A good place to start is the awesome checklist provided by Weber State. It helps you understand how to contact a counselor, as well as certain things you should be doing throughout the year that are MUCH too easy to overlook. Weber State is my example on this post, since many of the students I work with will be attending this school. If you are attending a different school, follow the same steps and principles, and use the documents available that are applicable to every college. Comment below with your experience and question.
Here are some steps to make sure you are on the right path:
Here are some steps to make sure you are on the right path:
1. Be familiar with the general education (gen. ed.) requirements at your college. The General Education Webpage is a good place to start. Take time and get a basic understanding of what gen. ed. means: why you need to have them, and how many different areas you need to take classes in: Composition, American Institutions, Quantitative Literacy (math), Computer & Information Literacy, Diversity, Humanities and Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Physical and Life Sciences. You should also be aware that many classes will count towards gen.ed requirements AND major requirements. It's a 2-for-1, and you should take as many as these as possible. Weber State also allows all students to take one specific class that will count twice towards gen.ed. requirements. 2-for-1. Again...saving you time and money. They are a great deal, but almost no one has heard of them or used them. Be the one that has. Check them out here, because even in the beginning of college, taking time to research and plan will pay off.
2. Now that you understand what general education is...the question still remains: what classes should you take? Look at the Gen.Ed. PDF file to get started. You should also have the Course Planner--1 semester printed out or pulled up so that you can fill in an assortment of class options for the semester. You could even have 2-4 planners printed out so that you can plan out your first year or two of college. Again...planning out in advance will pay off because you will be on track and only taking classes you need.
3. Once you have your Course Planner--1 semester filled out, you will need to actually register. Registration happens all online, so you'll need to create an eWeber account. Once you are in to the system, click on the app that says "add/drop classes". Follow the steps and enter in the class name and number. Once you have the page where all the sections of that class are listed, pay attention to all the data listed in the columns. Look at the time of day, the days of the weeks, the location (some are offered at the main campus--others are at satellite locations), and finally, is it online or lecture. Take time to find courses that will create the best weekly schedule. It might be possible to get most of your classes on a Tuesday & Thursday schedule, leaving the other days free for study-time and work. This is especially important if you are living off-campus, and don't want to deal with driving and parking everyday. Also, don't overlook taking a night class here and there. Sure, sitting in class for a 3-hour block can be long and boring, but most professors give at least one break. It's also a great time to free up some of your daytime hours for other needed courses.
4. Every class has a number of "credits". Each "credit" means that it includes 1 hour of class and 1 hour of study time. A 3-credit class will meet for 3 hours a week, and the student should plan on studying 3 hours out of class each week. These credits add up, and 12-18 credits is considered full-time.
5. Remember the pell-grant. If you have a Pell-Grant, you MUST take 12 credits--but if your GPA drops too low, you'll lose it. The cutoff GPA is a 2.0, but students should think at least a 2.5 GPA as a safety zone, simply because if you go under the 2.0 mark, the money is gone. If they are receiving FREE money in terms of a pell-grant, then taking 12 credits for the first semester or two might be a good idea. Start slow, and once you are confident with the level of work required for passing grades in college, then you can range anywhere between 12-18 credits and be considered "full-time". (NOTE: In order to graduate in 4 years, you need to average 15 credits / semester. But again: pushing too hard too fast can be devastating for your GPA. Start with 12 credits and gradually increase)
6. Remember the scholarship. If you have a merit-based scholarship, you are required to take a certain amount of credits (usually 15) and maintain a GPA (usually a 3.5). Check the requirements, because you want to be sure you sign up for the right amount of credits. If you are nervous about keeping a 3.5 GPA with 15 credits--offset 4 tough classes with 1 fun class. Even in college, having one gym class every semester is a good idea. (I took racquetball multiple times--something about hitting a a ball as hard as I could in a confined box made me feel better.)
7. Sign up for a First Year Experience (FYE) class. At Weber State, it's Foundations of College Success (UNIV 1105) One word: Amazing. It's a way to find resources, explore majors and degrees, and connect with other freshmen. You can think, "I don't need that--I'll figure it out on my own." And you know what? You're right--it will just take you 4 years to do it. This way--you take it the first semester, and start your college experience having the tools you need to succeed.
8. Don't forget: registration happens EVERY semester. Keep track of when you can register, and do it! You want to have the most options for classes, and not just left with the classes no one else wanted. (and may not even need)
2. Now that you understand what general education is...the question still remains: what classes should you take? Look at the Gen.Ed. PDF file to get started. You should also have the Course Planner--1 semester printed out or pulled up so that you can fill in an assortment of class options for the semester. You could even have 2-4 planners printed out so that you can plan out your first year or two of college. Again...planning out in advance will pay off because you will be on track and only taking classes you need.
3. Once you have your Course Planner--1 semester filled out, you will need to actually register. Registration happens all online, so you'll need to create an eWeber account. Once you are in to the system, click on the app that says "add/drop classes". Follow the steps and enter in the class name and number. Once you have the page where all the sections of that class are listed, pay attention to all the data listed in the columns. Look at the time of day, the days of the weeks, the location (some are offered at the main campus--others are at satellite locations), and finally, is it online or lecture. Take time to find courses that will create the best weekly schedule. It might be possible to get most of your classes on a Tuesday & Thursday schedule, leaving the other days free for study-time and work. This is especially important if you are living off-campus, and don't want to deal with driving and parking everyday. Also, don't overlook taking a night class here and there. Sure, sitting in class for a 3-hour block can be long and boring, but most professors give at least one break. It's also a great time to free up some of your daytime hours for other needed courses.
4. Every class has a number of "credits". Each "credit" means that it includes 1 hour of class and 1 hour of study time. A 3-credit class will meet for 3 hours a week, and the student should plan on studying 3 hours out of class each week. These credits add up, and 12-18 credits is considered full-time.
5. Remember the pell-grant. If you have a Pell-Grant, you MUST take 12 credits--but if your GPA drops too low, you'll lose it. The cutoff GPA is a 2.0, but students should think at least a 2.5 GPA as a safety zone, simply because if you go under the 2.0 mark, the money is gone. If they are receiving FREE money in terms of a pell-grant, then taking 12 credits for the first semester or two might be a good idea. Start slow, and once you are confident with the level of work required for passing grades in college, then you can range anywhere between 12-18 credits and be considered "full-time". (NOTE: In order to graduate in 4 years, you need to average 15 credits / semester. But again: pushing too hard too fast can be devastating for your GPA. Start with 12 credits and gradually increase)
6. Remember the scholarship. If you have a merit-based scholarship, you are required to take a certain amount of credits (usually 15) and maintain a GPA (usually a 3.5). Check the requirements, because you want to be sure you sign up for the right amount of credits. If you are nervous about keeping a 3.5 GPA with 15 credits--offset 4 tough classes with 1 fun class. Even in college, having one gym class every semester is a good idea. (I took racquetball multiple times--something about hitting a a ball as hard as I could in a confined box made me feel better.)
7. Sign up for a First Year Experience (FYE) class. At Weber State, it's Foundations of College Success (UNIV 1105) One word: Amazing. It's a way to find resources, explore majors and degrees, and connect with other freshmen. You can think, "I don't need that--I'll figure it out on my own." And you know what? You're right--it will just take you 4 years to do it. This way--you take it the first semester, and start your college experience having the tools you need to succeed.
8. Don't forget: registration happens EVERY semester. Keep track of when you can register, and do it! You want to have the most options for classes, and not just left with the classes no one else wanted. (and may not even need)
