Over my past 3 years at York, I feel I have almost perfected the art of choosing courses. I have a few tricks and tips that can change your schedule to something all your friends will envy over!
Step 1: Pick the Right Courses
I know this may seem silly, but picking the correct courses in order to graduate can be complex, and guidance appointments maybe all booked up. A useful resource in knowing what courses to take is called the
Degree PROGRESS REPORT. I wish I knew about this earlier! It is such a useful tool that will allow you to see what courses you have to take in order to graduate from your program. If can also check out the
Academic Calenders as well.
Step 2: Ask Peers for advice
One great resources is your peers! Yes your friends, or previous classmates. Students will always have tips or tricks about courses they have taken, and can tell you which ones are good or even which ones to avoid. If you're lucky they might even have textbooks, past exams or even study notes.
Step 3: Use ratemyprofessor.com
I always check is
Ratemyprofessor.com. This is a crucial step in my course selection process. A professor can really affect your learning experience, so don't take it lightly. There is a huge difference between a regular professor and an AMAZING professor! (shout out to all the marketing professors I had, they awesome!)
Step 4: Give me a Break
What makes an awesome schedule for me is having time off! I try to not have class on Friday, and if possible Monday! That means I will have a 3 day or 4 day weekend every week! That break gives you time to regroup and prepare for the next week of classes. I also try not to have morning classes so I can get a full nights rest and be wide awake for all my classes.
Step 5: Stay Balanced
If possible I try not to have too many difficult classes in one semester and spread out the course load. Try to balance your electives with your core courses to easy the work load. Another thing I recently found out are the wonders of
PKIN courses. They are practicum on a pass/fail basis. Some courses include Tai Chi, Yoga, Kung Fu, Swimming, Basketball, etc... The best part of them is they are FREE! However the only downfall is, if you are not a kinesology student, the course will be restricted until the open date for the courses, so make sure you know the date to enroll.
Here is a better list and description of them:
http://www.yorku.ca/health/kine/documents/PKINCourseDescriptions.pdf
Step 6: Get Involved!
It is so important within your schedule that you will have something other than school work! Going to school can be demotivating. By getting involved with things around campus and being a part of a community can help you better focus on school. Always make time to do things that you enjoy!
Hope you have the perfect schedule this fall, but mainly...
Stay Classy,
Jacky Li
