Registration for spring classes is coming up and I'm always excited about choosing new classes. It can be a little stressful to pick out the exact right classes you need and want and to make sure you get into all the classes you want. But aside from the stress I mostly think it's exciting to decide what my schedule will be next semester, and what fascinating classes I'll be taking. The first step to registration is figuring what classes you need to take for general ed requirements, and your major (or potential major. And then if you have the ability to take a class outside your major or gen ed requirements, you get to choose a class that's interesting to you. And then finally once you have a list of classes your interested in you have to see how they'll all fit together in your schedule.
Advising for Classes
Especially as a freshman it can be a little daunting to try to figure out what classes you need and how one semester will fit into your overall plan and 4 years at LC. The college advising center, also know as the CAC is really helpful for coming up with a 4 year plan, and helping you decide what classes you should be taking. Visiting the CAC has made registering a lot less stressful for me. I want to study abroad for a full year and potentially double major in Political Science and something else (right now I'm contemplating Hispanic Studies), so it's difficult to fit in everything I want to do, but the CAC is very helpful. I've had three different appointments there to talk about different major paths I could take and every time the advisers are patient and helpful and reassuring.
Fitting it all in
Probably the hardest part of deciding what classes to register for is figuring out how the times and days of classes work together. It's frustrating when sometimes 2 classes overlap in times and you have to choose only one. Something that's really helped me has been printing out an outline of the normal periods when classes are offered and filling it out with different class combinations to see what will work best. It's also good to remember to leave myself time for lunch and breakfast and anything else I might need to get done during the day. Once you get started with different options it's not too hard and it's fun to try to figure out the best arrangement of classes you can get.
Choosing fun classes
This is the part of this post that I know you're actually here for: all the cool classes you have the opportunity to take. LC offers a lot of interesting and different class opportunities and I wanted to share some examples here.
Scuba Diving- Who doesn't want to learn how to scuba dive? I think this might be one of the coolest PE classes on campus. The class takes place in the pool on campus, and at the end of the semester you get a scuba certification. This is on my bucket list of courses.
Kayak Fishing- One of my roommates is taking this course this semester, and I might try to take it as a PE credit next semester. It really is what the name of the class says it is: you learn how to fish from a kayak. There's a few class meetings but mostly the class takes place a few weekends a semester when you go out kayaking and fishing for a day. And the best part is you get to keep the fish.
Social Dance Forms- I'm not great at dancing my self but I might take this theater class to improve. This is a full 4 credit class and it meets 3 times a week to teach students various dance forms over the course of the semester. From the foxtrot to salsa to swing, you should have a basic understanding of it by the end of the year. This also seems like a great way to meet new people.
Crime and Punishment- I'm sad I can't take this one next semester because it requires junior standing, but it looks fascinating. It's a history class about.. well, crime and punishment and the justice system in american history. But the really cool part is that it's a lecture once a week, and students go off campus to a penitentiary to learn first hand what the modern justice and prison system looks like. I'm hoping to take this in the future.
Art of Japanese Tea Making- From what I've heard, this is one of the hardest classes to get into on campus. There are only 10 spaces in the class, and typically the wait list is long. This is a 1 credit class that meets in the evenings once a week and it focuses on teaching student how to make traditional Japanese tea. I dream of one day taking this class.
Conversational Spanish- this class might sound less exciting but I still think it's a great opportunity (and it's offered at multiple speaking levels of Spanish). The class is only a 2 credit class,
If you have any questions or want to talk bout LC email me at quentingaul@lclark.edu