There may be more to course enrollment than maneuvering past the "Users Exceeded" message on ISIS.
Each semester, students must decide not only what classes to take, but also when to take them. In other words, building a semester requires building a schedule. As straightforward as that may seem, students have demonstrated that the art of schedule planning leaves much room for interpretation.
For some students, planning the schedule is quite simple; much of it is already set in stone. Daniel Marcus, a second-year Engineering student, noted that his school's requirements mean he does not have a lot of control over his schedule.
Second-year and fellow E-schoolerLouise Montgomery concurred.
"In the E-School, the biggest issue is that classes are only offered at certain times, often with only one section, and there are a lot of requirements," Montgomery said.
For students with a bit more freedom, reaching course decisions sometimes requires quite elaborate methods.
"I always get this piece of cardboard and write down the courses I need to take," first-year College student Susan Fisher said. Also included on her color-coordinated chart are courses whose COD descriptions she thinks would work for her.
Eventually, Fisher narrows down her selection to required classes and one or two that function as "a nice break," she explained.
Another significant scheduling decision students can make, other than content, is whether to space out their classes or take a relatively compact schedule.
Although Marcus considered his schedule to have already been planned out for him, with mid-morning and early afternoon blocks as well as labs in the evening, if given the choice, he said he prefers having minimal gaps between classes.
"It's easier to go from class to class rather than just sitting around doing nothing," Marcus said.
He added that it is hard to find the discipline to sit down and get work done.
"I don't get motivated until the sun goes down," he said.
With the bulk of her courses also taken care of because of limited variability, Montgomery focuses mainly on filling out her schedule based on her interests and what professors and classes she has heard good things about.
Only after all of those considerations does time come in.
"Time is a factor, but it's really small," she said. "It will mostly affect when I schedule discussion sections. Also, I have had bad experiences with 9 a.m. classes."
An unfortunate consequence of this is that avoiding that time slot would further limit her course selection.
"All the best classes are taught at 9 [a.m.]," she said, citing a programming languages class as an example.
Like Marcus, Montgomery said her ideal schedule would be a block in the middle of the day. Montgomery went so far as to specify a preferred block range between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
"This would minimize trips from housing to campus," she said, noting also that this is a plus in cold whether.
A compact schedule also allows the workday to end sooner, whereas late-ending classes can present problems in other areas.
Montgomery said she has found that when she settles in to take care of things after late classes, many services are unavailable. One evening when she needed help from ITC to install some software, for example, it had already closed.
Montgomery concedes, however, that it is nice to have breaks to get errands done, "such as today, when I dropped off a Course Action Form."
Breaks can also be an indispensable part of the learning process.
For example, second-year College student Will McLean pointed out that having three classes in a row can get you fatigued.
"You may start paying less attention and lose focus," McLean said.
Still, he said he appreciates having extra time to get things done later in the day by scheduling chunks of relatively early classes. The compact schedule remains his preference.
Not all students, however, are fans of mid-day blocks of classes. Fisher tried this technique as well, but with different results.
Following the lead of several people she had spoken to, in her first semester Fisher did not take any morning classes. Instead, she had three mid-day classes back-to-back.
Fisher did not like the way this worked out.
"There were so many hours before classes started, and I wouldn't use that time," she said. Plus, activities took much of her afternoon time.
Fisher now has a more spaced-out schedule.
"I like it this way because there is time to get things done and I am not waiting to start the day," she said.
One may wonder at this point how someone like Fisher can find she has more time with small bits of space interspersed throughout her schedule while other students say they need the full afternoon.
Fisher explained that "one thing that might help is the proximity of first-year dorms." This would make it easier -- for her, at least -- to quickly get home to get work accomplished.
Of course, Fisher's preferred scheduling technique has its downsides.
"In the spring, when everyone's out playing Frisbee or something, I might still have class until 5 [p.m.]," she said.
In addition to that disadvantage, the possibility of sitting around with nothing to do during gaps was a source of frustration for Fisher.
Other students had solutions for filling up empty time slots.
McLean pointed out that he can use scheduling gaps to do small things such as reading the paper.
Third-year college student Eddie Jobe noted that students can always go grab a bite to eat at these times. Or, if there is a longer expanse of time to pass, he explained, watching TV or playing video games at home remains an option.
Leaving time for these things is not really on Jobe's mind, though.
"I don't think too much about the spacing," he said. "I care more about what I have to take."
To Jobe, the most important thing is making sure he is able to take all the classes required for his major.
"If time is an option," he said, "it is more important that the day doesn't start too early."
Read More
Holding onto every grain in the hourglass
By Mai Hukuoka | 6 hours agoNow that I’m back at school, I have made it my mission to take note of the sneaky passage of time.
Students brave the cold for a whirlwind sorority rush
By Mia Tan | 2 days agoStudents recount a mix of emotions from rush, with some disappointed after dropping from the recruitment process and others ecstatic to join Greek life.
Top 10 ways to avoid burnout this semester
By Sam Saks | 3 days agoAs you settle into this semester, try implementing these 10 tactics to take care of yourself and wave goodbye to burnout.
