Academic advisors are crucial and can be a vital resource in achieving academic success. However, they aren’t fully necessary in planning your schedule, and they’re notorious for being unhelpful. My personal strategy is to create my own schedule, then confirm it with an advisor to ensure that it’s correct.
Overall, my advising experience has led me to take scheduling into my own hands and build it myself. I’ve met with both the advisors who were extremely helpful and the advisors who left me even more confused.
One random night before declaring my second major, I built out the rest of my schedule for every semester until I graduate. Now, I have an organized system to ensure I meet all my requirements and what classes I’ll be taking each semester. These are the strategies I use when creating my own schedule.
Stay organized
Every major has degree-specific requirements, many of which must be completed by a specific term. I stay organized by keeping track of all requirements and milestones in two separate documents — one for each of my majors. The requirements I need to follow are based on when I was admitted to the College of Business; make sure to follow the correct requirements for your major.
I built out my entire schedule by downloading my major requirements and taking screenshots of each term’s milestones. I highlighted in green any classes I have completed and in yellow any classes that I’m currently taking.
I then built a schedule in my Notes app, using term milestones as a guide. Once a class was planned, I highlighted it in another color. Don’t forget to also highlight prerequisites, to ensure your sample schedule is possible.
Eventually, I planned out the rest of my semesters. Accounting was much easier because many of the classes are prerequisites for each other, not leaving much decision about what classes to take or when to take them. Marketing was the opposite; it provided me with a lot of flexibility in my future schedules.
Utilize Stellic
I used to be a proud Stellic hater, but when building my schedule for Summer and Fall 2026, I noticed plenty of improvements were made. Before, I found it difficult to navigate and inaccurately identified which requirements I’d already completed. Currently, my entire schedule is built out in Stellic, so I can see which of my requirements are completed or planned.
After building out the rest of your schedule, I recommend taking the time to input each class into Stellic. This will ensure that all requirements are met, including overall degree requirements that apply to all majors. Doing so in advance means that you don’t need to do it later, so you can catch any mistakes you might’ve made.
Take your schedule into your own hands
Of course, you can’t fully choose your own schedule, as most of the classes you’ll take are some sort of requirement that must be completed. However, when you can, choose classes that excite you and will be easier. I find myself lucky that I can choose which marketing classes I can take, with topics such as entertainment, social media, and sports.
Be sure that your schedule fits additional requirements, even ones that are specific to you. I have a scholarship that requires me to take at least 15 credit hours per semester, which is something I had to ensure I followed when I built my schedule. However, in the Fall 2025 semester, I needed to take an elective course that was only one credit hour. I chose to take bowling, which made that semester significantly more enjoyable.
Scheduling your classes shouldn’t feel ridiculously overwhelming. Staying organized has made me feel much more confident and excited about my schedule. I highly recommend planning it out in advance, but still consult with an advisor before registering.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!