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"Photography 101, Introduction to Microeconomics, Roots of Feminism\u2014the course options offered to incoming freshmen are wide-ranging and seemingly limitless. So, how do you choose? Crafting your schedule is important because it can lay the groundwork for your major and set the tone for your college career. And while it&amp;#39;s important to plan ahead, this is the time for you to be exploratory and test out new subjects. We asked the experts about how you can select classes wisely.\n\nSign up for introductory classes.\n\n &amp;quot;All new students should take introductory courses in areas like psychology, communication, and the arts,&amp;quot; says Julie Traxler, the assistant dean and director of first-year advising at the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark. &amp;quot;You not only want to discover your major interests, but also enlarge your world. Students are often so focused on finding a career that they neglect to study interesting topics.&amp;quot;\n\nDon&amp;#39;t focus on core requirements.\n\n &amp;quot;The biggest mistake incoming students make is trying to get requirements out of the way as soon as possible,&amp;quot; says Andrew Roberts, author of The Thinking Student&amp;#39;s Guide to College (University of Chicago Press) and associate professor at Northwestern University in Evanston. Is &amp;#39;getting things out of the way&amp;#39; really the best way to start your college career? Instead of completing requirements, students should find subjects and fields that they truly love and possibly want to devote their lives to. You can take care of requirements later and in a more intelligent fashion once you know your way around college.&amp;quot;\n\nVary the size of your classes.\n\n &amp;quot;I recommend a mix of large and small classes,&amp;quot; says Traxler. &amp;quot;Smaller seminar classes [under 20 students] are great for engaging with faculty and other students in discussion, but don&amp;#39;t count out the benefits of large lectures [over 100 students], too\u2014good faculty can make lectures really engaging.&amp;quot;\n\nExplore unfamiliar departments.\n\n &amp;quot;Seek out new fields,&amp;quot; says Roberts. &amp;quot;Why start your freshman year with courses in chemistry, math, English, and history when these are exactly the fields that you&amp;#39;ve been taking throughout high school? Why not try linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, geology, or statistics?&amp;quot;\n\nAsk around.\n\n &amp;quot;Older students can help suggest classes and professors they liked, but they don&amp;#39;t always know about all the course options or course sequences,&amp;quot; says Traxler. &amp;quot;Professors are great resources when you know what area you&amp;#39;re interested in. Advisers are a key resource\u2014we can help students identify classes and interests, and we also usually know the buzz about classes that students have enjoyed. New students should see an adviser at least once per semester to discuss progress\u2014it&amp;#39;s like a checkup!&amp;quot;\n\nDo your research.\n\n &amp;quot;Try and find out who the best professors at your university are,&amp;quot; says Roberts. &amp;quot;Professors, more than subject matter, mean the difference between a memorable class and a wasted one. More and more colleges are giving students access to student evaluations of professors, and they provide good evidence about classes worth taking.&amp;quot;\n\nRemember that when it comes to grad school, you have flexibility.\n\n &amp;quot;Do not assume that you need to major in X to become Y,&amp;quot; says Monique Rinere, the dean of advising at Columbia College in New York. &amp;quot;For example, many medical school students didn&amp;#39;t major in science. Law school students come from virtually every major. Consult with your pre-professional advisers before you decide if you intend to pursue these professions.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/picking-college-classes?mbid=synd_huffpo>