Where Can I Find Out What Classes I Need To Take For My Degree Or Major
You can find your specific PCC degree/major requirements within PCC’s online degree audit system, GRAD Plan. GRAD plan can be found from your MyPCC My Courses tab, Planning My Degree channel. It is highly recommended that you use GRAD Plan in collaboration with an Academic Advisor.
If you are planning to transfer to another college or university, look at your transfer institution’s catalog or web site.
PCC has developed Transfer Guides for various majors at many of Oregon’s four-year public and private colleges. These Guides include a list of lower division requirements for your major, which in most cases you can take at PCC.
If your transfer college is not located in Oregon or if PCC does not have information on your school, please refer to that college’s website or contact the college directly for information. It is always recommended that you contact someone at your transferring institution if you have any specific questions.
What Decisions Will I Make When Choosing Classes
Even though many of your class slots will be taken up by your high school’s requirements and by the admissions expectations of your target colleges, the person who has the most influence over your high school curriculum is… you!
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the choices you will have to make when picking your classes.
Fun Classes To Take In College
Is it ok to take fun classes in college?
Usually Ill be the first person to trade in immediate fun for greater future rewards and success.
For example, Ive stayed in on countless weekend nights working on my business instead of chugging drinks. And I cant remember the last weekend that I didnt work, even on vacation.
So my point is: Im 99% of the time all about working hard to set myself up for an amazing future. For better or for worse, Im just wired that way!
I mean just take a look at the titles and content in some of my previous blog posts below, and you would be shocked that the same guy is promoting fun in this blog post title:
However, there are certain situations where it pays to be intentional about having fun. And in this post, Im convinced students are better off finding fun classes to take in college than not .
Before you think Im more confusing than a government tax plan, let me explain why Im on board the take-fun-classes train.
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Easiest College Classes For Success
Take a look over this list and see if anything suits your interests. If so, be sure to check out your colleges catalog to see whats offered. Also, it may be the case that the difficulty level of these classes vary based on where youre learning. You can always check online forums or ask peers about their experience in such classes before enrolling.
That being said, heres a look at some college classes that tend to be easier than some core classes.
Hours Breaking Down The Classes
Of the 40 or so classes youll be required to take to earn your bachelors degree, youll likely take some general, core education courses and several non-specific electives.
Youll also take program-specific courses. Program-specific courses are those courses that pertain directly to your desired fields of studyyour major and your minor.
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The exact courses youll need to take will vary between schools and programs, but there are definitely some common factors. For instance, most students are required to take classes in many of the same core subjects, such as math, science, and English. Youll probably take approximately 60 hours to receive your associates and 60 to receive your bachelors.
At the associates level, depending on which associate degree youre getting, youll likely be required to take between 30 and 40 hours of core classes, including courses in the following fields:
- Humanities
- Natural sciences
Your remaining 20-30 hours will likely come from electives and program-specific courses.
At the bachelors level, there may be some higher-level core classes you have to take, but most of the 60 higher-level hours should come from courses directly related to your anticipated degree and will be vastly different for people in various fields of study.
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Know Where You Can Get Good Food
Food is an important part of the campus experience. Most colleges have multiple dining options, and it’s a good idea to try them all your first semester. If you want to know the best place to eat, or if you need vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free options, you can always check the college’s website, or just ask your fellow students. Don’t forget to try outside the college, toocollege towns almost always have good, cheap food, and some office-campus establishments may even have arrangements with your college meal plan.
Classes Related To Your Hobbies
Making time to do things you enjoy is hard with a packed college schedule. The easiest thing you can do to find time is to use your elective credits to take classes related to your hobby. Even if youve never tried a certain hobby but have always wanted to, this would be the perfect time to give it a go.
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How Many Classes To Take Each Semester Of Your College Career
Going from high school to college is a big adjustment. One minute your entire day is planned for you, from early morning to mid-afternoon. Bells tell you when one class ends and another begins. You have some choices between music, art, cooking, shop and other classes. For the most part, though, theres not much to think about when it comes to your daily schedule.
College is a whole different story. The good news is that what you take is almost all up to you once youve submitted your online college application, received the offer, and accepted. The bad news is, youre going to be left asking, How many classes should I take a semester? Theres no simple answer to that question, especially because there is a difference between How many classes do you take in college?, How many classes can you take in college?, and How many classes does the average college student take per semester? With all of that to think about you may feel like youve been thrown into the deep end of the pool. We are here to help.
For help with other questions like this one, check out our articles on the average class times of college courses, how college credits work according to your schedule, and help with answering, What does a college schedule look like?
But right now, get out your phone and open your favorite calendar app. Its time to make a plan.
The It Help Desk Is A Wonderful Place
Some of the most helpful people on a college campus can be found behind the IT Help Desk. Whether you need help connecting to the internet, getting set up with a professor’s assignment drop box, figuring out how to find and connect to a printer, or recovering a lost document, the IT Help Desk is an excellent resource. It is also a good place to go if your roommate accidentally spills coffee on your laptop. There’s no guarantee the IT folks can fix everything, but it’s a great place to start. In an emergency, they may even have equipment they can loan you.
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What Am I Interested In
After you schedule all of your required classes, you will still have lots of space on your schedule for electives. Electives are entirely up to youthis is where it’s time to listen to your heart and find your passion.
Whether you use your elective spaces to pursue the performing arts, the visual arts, engineering, computer science, or anything else, the advice is the same as for the core courses: find what you love, stick with it, and pursue it at the highest level of your ability.
In order to give you a sense of the possibilities, even though no school could possibly offer all of them, we have rounded up the complete list of all high school electives.
One of the single most important parts of your college application is what classes you choose to take in high school . Our team of PrepScholar admissions experts have compiled their knowledge into this single guide to planning out your high school course schedule. We’ll advise you on how to balance your schedule between regular and honors/AP/IB courses, how to choose your extracurriculars, and what classes you can’t afford not to take.
Tips For Using The Sis
a. To view all classes in a department, use DEPARTMENT and one other search field. Undergraduate, MAIN campus or credits are good additional search criteria.b. To find classes for the upcoming semester, use SEARCH FOR CLASSES in your Student Center .c. In advance of your appointment time, you can start placing courses you might want to take in your SIS SHOPPING CART.
Using SWAP and EDIT: To fully understand the swap and edit functions, watch the SIS help demos.
When to Swap When to Edit
- To drop one class and add another simultaneously, use the SWAP function.
- To switch a discussion/lab section for a class in which you already are enrolled, and the new discussion/lab is open, use the EDIT function.
- To switch a discussion/lab section for a class in which you already are enrolled, and the new discussion/lab has a wait list, you can use the swap function, but you will lose your place in the lecture. If the lecture is full, you will have to go on the wait list.
- To switch a discussion/lab section for a class in which you are waitlisted, drop or swap the original wait list request. You will lose your place in the lecture wait list.
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Taking College Classes In High School
Spread the Knowledge. Share:
Taking college classes in high school can boost your college admission chancesand give you inexpensive college credit. Sound interesting?
Taking a college class while you are in high school shows colleges that you are serious, motivated, and willing to challenge yourself. Even better, it offers you an invaluable advance look at college academics and college life.
Every College Has Different Rules On What You Can Bring
It is essential that you check the list of approved and prohibited items from your college before you move in. Rules vary from school to school, and you may want to hold off on buying that mini-fridge/microwave combo until you make sure you can have them in your dorm. Incense, candles, and your pet hamster are most likely forbidden. Even things you might not think about, such as power strips or halogen lamps, might be prohibited by your university. This guide on What to Pack When Heading to College has some helpful lists, but make sure you check your college’s specific requirements, too.
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You Might Not Like Your First Roommate
For your first semester of college, odds are you’ll have either a randomly picked roommate or a roommate who was selected based on your responses to a brief questionnaire. And while it’s completely possible that you will be the best of friends, it’s also possible that you might not get along. This can be uncomfortable, but remember that with classes, clubs, and other campus events, you probably won’t be in your room very much anyway. By the time the semester is over, you’ll most likely have found a friend to room with for the next term. However, if your roommate is a bit more than you can handle, Residential Advisors and Residential Directors can often help. Here’s a guide for what to do if you don’t like your roommate.
What Do You Want To Do
Before you make any decisions, be sure to ask yourself this simple question and stick to your instincts. For me personally, many classes for my first semester at Sciences Po Paris were mandatory, and I only had the option of picking certain seminars. This may not be the case for everyone and depends on the university you attend. Although your later years in school may be a lot more flexible, the first year can be a very helpful stepping stone. Often colleges admit students based on faculties like arts, social sciences, or the sciences, and you usually declare your major during the second year of study.
With all my compulsory classes in the social sciences, I took modules in law, politics, economics, and history. Even though the workload was rather heavy at times, I believe that at this juncture, I know exactly what I want to pursue in my second and third years and am beginning to get a clearer picture of what I would finally like to major in. Dont be afraid to use your first few semesters to explore different academic areas that interest youjust be sure to talk to your academic advisor to confirm that every class you take fulfills a requirement. Poor class planning could delay graduation, meaning extra semesters and money essentially wasted.
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Speak With Your Advisor
If youre planning to take summer courses at another college, you need to check in with your academic advisor or counselor.
Come to them with the class you want to take and the school you plan to attend. This meeting will help them determine whether or not that class will transfer to your current school and count towards your graduation requirement.
This is an essential step in the process as you want to ensure whatever class you take counts towards your education.
Which Foreign Language Should I Take
As far as college is concerned, what matters is not the language but the amount of time you spend studying it. For example, four years of French is more impressive than one year each of Latin, Chinese, Sanskrit, and Spanish.
One wacky jump is interesting, but five? That’s commitment to challenging yourself.
Our recommendation is to take four years of the same foreign language. To see which language would be the best fit for you, check out our guide to which foreign language you should take in high school.
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Your College Schedule: Tips And Tactics
- Many colleges have a period of time during which you can add and drop classes for a few weeks before having to commit completely. Take advantage of this.
- Advanced Placement credit, transfer college credit or other credit derived from placement tests may allow you to pass out of some classes and take more advanced or interesting ones. But build in time to make sure that your credits are counted. Read more about transferring college credits here.
- Balance your schedule. Dont take too many easy classes in the beginning, or youll have to take a lot of hard classes later on. Save some easy classes or general education requirements for later on so you can have a little break from all the other work youll be doing.
- Read our article about getting into the college classes you want. Even as a freshman, if you play your cards right, you may be able to get into all the classes you want.
What Classes Do Colleges Want To See
Luckily for you, most colleges expect to see the same core classes for admission that high schools do for graduation. This means that simply by fulfilling your high school’s curriculum requirements, you will most likely have all your transcript ducks in a row for applying to college!
As always, of course, not every college’s admissions requirements are exactly the same, so definitely make sure you find out exactly what classes your target school wants you to have taken in high school by looking at its admissions info online. Search Google for ” admissions requirements” to get the full scoop.
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Think Logically When Designing Your Class Schedule
My biggest mistake during my freshman year of college was thinking I could knock out all of my classes in the morning so I would have a clear afternoon. That was a disaster. My high school began at what felt like the crack of dawn every day. I figured 8:00 am college classes would be easy, because I was accustomed to waking up at 6 oclock to get ready for high school and had my sleep schedule in tune with the early birds. The problem was that I did not consider several new factors, like having a social life or staying up late doing homework, talking to my roommate, or watching television. Whether you realize or not, you no longer have your parents encouragement or discipline to go to bed for a full nights rest, get up for school, or get your homework done at a reasonable time. Not every student will have this issue, but many will, and it can lead to sleeping through those early classes or simply not giving them your best effort. Trust me, it’s a lot easier to hit the snooze button without fear of your mother and her personal alarm of ripping the sheets off your freezing body while yelling at you.
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Ask About Articulation Agreements
When you meet with your advisor, ask them if there is an articulation agreement in place with the school youre planning to attend.
If there is, your life just got easier. You can transfer credits and ensure your schools will work together to give you credit for what you need. You can read more about articulation agreements here.
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