Choosing Classes

Last week was a hectic time with spring term classes beginning. It was especially stressful because I didn't have a clear idea of what courses I wanted to take this term. The weather was gorgeous and my mind was not exactly set on books and classes, but hey, school is school and we are here to learn.

Tuesday was the first day of class and even though students sign up for courses way before the term actually starts, you can always make changes and "shop around" for classes during the first week, which means that you can attend way more classes in the first week than you're actually going to take. Dartmouth students usually take three classes per term (you can sometimes take two or four, depending on how ambitious you are). Classes either meet for an hour and five minutes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or for an hour and 50 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. Depending on what classes you take, you could have all three on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and no class on Tuesday, Thursday or spread them out evenly. Most of the class change can be done online (course registration is done online as well), but for some classes, students need to make a trip to the registrar office.

I had originally signed up for a Tuesday, Thursday psychology course, but I was tempted to take a studio art class instead, and decided to go and get a feel for the course. My plans to be artsy were quickly shattered when I realized that being the procrastinator I am, I wouldn’t be able to handle the steady amount of drawing assignments, so I’m sticking with the psychology course.

Wednesday was extremely chaotic, since I had no idea what to take for my other two courses. I decided to just go to a bunch of potential courses and make my pick. My 4-course marathon started at 8:45 in the morning, and I proudly sat through Economics, Geography, and two Religion courses. I even squeezed in lunch with friends. After looking through the syllabi and listening to the professors’ introductions, I settled on Economics and a Hinduism course. (The Hinduism class had actually reached its cap number of students, but the professor signed permission slips that let students enroll in full classes.) Once I took the slip to the registrar office, my course load for the term was set.