<p>is there any way you can/should prepare before you meet with an advisor at orientation? should i already know what i want to take or should i just be ready to make those decisions when i get there?</p>
<p>i'm an engineer major too. biomedical engineering</p>
<p>is it kinda important to follow what a handbook (or a college) recommends??</p>
<p>i just finished a biology 1 at community college and i guess i'll do great if i take another biology right away again in fall. but my college recommends (the courseplan made by a department) the biology for fall of sophomore year.</p>
<p>what do you think?
(i think i might be able to get a credit for that community college class, but i heard it's better or was advised to take it again in a college)</p>
<p>
[quote]
is there any way you can/should prepare before you meet with an advisor at orientation?
[/quote]
It would be useful to read thru the course catalog at the intro level classes and have some in mind that you are interested in.</p>
<p>Remember, an advisor is not their to make decisions for you or tell you what to take. They're an experienced hand who can review the choices you've made and with whom you go over how you arrived at those choices. Think of them as a sounding-board, someone who's seen lots of students make the transition from frosh to college graduate, and have an eye out for the pitfalls and advice on how to make decisions. </p>
<p>Here's another way to see it. Think back to the person you were when you started HS. If you were going to give advice to that person, would there be some changes you'd suggest in the classes they chose, the ECs, and so on? Maybe so. That's the advisors role in college, too.</p>
<p>talk to current students (!!!!!!!!!!!)</p>
<p>Find out about teachers as well. Also, if you give yourself an early class, keep in mind that it means no late nights the night before (late meaning 6-9am to me after just 1 yr of school, lol)</p>
<p>If your school requries general distribution courses, take at least half of them during your freshman year. It's better to get math and science out of the way than having to juggle those classes as an upperclassman. (I'm a junior and still have a science to take. =( Sighs)</p>
<p>My father gave me great advice (which I didn't take): don't overload your schedule. When I was a freshman, I took Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Honors Writing, and Intro. Psych all in my first semester. It was a lot of difficult classes with a lot of tedious reading and my grades fell a little because of that. Remember, college is a marathon not a sprint; you can take two hard and three easier classes a year (for example). Unless you absolutely need to get your requirements done early, for some reason, don't be in a rush to get every hard class out of the way in one semester.</p>