Question About College Course Scheduling

[Christine]

I have a question about college course scheduling when you have declared a major but are a freshman/sophmore.

My DD is currently at an out-of-state university. In order to get in-state tuition, she is part of the Academic Common Market (which is a recipricol agreement between certain states). If she takes a major that is not offered in the state of Virginia but is offered at her university, she only has to pay in-state tuition. A huge break. So, she's in a major she doesn't want to be in to get the tuition break. The thinking is that she will take all her Gen Ed courses the first 2 years and at the 2 year point, she will either transfer to an in-state university or she will stay where she is, change majors and pay the full price.

So, her advisor called her in to schedule her classes for Fall 2010 at which time she will be a sophmore. The advisor is aware that she won't pursue this major. My DD has nowhere completed her Gen Ed courses. She still needs to take some science courses, English and math. Probably some electives, humanities, etc. But, no, they have her signed up for 2 courses that pertain to her major and one Biology course. And, to boot, she is only signed up for 10 credits. I *think* she will probably be adding English to that, but even so, do you think it's unusual to be doing 2 courses pertaining to her major at this point? I'm thinking she needs to put that stuff aside for another year, but maybe I'm wrong. Advice please?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Depends on her major, how intensified it is, how many major-specific courses are required. It's not completely unusual.

 

[blana]

Agree with PP. For my major, you were in major specific classes by Sophomore year. And there were other classes that were required to even matriculate into the major that had to be taken freshman year, which were basically major specific.

 

[Sparx]

By the second semester freshman year, a lot of people are already taking major specific classes (like intro) in my program.

 

[Rora]

It depends. Typically, freshman year is when you take all your Gen-Eds. Maybe some overlap into your first semester of your Sophomore year but after that you take your "major" courses.

It seems odd that your DD doesn't have control over her own schedule? Can she not register for her classes herself? Just curious-- I guess some schools do it differently. At my Universitity, we signed up for the classes we wanted to take online, without even having to meet with an advisor.

OP- I suggest having your daughter add an additional class and make it very clear to her advisor that her major will be changing and she would like to take more gen-Ed classes.

Good luck!

 

[MsLeFever]

Faculty academic adviser here!

Ok - usually I'd get my students into major classes in their freshman year. However - if she is planning to change her major she shouldn't take classes that won't pertain to the new major - or that won't transfer to another school.

I have never taught anywhere where the student didn't have the last call on what classes they were going to take. She needs to be more forceful.

Let me know if you need any more input and I'll try to help!

 

[Christine]

Thanks!

She does have control over her schedule. She meets with an advisor, they advise them on what to take and they sign up on line. If my daughter makes any changes (like she did last semester), the advisor must get some notification. They advisor got pretty pissed last semester when my DD dropped her math course after the first day (my DD knew right away that she couldn't handle it). My DD has also been honest with her advisor that she is not pursuing that major and will either leaving the school or changing majors. I understand that she may have to take *one* of those classes just to make a good show of being in the major but I thought she'd have at least one more semester to do some gen ed courses. I'm looking at her curriculum now and she seems to need so many more. She needs 41 credit hours of Gen Ed and she's got about 24.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feeling on this before her mom "advises" her on what to do!

 

[RitaZ.]

Why can't your DD register for her own classes? If the advisor is aware that your DD will be changing her major, then why register her for classes that will end up being a waste of time and money?

 

[paintnolish]

No, I don't think it is too early. You need to get tatse of your major. So many kids change majors, so the earlier the better.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have no advice...but an anectdote.

I had several "major-related" pre-requesite courses that I took in my earlier years related to my major. This kept me on track so that I could accomplish the upper division course work in a timely manner for an on-time (4yr) graduation. The course numbers were in teh 2000s, one would only take them if they took my major...but one would take them in their sophomore year, typically.

I suspect that if your dd doesn't take her coursework--perhaps it will raise a red flag? I don't know--but that is all I can think of.

Does her school require advisor signature before each semester so that all her course work is approved? If so, she might be out of luck. I think I had one mandatory time I had to see an advisor as a freshman, and then I never saw one again.

Just sharing my story to shed some light on why "major" course work would be taken in lower division based on what I did for my degree.

Good luck to your dd.

 

[Christine]

My DD sees her advisor before each registration. I think they may have one other meeting midway through the semester. It's just how this school does things.

She doesn't need permission on what to take at all but, during the meeting, they do pick courses for her. She has the freedom to change them and has done so in the past. But then they seem to find out rather quickly, call her in, and hassle her about it.

I do understand why they would put her in some of her major coursework, but I also thought that she didn't *have* to do it, especially when she has been pretty open that she won't pursue that major. I just wasn't sure but now hearing all of these stories I can see that this is pretty normal. Boy things do change. Back in the dark ages, we pretty much spent the first two years on general education courses.

 

[punkin]

The course selections are probably automatic for kids in your DD's major. If it is a fairly large school, the guidance counselors probably don't even look at the selections until the one on one meeting. Have your DD select the courses she wants and tell the counselor why she did it that way.

 

[lovemygoofy]

My DD sees her advisor before each registration. I think they may have one other meeting midway through the semester. It's just how this school does things.

She doesn't need permission on what to take at all but, during the meeting, they do pick courses for her. She has the freedom to change them and has done so in the past. But then they seem to find out rather quickly, call her in, and hassle her about it.

I do understand why they would put her in some of her major coursework, but I also thought that she didn't *have* to do it, especially when she has been pretty open that she won't pursue that major. I just wasn't sure but now hearing all of these stories I can see that this is pretty normal. Boy things do change. Back in the dark ages, we pretty much spent the first two years on general education courses.

Remember also that it's encouraged to take courses in the major early because if the student finds that it's not what that student wants it isn't too late to change majors. Also now some majors have courses in level 1000 or 2000 and have to build upon before taking the higher ups. I had to have 4 accounting classes which meant I started taking accounting classes in my Freshman year.

Besides, never know, your daughter may find that she really likes her major now and pursue it.

 

[tar heel]

Both of my older boys had major classes starting from the FIRST SEMESTER. Both programs were extremely rigorous and hard to do in four years. The ironic part is that they couldn't be two more different fields -- engineering and studio art.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I had my first major class second semester of sophomore year but could have easily taken it first semester. My particular major's classes were not open to freshmen.

 

[jsmith]

Both of my sons took courses in their major fields in the 1st semester of freshman year (physics and aerospace engineering) It is difficult at best to finish those programs in 4 years-impossible if you are taking courses in that concentration in your freshman year. I recall also taking courses in my major field in my freshman year-so i dont think its unusual at all-and in some fields required.

 

[scrapquitler]

, do you think it's unusual to be doing 2 courses pertaining to her major at this point? I'm thinking she needs to put that stuff aside for another year, but maybe I'm wrong. Advice please?

Not unusual at all. In my experience, most everyone was taking specific courses for their major by first semester sophomore year. And she's going to need to add another course, 10 credits isn't considered full time at any college I know of (and if you aren't full time, any financial aid could potentially get withdrawn)

 

[scrapquitler]

I forgot to mention that when I was in college (yeah, in the dark ages) Most people didn't take all their gen-ed courses freshman and sophomore years. Instead, we spread them around all four years to balance out our schedule between writing heavy classes, lab classes, etc. That way, you won't end up if you are science major for example with 3 or 4 lab classes in a semester during Senior Year...you leave one or two humanities classes for then so that you aren't so lab heavy. Likewise for a humanities major, if you leave a math or science for later, you don't end up with 4 or 5 writing intensive classes at once. I know that my senior year I took a couple of those gen ed 'fluff' courses and it was a nice balance against my intensive major classes and gave me a break (and I saved my pass/fail classes for Senior year as well for the same reason)>

 

[disfan07]

I've been taking major related classes at a community college for the past year. I'm a psychology major and I've taken developmental, physiological, and cognitive psychology in the past 2 semesters.

Gen Ed. classes are usually complete by the end of freshman/middle of sophmore year and than during sophmore year you start jumping into major specific classes.

Also, most schools have "major prep" requirements to help transfer to another school so that you are caught up with all the other juniors there. but it's different for each school. For me, one UC school required physiological psych. and cognitive, another school only required developmental, another only required introduction to psychology, etc.

If you don't finish teh lower division classes by the time you transfer, you will be spending longer in school.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Honestly, I think that if she's getting the financial benefits of being in this specific major, she probably needs to be following the course of study for that major.

I took courses in my major all 4 years of college. I think that's pretty common.

 

[RitaZ.]

Honestly, I think that if she's getting the financial benefits of being in this specific major, she probably needs to be following the course of study for that major.

I took courses in my major all 4 years of college. I think that's pretty common.

It sounds like that's part of the arrangement. The school has to gain some benefit out of it. That's probably the reason why the advisors keep such a tight rein on registration and also when students drop classes.