if maybe you should be challenged more.
Planning your schedule takes time and strategy, especially if you are a junior or senior. It is getting down to the wire and the classes you might have been putting off are now creeping up on you.
Meeting with your adviser and having discussions like these are beneficial. Being organized and prepared for each semester reduces stress and doesn’t leave you scrambling to finish your fine arts credit in your last semester.
I look forward to planning my next semester’s course schedule. I want to know what I will be taking, who my teachers will be and I like giving myself time to mentally prepare for the stress I am about to endure. It might make me slightly anxious but I’d rather be anxious about something I know about than something of the unknown.
Basically, I am saying take advantage of the help your advisers are offering. Don’t go into the meetings unprepared and just accept the schedule they hand you.
Come up with some variations of schedules that you think you would be able to handle, take their suggestions into consideration and then make your decision.
It’s better to always have backup schedules anyway because you could go to log onto your account to register your classes at the random time of 9:37 a.m. and find out that the only class you had planned out for that time slot is full. It’s a stressful feeling; trust me, I have learned from experience and I don’t recommend it.
Be over-prepared like I am and have three or four different schedules made up. It makes life a lot easier.
BECKY HILKER
