Page 294 - Keys to College Success

Manage Your Academic Schedule

Effective time management will enable you to fulfill the requirements of your major
and complete all additional credits.

Look at your time frame. Do you intend to finish your requirements in four years?
Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably expect to accomplish, consid-
ering all your responsibilities. If you’re working 20 to 30 hours a week and attending
school, it may be very difficult to graduate on schedule. Do you plan to attend graduate
school? If so, do you plan to go there directly after graduation or take time off?

Set timing for short-term goals. Within your time frame, pinpoint when to accom-
plish the short-term goals that lead to graduation. What are the deadlines for completing
core requirements, declaring a major, writing a thesis? Drafting a tentative curriculum— Plan for Career Success
the set of courses required for a degree, both within and outside your major—can help
clarify where you are heading.

Identify dates connected to your goal fulfillment. Pay attention to academic
dates (you will find an academic calendar in each year’s college catalog and on the col-
lege website). Such dates include registration dates, final date to declare a major, final
date to drop a course, and so forth. Plan ahead so you don’t miss a deadline.

When You Want to Change Your Major

As Dan did, many students change their minds as they consider majors; some declare a
major and then change it one or more times before finding a good fit. When you take a
course in an area you think you will like, you might discover that something central to that
subject doesn’t work for you—writing papers (in a history course), for example, or work-
ing in the lab (for a biology course). This is a sign that you should consider alternatives.
Discuss any change with your advisor, and perhaps a faculty member, before you
make your decision. If you decide that the risk will be worthwhile, take action as soon
as possible. Work with your advisor to complete any required paperwork and redesign
your schedule to reflect the change. If you have already taken a semester or a year of
courses in one major, fulfilling the requirements in your new major may mean putting
off graduation. Consider that possibility as you weigh the pros and cons of the change.

HOW CAN YOU LAY THE GROUNDWORK
for a rewarding career?

Every student has a unique career preparation status. Some already have a work
history, and others none; some have known for a while exactly what they want to do,
others have no idea at all; and still others are in the middle, with some thoughts but no
focus yet. Keep in mind that your starting point is not better or worse than anyone
else’s. Knowing exactly what you want is not “better” than having no clue—it’s just
different. Different starting points mean different courses of action. Someone who is
driven to pursue engineering, for example, will follow a different path than someone
who has not yet pinpointed an area of academic interest. Know where you are now so
that you can choose the best path for you. Keep the following in mind:

The modern workplace is defined by change. The working world is changing
more rapidly than in any other time in history, responding to technological develop-
ments, global competition, economic change, and other factors. Although this brings a
risk of frequent job changes, it also offers the reward of a myriad of opportunities to
learn and reinvent yourself throughout your career. Furthermore, it increases the impor-
tance of strong transferable skills such as thinking, teamwork, writing, and goal setting.

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