Fear and Overloading In Las Vegas

    I began my first semester at Worcester State with a reduced course load. I felt that since I was new to the university and working twenty hours a week I should play it safe. Four courses was much easier to handle for me and allowed me to have a completely relaxed transition into the new environment. When deciding the amount of courses to take during a semester you must think about the long-term as well. Are you going to mind staying an extra semester? If not you will have to spend extra money to take a course(s) during winter or summer break. Another option would be to take six or possibly seven courses to catch up. Will you be able to handle that course load a year from now? Looking back, at the time I certainly could have taken a fifth class. Now I will have to take six classes for my last semester to graduate on time. Unfortunately, I now work two jobs in order to pay for expenses I previously didn't have when I began at WSU. I am unwilling to stay an extra semester and I do not have the money to take a class over winter break. My last semester at WSU I will have to take six classes while working thirty to forty hours a week. Luckily there are plenty of staff willing to help and options available to make it an enjoyable and successful semester.

    I have completed the majority of my requirements and have to take only two required classes for my final semester. This allows me to take two classes pass/fail so I can concentrate on getting high grades in my requirements and my other two most interesting classes. It is important to make an early appointment with your advisor in order to be able to register for classes before too many fill up. Successful students often research professors and classes beforehand by asking their peers who have taken the class previously. The website ratemyprofessor.com can also be used to research how students felt about certain classes. It is important to take this information with a grain of salt as it is from anonymous sources. It is best to get this type of information first hand from a person you trust. The best classes in terms of workload, substance, and enjoyment fill up first. If you procrastinate registration you will often be stuck with the less desirable classes. It is important to begin a semester knowing that the classes you are taking are enjoyable and that you had as much of a choice in taking them as possible.

Just because a class has a requirement does not mean you absolutely cannot take it. For example you may have acquired a skill or knowledge basel outside of school and it would be redundant to take an introductory class on it. I wanted to take documentary filmmaking with a professor that I enjoyed but there was a required video editing class I had not taken. I explained to him that I was comfortable enough with the material in the required class to take his class; he wrote a note for me and I was allowed to register. Don’t be afraid to talk to your professors! They have office hours for a reason and appreciate it when students are invested enough in their education to speak with them outside of class. It is imperative that you are absolutely sure you do not need to take the requirement. Even if you are positive, there is no guarantee a professor will let you take the class but, it doesn’t hurt to try. The alternative is missing out on something you may really enjoy and do well in. Rules can be broken and there is no need to waste six months taking a class on something you are already familiar with.

When the semester begins some students are tempted to miss the first class to stretch their vacation just a little longer. They rationalize this for a number of reasons that are not important. This first class is important because you can get a feel for the professor, workload, and subject matter. Classes change and maybe some of the information you researched about a class was not correct. Missing the first class will put you at a severe disadvantage if you decide later you want to drop it and take a different class. There is only a short window to do this and every day counts. It is also a good idea to talk to the professor of a desirable class that filled up before you could register to ask if you can be notified if someone drops their class. Some professors may even write a note that allows you to register for the class even if it is full.