It’s that time of the year again. Time to pick classes! Course selection can be pretty intense. There are hundreds of possible classes to take, but you only get to choose three. You want to pick classes that are interesting and relatively straightforward – but those classes tend to fill up quickly.
In addition to all of that, you have to compete with the rest of the student body to get into popular classes. It’s like the Hunger Games for course selection. As a student picking classes, you’ve been volunteered as tribute. To help you survive, we’ve compiled a list of helpful tips – that way, you’ll make it through course selection period victoriously!
Tip #1: Take a Language Class
Dartmouth requires every student to satisfy 3 terms of language credit. If you haven’t placed out of a language yet (or have been placed in an accelerated language course), you might consider completing your foreign language during your first-year.
Because the D-Plan requires students to be off in the fall or winter during their sophomore or junior year, students tend to fulfill their language requirement during their freshman year. This is because language courses build off of each other (i.e. Chinese 2 is taken after Chinese 1). But Chinese 1 is only offered in the fall. So in order to fulfill your foreign language requirement, you’ll have to be “on” for all three terms (Fall, Winter, and Spring). Only freshmen and seniors tend to be “on” for all three consecutive terms, so it might be a good idea to finish your language requirement early. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to qualify for a language study abroad during your sophomore year.
Tip #2: Think about your graduation requirements.
You may have not decided on your major yet, but it’s always a good idea to consider your general graduation requirements while picking classes. Dartmouth outlines its graduation requirements here (i.e. every student must satisfy these requirements to graduate, regardless of major). If you do have an idea about what major you would like to pursue, then try to think about the prerequisite courses for that major. You can find these prerequisites on the Dartmouth ORC website.
Try to be strategic about picking classes, make sure you’re knocking out important prerequisites for the upper level courses that you will eventually need to take for your major.
Sometimes, certain classes are only offered once a year, so it will be very important to plan your courses wisely. You can use this helpful course planner worksheet to help you plan your courses. If you’re not sure what courses you need for your major, contact your academic adviser – they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Tip #3: Balance your S.T.E.M. and humanities classes.
Try to balance your coursework with a healthy mix of S.T.E.M. and humanities classes. You don’t want to take five writing classes and have five research papers due at the end of the term. Similarly, you don’t want to take five S.T.E.M. classes and have to worry about five labs.
Also, don’t overbook yourself. If you’re taking three upper level classes, then consider taking two easier classes – that way, you can devote more time to your harder coursework.
If you’re looking for an easier class, then make sure you ask an upperclassmen (see Tip #3). Also, be careful of introductory courses. Not all intro classes are easy – just ask any upperclassmen!
Tip #4: Upperclassmen know where all the good classes are. Talk to upperclassmen to find classes that are good. They’ve been in your shoes, and they know who are the best professors, and the best courses to take for your graduation requirements.
Oftentimes, upperclassmen will be able to guide you to “hidden gems” - classes that are awesome but are not filled for enrollment. Now it’s important to take an upperclassmen’s advice with a grain of salt. Everyone has a different perspective on classes, and what is an easy class for one person might be a hard class for another person.
Tip #5: Have a good Plan B. We won’t always get into our first choice courses. That’s why it’s important to have a Plan B. Write up a list of courses that you would be willing to take if you don’t get into your first choice courses. If you don’t get into one class, there might be another class that is almost or just as good. But you have to do your research and be prepared to sign up for it right away – because these classes can get filled up too!
Tip #6: Use online reviews. You can find course reviews for Dartmouth courses on this website. Additionally, you can find reviews for most professors on RateMyProfessors.com. These reviews are helpful when you don’t know any upperclassmen who have taken the course you’re looking at. As always, it’s important to read these reviews with a grain of salt, as they can be subjective.
One benefit of using online reviews is that they can give you insights on how a professor evaluates students. You can find out whether a professor primarily uses multiple choice, short response, or essay exams. In addition, you can find out whether a professor primarily uses the flipped classroom approach, or delivers traditional lectures. Based on your learning style, you might want to consider these factors before choosing classes.
Hope these tips helped out, best of luck in picking classes!
Go Big Green!
-Jonathan A. Lu ‘19