Planning and scheduling on Eagle Service is officially open to AU students in preparation for registration some time next month. Like every semester, students are scrambling to fit all their courses together and hopefully avoid 8 a.m. classes.
Not sure which Habits of Mind classes to take? Here is a list of the courses that fill each AU Core requirement. Student Emily Dolan recommends PERF-110, “Understanding Music” for the Creative-Aesthetic Inquiry portion of Habits of Mind. This course explores a variety of musical genres from all over the world and even includes attending live concerts!
Student Kennedy Andara recommends WGSS-225 “Gender, Politics, and Power” to fill the Cultural Inquiry portion. The course examines gender as a basis for politics throughout history in various countries.
She also recommends GOVT-322 “American Political Parties” for the Socio-Historical Inquiry. This course does have a prerequisite though, so if you’re interested, make sure you take GOVT-110 “Politics in the United States” first. That class focuses on the American governmental system, both in the past and today.
Now, what do you take for your major? You can find major and minor requirements here. Be careful about classes that have prerequisites, and make sure you take those first. If you’re still undecided, try looking up requirements for a major you’re interested in and take the introductory class. From there, you can see if that major is a subject you enjoy learning about. And if it’s not, the class will count as an elective.
“[A major or minor] should be something you genuinely enjoy. If it’s not, you won’t have fun or do as well. Forget about the career path and think of what’s best for what you want,” said Hajarah Dar, a student at St. John’s University, although her advice is helpful for students everywhere.
The scheduling process can be overwhelming, but there are plenty of resources to help. Make an appointment with your advisor, or go to drop-in hours to ask questions and get advice. To find your advisor, their contact information, or to make an appointment, click here, then click your school and find your advisor. First year students have a first year advisor that they can an appointment with here. (Your first year advisor is also your AUx instructor for the fall.)
When scheduling for this current semester back in April, my advisor told me to make my schedule based on how I’d best succeed. For me, that meant not taking morning classes that I would probably miss a lot due to my habit of oversleeping. For other students, that can mean not taking block classes if you can’t seem to get through over two hours of a lecture or not taking classes back-to-back if that is overwhelming for you.
But what if you get on a waitlist for a class you really wanted to take? Don’t worry! For most people, there’s next semester. And keep an eye on your email so you can accept your spot if you make it into the class from the waitlist, you only have 24 hours to do so. Sometimes, new sections of courses open up too, so check regularly.
Last, make sure you remember to get your schedule approved by your advisor if needed, and set a reminder to officially register by your assigned date and time. Everyone’s registration time is different based on how many credits you have completed, but most are in early November.
Make sure you have at least 12 credits planned to be a full-time student which qualifies you for on-campus housing, financial aid, a U-pass, and other individual needs.