Figuring out which courses to enroll in during your first year is an unexpectedly difficult thing to do. Often times freshmen just get thrown into enrollment without much direction or advice on which courses to take. I had a less-than-stellar experience my first time enrolling in courses. I was told to enroll in GEs that interest me, so I enrolled in a neurobiology course which I massively regretted.Â
There are a lot of little things to keep in mind when going about enrolling in first-quarter courses. Don’t just take courses that interest you, take relevant courses that you have curiosity about and yet are still doable. Overall, I highly recommend taking relatively easy courses that you still have some interest in, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with your major. In fact, the point of taking GEs is to expand your knowledge past your major and minor required courses.Â
Make sure you have a full understanding of the GE requirements and check to ensure that your degree works display all relevant and completed courses fulfilled by prior exams such as AP exams.Â
By understanding the GE requirements for the university, you will be able to avoid retaking GE categories and keep on track with your degree plan. Another thing to keep in mind is UC, UCI, School, and Major requirements which can be found on your department’s website.Â
There are several resources to look to when deciding on which courses to take. For example, Zotistics is a student-made website that provides grade distributions for each course at UCI. Rate my professor is another good resource that displays ratings and student-made reviews on professors. Having a good professor is a super important factor in all courses. Personally, I have had my fair share of not-so-great professors which made the course extremely monotonous to the point I questioned changing my major completely.Â
Schedule of Classes is a vital resource for understanding when and what courses are offered for each department. This is crucial in knowing what classes are offered and when. Personally, I chose to use AntAlmanac which provides information on the schedule of classes and combines them into an easy-to-see visual so you may understand any time conflicts. This website allows you to create up to four different schedules. When figuring out courses for the upcoming quarter, I highly recommend creating a master, or most preferred schedule, and three back-ups in case certain courses get filled. These two resources are immensely important during enrollment.
On a broader level, make sure you create a degree plan with your listed GEs and all your major-required courses as well as any minor-required courses. Print several outlines with possible courses that you’re interested in taking that fulfill all the requirements for your degree. I found that this helps incredibly when going about future quarter enrollment. Make sure to cross-reference all the major required courses with expected GE courses as well.Â
Also, be sure to reach out to your department’s counseling office if you have any questions or just want to make sure you’re on the right track. Counselors are there to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Appointments can be made ahead of time, or you can walk in during office hours to talk to a peer academic advisor with any questions you may have. Some offices also have Zoom drop-in appointments available for students’ convenience, so don’t be afraid to reach out.Â