When people ask why I started studying Russian, I usually laugh before relating the story. Despite later finding out I have ancestral ties to the region, my choice of a Slavic language was largely one of chance. I had just transferred to Texas Tech and needed to enroll in a foreign language course as part of my degree requirements. I wanted to study a less commonly learned (for Americans) language, so I asked my advisor what options were available; she told me that there were introductory-level Japanese and Russian courses being offered that semester at times that would fit my schedule. I had no familiarity with either language, and no real preference, so I asked the most reasonable question I could: which had a later start time? Japanese class met at 10am, Russian at 11am. Thus, Russian it was. I have not regretted my choice at all, and that 11am class set me on the path toward a Master’s in Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, as well as almost 2 years spent living and working in Russia.

Looking back, though, even if the decision worked out, that was not the best method of selecting a course. To some extent, your choices are made for you in that your program requires certain courses, and they are offered in specific semesters at particular times. This inevitably limits which other courses are viable options each semester to fill out the rest of your degree requirements, including electives.

For those unfamiliar with an American-style degree program, departments generally have a short list of mandatory courses which a student must complete, sometimes needing to be taken in a specified order. By and large, however, the details of your degree plan are up to you, your academic advisor, and a faculty advisor, if you have one, to fill in. You are provided with some guidelines, such as which departments you need to take courses in, or which skill requirement must be met by a course (writing intensive, computer literacy, etc.), but the onus is on you as the student to choose which specific courses you wish to take. Such an arrangement can lead to problems, most often manifested in students taking longer than planned to complete their degree because of selecting courses that do not meet all of the graduation requirements in an efficient manner.

This blog entry is intended to offer some tips on how to avoid such pitfalls. It is not intended to tell you which major/minor to select; advice on choosing between degree options may be addressed in a later post, however. When it comes to coursework, the simplest step is to consult with your advisor regularly, at least once per semester, to go over your degree requirements and which boxes remain to be checked.

Beyond that, especially in the case of electives, you have a fair amount of leeway to customize your degree content. I personally encourage students to sample widely in their choice of electives: enroll in courses not just outside of your department, but outside of your specific sub-unit (e.g., College of Engineering, School of Foreign Languages). Exposure to different ways of thinking about the world can help immensely in figuring out how to apply what you learn in college after you move on to the next stage of your life. Simple content without context and applicability is hardly worth the hefty price tag students now pay for a college education. To get the most out of the tuition price, use this time to study broadly. Even for those in graduate school, which involves acquiring greater and greater specialization as you advance, there are opportunities to branch out. For example, I took a course on 19^th century philosophy during my MA degree, despite focusing primarily on my interest in foreign policy and international relations. If a course title or description appeals to you and you can fit it into your degree plan, go for it! You might discover a new talent or passion that will remain with for years or even decades to come.

There are times when a course just isn’t a good fit, though. While sites such as Rate My Professors can offer some insight, keep in mind that, like much contemporary online discourse, such platforms are often dominated by the extremes of the spectrum: students who either did really well or really poorly. Do not just look at the rating! Think of it like buying a product through an online retailer and perusing the reviews. Read the details. Try to read between the lines and get a better understanding whether assignments seemed to be reasonable and whether the reason for receiving grades was transparent. You can also usually email a professor and request a copy of a current or past version of the syllabus for a course you are considering. This allows you to get a much clearer picture of the course expectations well in advance, rather than waiting until the first week of classes when the alternatives you were considering may already be full.

At the same time, do not be afraid to swap classes early in the semester. If you attend the first class session or two and feel uninterested, overwhelmed, or otherwise out of place, there is nothing wrong with changing courses if you can fulfill the same degree requirement a different way. Keep in mind, this is your education; make it work for you. Sometimes you will have to take courses that just aren’t your forte in order to graduate, but, presumably, if you choose your major based on interest and not simple economic calculations about what would get you a lucrative job (which is rarely the best way to select a career), there will not be too many of those.

Still, do not shy away from a challenge or a class that makes you question yourself. Getting out of your comfort zone is part of the learning experience in college. Ultimately, you make the choices regarding your class schedule, so take advantage of the opportunity to develop and learn more about yourself.

Return to Advice Blog