Can anyone believe the semester has already ended?! I still feel like I just got back from London (I’m in denial its been almost five months…) and all of the sudden its summertime. I hope you all have some fun things planned for these next three months and are gearing up for Orientation! I’m currently working in event marketing for Gotham and Hamptons magazines in their New York office and living with one of my best friends in a little baby apartment on the Upper East Side. I am LOVING the internship so far and adjusting to life in the big city after spending the last two and half years in Boston.
One of the biggest things you’ll do this summer is come to BU Orientation. I remember feeling very overwhelmed by all the information, people, and craziness of Boston. Registering for classes is the part I think people look forward to the most and I have six tips for this process so here we go:
1. Don’t rely only on websites like ratemyprofessor.com to find information about classes. There will be current students and your Student Advisors in the rooms to help you. They all have either taken the classes you’re registering for or have friends who have. Ask them for advice and help. Keep in mind that if someone felt the need to write on a ratings site, they probably either loved or hated the class so those reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.
2. Take a mix of classes that are shorter but more often and longer and only one or two times a week. I’ve found after my first couple semesters that I much prefer classes that are longer in length but less frequent. This is a personal preference and you should use your first semester to see what you think. It will help make you a more successful student in the future.
3. You can take the language placement exam as many times as you want so if you’re right on the cusp of testing into the next semester, review some high school language notes and try again.
4. Don’t get discouraged if a class you wanted to take or had planned for was full. While we recommend that you finish as many of your liberal arts classes as you can in your first two years, you have all four to do them so waiting until second semester or sophomore year to take a specific class is totally fine.
5. Keep in mind your own personal time management and sleeping habits. If you know you don’t wake up easily, don’t schedule all 8ams. If you know what you’re a mid-afternoon napper (ahem…this girl), don’t plan your schedule with huge gaps in the days. Freshman year, I had a four hour gap two days a week and by mid-semester I was skipping way more than I would like to admit because my bed was way too comfy to get out of and back to class. At the same time, don’t be discouraged to not take a class that you’re interested in because of the time.
And finally, you have a few hours to register for your classes so don’t get too anxious, take a deep breath, and get ready to become a real, full-time college student!
Good luck with everything and I can’t wait to meet you all in September!
