Week 14: Major and classes

Hey y'all! So I just finished registering for courses, and let me tell you, being a freshman sucks. I literally got like two classes I wanted and trying to create an ideal schedule is so hard because of my previous post on registration. Anyways, I want to talk to you guys about picking the right classes, and how that can be challenging when you do not know what your major is. So currently, I am a corporate communications major at Moody College of Communication at UT Austin, and I chose this major because I wanted to be a lawyer when I first applied. However, things have...changed:)
I now have no idea what I want to do, but I want to transfer to McCombs because I think it is a flexible degree that can help me pursue any career I want in the future. I am so scared about transferring because it is so competitive, and basically reapplying to college despite already being in it. It is so awful, I can't. But, I know that if I don't get in, I can still stick with Moody and minor in Business. There are so many avenues to have what interests you part of your degree, so do not put limits on yourself. Majors are already hard, and majority of college students literally do not know what they are doing until later, so do not stress. Pick something you are comfortable with and interested in and go from there. Now, moving on to classes. So classes are already super annoying and difficult in college for no reason, but picking classes that do not make you fall behind or waste your time is important to pay attention to. A helpful tool that UT has is our Degree Audit, which shows us our pace and track for completing our degree plan. We have many requirements, so I suggest that if you are confused about what you want to do in the beginning, just take those core requirement classes and knock them out of the way because honestly they help you realize what is right for you. I know that I do not enjoy taking classes that do not benefit me in thinking critically, so I do not like taking simple classes. I also learned that I hate unnecessarily difficult classes that are pointless to me, which is why having some GPA booster/easy A classes every semester is also important, just to prevent stress and issues with mental health. College is already hard enough, so having some "fun classes" is a good idea, but do not waste all of them in one semester. Use your electives wisely! Pay attention to your degree audit, your interests, and dislikes when picking classes and your major, and I promise you will be okay!!! :)

Week 11: Registration

Hey guys!! This week I want to talk about one of the most stressful and competitive parts of college: registering for classes. So not many people know, but the more completed your degree plan is, the earlier you get to register because you get priority - so again, get ahead! My registration is next Wednesday, and even after planning my whole schedule out I am so scared. My schedule isn't ideal because I have Friday classes and back to back classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they will be really hectic, running around campus all day. A lot of people have different preferences on how they plan their schedule. It's great how we can create it any way we want because we have the freedom to, but there's a lot to take into account. There is a lot of cost benefit analysis that goes on with registering. Some people focus on specific professors, others focus on timings of classes. I have a balance of both. I am not a morning person at all, like I literally cannot wake up and get out of my bed, which is why my earliest class next semester is probably going to be at 10 so that I can wake up at like 9:15. Even though that is still early for me, the class I want to take at 10 is taught by a really good professor. Doing research on who to get for specific classes, especially if they have a reputation of being really hard at UT, is important because after all, your GPA is key. Pro tip: downloading UT Registration Plus can help with grade distributions based on professors, reviews, past syllabi to see if the class is appealing, and other resources that can help you make your decisions. Do not take morning classes because it gets harder to wake up for them as the semester goes on because literally no one has motivation or energy. Everyone is so drained. Registration is very stressful, but don't worry, as you get older it gets easier. The worst is freshman orientation registration, but once that is out of the way everyone kind of does their own thing and figures out their path so it is less competitive. Good luck registering and do your research so you don't have to drop the class later.