Choosing Your Courses and Major
Chapter 9
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Prepare
• Get to know your college catalog
– A legal document that offers you a
contract
– Provide information on
• Academic regulations
• Academic programs
• Course listings
• Meet with your college advisor
– Set up the meeting early in the term
– Take a checklist of questions with you
– Remember that ultimately you are
responsible for your college career
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Organize
• Examine what you have done
and what you need to do
– What courses do you need to
complete your degree?
– Understand the requirements of
your major and requirements for
graduation
– Use your transcript to determine
what you have completed and what
still needs to be done
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Work
• Choosing the next term’s courses
– Schedule according to your need for
core classes and electives
– Decide on the best times for you to
take classes
– Meet with your advisor and register for
your courses
– Have alternative classes selected in
case your first choices are not
available
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Evaluate
• Evaluate your schedule
– Are you enrolled in the courses that you think
you are?
– Are you enrolled in the courses you wanted?
– Are the times accurate? Are there conflicts?
– Are you registered for the number of credits
that you need to maintain your student status
for financial aid?
• Correct any problems immediately
• If you need to drop a course, do it
officially and in time!
– Determine what is the last day you can
attend and still get a “W” (withdrawn) from
the class instead of an F.
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Evaluate
• If you can’t get in the courses you
need to graduate:
– Act right away. Look for a creative
solution.
– Find other classes that are still open that
meet the same requirement
– Speak with your advisor and with the
course instructor
– Consider taking a required course at
another college, perhaps online (make
sure it will transfer)
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Courses and Your
Major – Rethink
• Learning what you love and
loving what you learn
– Set aside time each month to
determine if you are satisfied with
the direction your college career
is going in
– Don’t accept dissatisfaction
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Service Learning
• Engage in community service
activities and get college credit
– Tutoring elementary students
– Volunteer at a halfway house
– Volunteer as a “big brother” or “big
sister”
– Intern in a government office
• Make the most of your experience
–
–
–
–
–
McGraw-Hill
Ask questions
Maintain a positive outlook
Go with the flow
Keep your commitments
Keep a journal
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Choosing Your Major
• It’s okay not to know right away what you
want to major in
• Taking a variety of classes may help you
decide where your interests are
• Focus on your interests
• Seek the help of others – your advisor,
the career center
• A double major or creating your own
major may be an option
• Remember that learning is life-long –
choosing a major does not shut out other
options down the road
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Accepting Responsibility for your
Academic Performance
• Celebrate successes and accept
responsibility for failures
• Learn from your mistakes
• Reflect on what went wrong, don’t
spend time and energy blaming
yourself or others
• Seek ways to prevent a negative
outcome in the future
McGraw-Hill
© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.