Priority Classes for College Freshmen to Take

Published on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 by Dania Mallette Category: 4 Year Colleges

Entering college as a freshmen is a new experience that comes with new territory. While high school pretty much dictated what classes to take and when, college allows for more flexibility. However, freshmen still have to complete certain courses in order to successfully meet their school’s requirements. While the specific classes vary from school to school, there are some key courses that every freshmen should add to their list of academic priorities for the first semester/quarter. The following are known as “core classes” and are for the purpose of making sure that students fulfill the necessary graduation requirements. It also helps students that have either not declared a major or who are not yet eligible to take on courses that fall under their degree program.

English

Just because you took English throughout high school, that doesn’t let you off the hook when attending college. Freshmen are still required by colleges and universities to take English classes, which can include literature, public speaking, creative writing and composition.

Science

From biology and chemistry to physics, it is important to get the science classes out of the way, especially if this wasn’t your strongest subject in high school. The college or university you attend will give you access to tutors and office hours with your professor. Take advantage of these resources to help you make the grade so you can say goodbye to these courses after your freshmen year. College Freshmen in Class

Math

Like science, you’ll want to make it a priority to enroll in the necessary math classes early on. You’ll have your pick from geometry and calculus, among many others. If you can manage to knock them out within your first year, you’ll be able to take on other classes that are of more interest.

Social Sciences

Psychology, economics, sociology and political science are some of the common types of classes that fall under the social sciences category. Students that enjoy history and challenging subject matters will find social sciences to be a nice change of pace, compared to English, math and science.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are courses that must be taken by students in order to enroll in more advanced level classes. Freshmen that have already declared their major and/or minor will already have a list of what prerequisites need to be completed. If the major and/or minor is particularly popular, it could be difficult to get into these types of classes, which is why it’s ideal for freshmen to try and get in early on. The longer it takes to do prerequisites, the longer it’ll take to start taking courses that count towards the degree program.

101 Courses

Not all college freshmen know what they want to major and/or minor in. Students in this situation can benefit from enrolling in introductory 101 courses under a variety of subject matters. Not only does completing these types of courses count towards the credits needed to graduate, it also has the ability to help students figure out what they may want to end up majoring in.

The first year of college should not only be filled with new experiences but be productive as well. Planning freshmen year the right way with assistance (as needed) from an academic advisor is the best way to get the bulk of coursework out of the way so that students can really give into their degree program sooner than later.

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