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How To: Make The Perfect Class Schedule.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

It always happens. We sign up for our classes and end up thinking we have the perfect schedule. But then, the middle of the semester comes and we find ourselves asking why. Why in the world did we think this schedule was a good one? But never fear, fellow readers, if you follow these four easy tips you will soon find yourself on the way to having the best class schedule possible.

Step One:Figure out what classes you still need. Do you still need to finish up some general education classes (gen-eds)? Or maybe you still need a couple of semester hours to add for your major or minor? Make sure you plan these classes ahead of time so you won’t be caught in a jam close to graduation.

Step Two:Find out what times for classes would work best for you. If you aren’t an early bird, it wouldn’t be a good idea to schedule classes at 7:30 a.m. This also goes for evening classes. If you like having nights to yourself, don’t schedule late classes. You’ll just end up regretting it and hating the class

Step Three:Try to fit in at least one “fun” class.  Remember, you’re paying a lot of money to go to this school, feel free to actually take a class that interests you outside your major. You could meet some amazing people you wouldn’t normally have, as well as some new professors. If you find yourself needing one more class, these would be great to add.

Step Four:Allow yourself some time to breathe. Yes, you can schedule the bulk of your classes on Monday and leave the rest of the week fairly simple, and yes it might seem like a good idea at the time. But, this will change halfway through the semester when you have to deal with 2 papers and 3 tests all on the same day. Space out your classes accordingly and your semester will be way less stressful.

There you go, four easy tips to help you plan out a perfect schedule for next year. Following these will ensure that you will have a schedule that, at the very least, won’t have you pulling your hair out in the middle of the semester. 

Nicole Lumbreras is a junior at University of Iowa, class of 2012, studying Journalism and Sociology. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Nicole loves to explore new restaurants, see live music and attend sporting events. Nicole loves to travel, dance, write in her blog and takes pleasure in the art of photography. Nicole loves to spend time with her friends and family, and when time allows she will get her fill of Bad Girls Club, Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, and Grey's Anatomy. Nicole recently got foot surgery and rediscovered running; her goal is to run a half marathon before she is 25. After college she plans to move into the city (Chicago) with a American bulldog, attend graduate school at night and hopefully write for Chicago Magazine or another fun and upcoming project.