<p>So...here is how its looking for college (following the current course catalog and whatnot...). I graduate high school May 24th. I start classes on June 11, 2008. I am hoping to work 8 hours a week also... Oh, and I'm a Biology major.</p>
<p>Summer of 2008:
ENGL 1101 English Composition (3)
PSYCH 2500 Fundamentals of Psychology (3)
PERS 2100 Women's Voices (2)
Total Credit Hours: 8</p>
<p>Fall of 2008:
ENGL 1102 English Composition 2 (3)
MATH 1113 Precalculus (3)
BIOL 2010 Unifying Principles of Biology (4)
CHEM 1211 Principles of Chemistry (4)
Total Credit Hours: 14</p>
<p>Spring of 2009:
MATH 2261 Analytical Geometry and Calculus (3)
ENGL 2130 Development of Modern Thought (3)
CHEM 1212 Principles of Chemistry 2 (4)
BIOL 2270 General Zoology (4)
Total Credit Hours: 14</p>
<p>Summer of 2009:
HIST 2112 U.S History Since 1865 (3)
SOCI 1101 Introduction to Sociology (3)
PERS 2112 Nutrition (2)
Total Credit Hours: 8</p>
<p>Fall of 2009:
POLS 1101 American Government (3)
PHYS 1111K Principles of Physics (4)
CHEM 3401 Organic Chemistry (4)
COMM 1100 Human Communications (3)
Total Credit Hours: 14</p>
<p>Spring of 2010:
PHYS 1112K Principles of Physics 2 (4)
CHEM 3402 Organic Chemistry 2 (4)
BIOL 2230 General Botany (4)
Total Credit Hours: 12</p>
<p>Summer of 2010:
BIOL 3100 Microbiology (4)
BIOL 3200 Genetics (4)
Total Credit Hours: 8</p>
<p>Fall 2010:
SPAN 1101 Introduction to Spanish (3)
CHEM 3601 Biochemistry (4)
BIOL 3300 Ecology (4)
BIOL 3450 Animal Physiology (4)
Total Credit Hours: 15</p>
<p>Spring 2011:
SPAN 1102 Introduction to Spanish 2 (3)
BIOL 4350 Vertebrate Embryology (4)
BIOL 3800 Invertebrate Zoology (4)
BIOL 4830 Labratory Practicum (1)
Total Credit Hours: 12</p>
<p>Fall 2011:
SPAN 1111 Intermediate Spanish (3)
BIOL 4840 Labratory Practicum 2 (2)
BIOL 4900 Senior Seminar (1)
BIOL 4950 Directed Study (3)
BIOL 3920 Herpetology (4)
BIOL 4850 Biology Internship (3)
Total Credit Hours: 16</p>
<p>Well...here's the problem. By the time Spring of 2011 rolls around, the course listings will change, the days/times the classes are offered will have changed, there might be different subject areas that you want to explore, you might have found an amazing professor that you'd like to take more classes with or do research with...
I admire your organization and your determination to plan ahead, but your list needs to be flexible, particularly past the first year.</p>
<p>Also depending where you're going, classes get closed out - especially for freshman...</p>
<p>I agree. It is good to have a basic blueprint, but so many variables will factor into your scheduling that it will certainly change. I'd meet up with my advisor once a semester to map out a plan as the year goes along. Don't try and work it all out so much so early. Not necessary</p>
<p>I was told once you began college as a freshman the course catalog you are given is what they go by? </p>
<p>I just enjoy seeing things in advance...thats all lol. Is it hard to get a hold of an academic advisor?</p>
<p>Not only do courses and interests change, but I'd love to see a course or two that are outside your comfort zone - something really weird. I ended up being an architect, but the absolute best course I took in college was Chinese Landscape Painting of the Sung Dynasty. There is nothing like taking some weird little seminar in some tiny little discipline fromt the guy who is the expert in the subject. Still it's not bad to make sure that you can fit in all the courses you need to take in the time frame allotted.</p>
<p>"The course catalog you are given is what they go by?"
This is true as far as graduation requirements/units/breadth classes, but no one knows which professors will offer which classes for semesters that are so far away. Just because a class is listed in the catalog does not mean that it will be actually offered...professors leave, take sabbaticals, and change their course offerings over time.
You should talk to an academic advisor about your specific school and intended major...just realize that the whole point of college is to learn and grow. Mathmom is right...be open to something not on the list at this moment.
Have you already been admitted? It's only October?</p>
<p>what kind of school are you going to? unless you guys are required to go year round...you're not really leaving a lot of time for summer stuff! you don't want to get burned out too early. i'm right in the middle of my first semester, taking 15 hours at a big state school, and am already getting burned out with my classes. you want to be able to enjoy school and really experience it--college is a really unique time in your life for you to be able to explore what you might want to do and who you want to spend time with, so instead of planning out every little detail (which you probably won't follow anyways) come up with a more general plan and then try to follow it. set a few goals. for example, here are some of mine:</p>
<p>if possible, graduate with biology department honors
stay active with pre-med club
understand politics and political process
get involved with research
develop solid leadership skills</p>
<p>so basically, in order to achieve these goals there are certain classes that would be good for me to take. for example, in order to graduate with honors i need to do 2 semesters of research--2 birds, one stone. i'm currently in a prestigious leadership class. etc etc.</p>
<p>by having broader goals, you can feel focused and like you're doing something meaningful without feeling tied down by deadlines. plus, i HIGHLY doubt you'll want to take the classes you've outlined above in four years. </p>
<p>realistically, when have you set such specific goals for the relatively far future and really stuck to them? i know when i was 10 my goal was to be a varsity soccer player in high school only to learn that i'm way better at basketball and lacrosse.</p>
<p>congrats on getting into the school you want, but don't hinder your success by planning out your four years! your academic advisor won't even want to do that with you yet. you will be FINE.</p>