Building a class schedule with electives that meets your professional goals

By: Ana Corwin – Behavioral Sciences and Health Education

As a graduating second year, the first thing I will tell you about this program is that goes by extremely fast. One minute you’re attending orientation and the next minute you’re scrambling to get your thesis/capstone finished. Rollins offers so many great classes and you may find that that it’s hard to fit in every class you want to take in only four short semesters. That’s why building a schedule that helps you attain your professional goals is so important and for you to capitalize on your time at Rollins. While there are many great professional student organizations you can join, classes offer you the chance to really dive in and get a deep understanding of topics which you can add to your CV. Here some tips for building a great class schedule:

 

1. Know which semesters are going to be particularly heavy with required classes

 

It’s important to know your department’s recommended curriculum and when you’re required to take those classes. For some departments, the first semester of your first year might be totally packed with required classes, for others it might be your second year. You’ll want to plan your electives during a time when you won’t be loaded down with a heavy class load.

 

2. Take advantage of the audit option

 

One class  grading option that I didn’t take enough advantage of during my time at Rollins is the audit. Auditing is a great way to take classes you are interested in personally and professionally without adding the class to your workload or the pressure of having to do well for the sake of your GPA. Unlike the Pass/Fail option which limits its use to six credit hours, the audit option is limitless. You might have to reach out to the professor and make sure that grading option is available, but auditing a class is a great way to get access to the class materials and content that you want exposure to.

 

3. Take classes in other departments

 

You chose to apply to your department for a particular reason, but other departments may have classes and skills that you may need to be successful in your career later on. Each department offers unique classes that can help you add dimension to your CV as well as help expand your professional network/connections between Rollins departments.

 

4. Take classes that will build your professional skillset

 

If you know what direction you think you’re headed professionally, there are classes that can give you the tangible skills that you want to master or at least get exposure to prior to graduation. If you don’t know where you’re going, you can take classes in many different areas that will help you build out a well-rounded professional skillset so that when you do select a career path you’ll have the basic tools necessary to be successful.