SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH CLASS REGISTRATION
Class registration is confusing for many students. What class is good for me? Does this class count for my degree? How many classes do I need? These are the questions that I hear a lot. Let me help you make sense of this mess we call picking classes.
THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF CLASS CREDIT
Each class has a number of credits in their description. Credit is the number of hours that you might study for that class in a week. That means credit decides how busy you will probably be while in college.
CLASS CREDIT | LEVEL OF BUSY |
12 credits | base limit for full time students |
15 credits | the amount most students take |
18 credits | limit for manageable workload |
21-23 credits | heavy workload |
NOTE FOR 21-23 CREDITS
This is a heavy workload! Many international students find it hard to maintain this amount and get good grades. It also make it hard for students to work and join other activities because students spend all their energy on their study.
There is added tuition and fee for going over 12-18 credits limit. You will study faster and save a year of food and living cost but pay the same in tuition.
MY RECOMMENDATION:
15 credits - 3 to 5 classes depending on the class’s credit
Why?
1. Have time and energy to study, work, and have fun in school
2. Benefit from the 12-18 tuition range while still ensure that you don't affect your study
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THE BEAUTY OF DEGREE PLAN
This is what will save you money, time, and effort when registering for class. I didn't know about degree plan until I was in my last two years of college.... and I could feel the difference in my planning when using this.
SO WHAT IS A DEGREE PLAN?
A degree plan is usually a table or list that write every classes a student would need to meet all the requirements from the school and graduate on time. It also include special requirement of your major such as test, portfolio submission, or second language classes. It divide classes into sections, usually by general and major specific classes or by subject such as math, biology, and chemistry.
There are two types of degree plan that the school provide:
General degree plan on the school website
Your own degree plan in your student account
GENERAL DEGREE PLAN | YOUR OWN DEGREE PLAN |
Most students can download and use as guide | Keep track of your past, current, and future classes |
Overall view of general and major-specific classes students will take | Show you exactly what class you need to complete the degree |
A good way to see if you will like the overall classe | Help you plan your class and finish your degree as fast as possible |
HOW TO USE A DEGREE PLAN
You can use both plans to help you. General degree plan is a great start to planning your classes. Read the general plan and see what your future studies might look like. Sometimes your degree plan won't have major classes until you declare so the general degree plan has more information in the beginning.
You can open the general degree, write down the classes, then open your own degree plan and match classes. This is a direct and safe way to ensure you never take classes you don't need.
In some schools, general degree plan has 4 parts, each parts has classes they recommend you take for each school year. This makes planning class for each year even easier!!!
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CONCLUSION
Class registration can be hard but there are resources to help you. Along with degree plan, academic advisors can also help you find classes you need for the next semester. You also have friends and older students who you can ask for some advice on what class to take. Registering for class become much easier when you plan ahead using the resources that you have and the advice that you receive. Good luck picking!