Making your class schedule in college is a matter of figuring out what works best with your lifestyle and preferences. It’s about finding the perfect balance for you.

I remember sitting with my counselor at my freshman orientation as we made my schedule. I didn’t have a good feel for what an ideal college schedule should look like. I relied heavily on my counselor’s guidance, and luckily she was extremely helpful in guiding me through the process.

At the time, I thought it’d be great to have a three-hour gap between two of my classes. I thought this would give me enough time to go home and eat or relax before heading to my next class.

As the semester went on, I ended up just wanting to get my classes over with each day, and my three-hour break seemed to drag on. I didn’t actually end up going home except for a few times, and instead spent my break doing homework at the Union.

Having such a long break could be great; some people like having some time off from class, or like using the time to be productive and get some work done. But I learned that I prefer to just get my classes out of the way and do my work later.

When you make your schedule, also keep in mind things like breaks to get food. I always preferred to just bring a snack with me and stay on the go, but maybe you prefer to have enough time to stop by Green Street and get something to eat.

Additionally, decide whether you are an early riser or not. Sometimes you just have to register for a class at 8 a.m., but other times there are more options. If you know you’re never going to be able to make it to an early morning class, look at your options. 

Something else to look out for when you make your schedule is class location. Consult a campus map to make sure you can get from one building to another in the time allotted. Trust me, it’s not fun to run from the west end of the Armory to Noyes Laboratory in 10 minutes, as I quickly learned my freshman year. Sometimes, you might not have the option of doing anything about this because your class might only be offered during one time slot, but usually you can find a way to switch up your schedule to ensure you don’t end up running from one quad to another. 

Trial and error is essentially the only way to figure out what works best for you. There is no one-size-fits-all scheduling model to follow. In time, you’ll figure out a system that works best for your own lifestyle. It took me that first fall semester to figure out what I wanted to change or keep the same when registering for the spring semester.

Abrar is a senior in Media. 
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