Is it better to spread out classes on different days?

Parents Forum
1

<p>I know this is not really the place to ask this question but I was thinking I could get better informed responses from parents. Please feel free to move this thread as you see fit.</p>

<p>So, I will be a freshman in the fall and I'm trying to pick my classes. I live on campus so traveling is not a problem. In your (and your children's) experience, is it better to concentrate classes on a few days of the week, or to spread them and have one or two every day? Or does it really not matter at all?</p>

<p>I appreciate any response.</p>

2

<p>There really is no right or wrong answer when it comes to class scheduling. It is all about personal preference. Some factors to consider are your learning style, study habits, and how you intend to use free time outside of class.</p>

3

<p>i like the checkerboard method....break before or after each class....for going by the teachers office hrs., filling in notes from class, asking questions etc. BUT it is personal pref.</p>

4

<p>When scheduling classes, take into account when assignments are due. It could be a nightmare if several assignments are due on the same day, especially if you are a procrastinator and tend to leave things until the last minute.</p>

<p>In my experience, most profs hold office hours in the afternoon while most classes are held in the period between mid-morning to mid-afternoon.</p>

5

<p>I would say somewhere in between is best. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the heavy days for me, Mondays and Wednesdays are fairly light, and I have no class on Friday. So far I'm really liking it.</p>

6

<p>Sometimes you just can't control it, and end up with several classes on a given day(s). Which means you might have marite's nightmare of several assignments due on the same day.</p>

<p>Ergo, you have to "pretend" some of them are due sooner and manage your time so that you do not have to write three papers/read two books/do a project and two problem sets in one evening.</p>

<p>If you can control it, I think it's personal preference. Some people like having classes all morning with afternoons off for study etc. Or the opposite. Some people (myself included) would like having a long day of classes followed by a day of none or one, which I could schedule as I liked for study etc.</p>

<p>Personally, I would put a higher priority on getting the prof I liked best, courses I most wanted over how the scheduling works out.</p>

7

<p>Whichever schedule you end up with, just make sure you build in the appropriate amount of daily study time into your schedule. Be organized and try to stick to a study plan as much as possible. You'll need a certain amount of flexibility, too. Your workload may not be consistent. Think about what kind of classes you will be taking and how many exams/papers you will have to deal with. It's probably wise as a freshman to try to plan your time based on your learning style and your internal clock. Ask yourself what time of day do you do certain tasks best and use that as a guide. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Most students I know like to spread their classes out reasonably well. A lot of students like to take Fridays off or mostly off, but all TTH schedules, for example, don't tend to go that well. This is especially true for students prone to procrastination.</p>

9

<p>I had a wonderful hodgepodge of course schedules during my 2 years at Georgetown:</p>

<p>Freshman year, 1st semester: I had the standard spread out courseload (3 M classes, 2 Tu Classes, 3 W classes, 3 Th classes, 1 Fr class). This was fine, not too strenuous, and gave me plenty of time to do other things. (I had a job that required me to work 10 hours a week. Not too bad.)</p>

<p>Freshman year, 2nd semester: I decided to spice things up a bit and do a T/Th/Fr schedule, putting work in for M/W. I had 5 classes Tuesday, 6 classes Thursday (one was a P/F 1 credit course that was a core requirement), and 3 classes on Friday (mostly discussion groups). Not a very delightful experience, but I lived.</p>

<p>Sophomore year, 1st semester: most of my classes were concentrated around Monday-Wednesday, with a bulk of my classes on Wednesday. I had 3 Monday classes, 2 Tuesday classes, 4 Wednesday classes, and an early evening Friday class. (I had an internship and a job. Not a fun experience). Hump day was pretty stretched out for me, and I have to say this was the worst setup.</p>

<p>Sophomore year, 2nd semester: Luckily for me, by this point, I was able to take classes that met in the evening, once a week. I had no Monday classes, 1 Tuesday class, 2 Wednesday classes, 2 Thursday classes, 1 Friday course. (This was a full courseload.) I interned all day Monday, half the day on Wednesday, most of the day on Friday, and I worked at my other job afternoons on Tuesday/Thursday. Though that seems as if I was going overboard, I managed to do very well in those courses (better than Sophomore year, 1st semester).</p>

<p>So the answer is: spread it out, if you want some spare time. The spread-out schedule is good if you need some time to recharge your batteries in between classes, etc. If you have to balance against an internship, or a job (or both), you may need to build a T/TH schedule or a MWF schedule.</p>

10

<p>I agree it is a personal decision; I preferred having all of my classes in the morning, one right after the other (small LAC). My D, however, has long walks to class as well as in between classes (humungous State U); she preferred to have a checkerboard schedule with no class before 10:00. In fact, she only has one class T-Th; at 2:30 p.m.</p>

11

<p>Whatever your schedule ends up looking like (sometimes it's really out of your control), you will get used to it and make the necessary adjustments. Son had all late classes last year, and the volume each day ramped up from Monday through Wednesday and then tapered off Thursday and Friday. This year he has no classes Tues and Thursday at all, and a pretty busy schedule on MWF. It's just important that if you have a light day, use that day as you would any other work day.</p>

<p>They only thing I would say to avoid is late classes on Friday, or early classes on Monday. That way, if you want to go away for a weekend, you can leave at a decent time on Friday, and get a later flight/ride back Sunday night (or even Monday AM if it's doable).</p>