A Few Things You Should Know About Classes

Hey everyone!

I hope you’re excited for your first year at UCSD! I know the summer before my first year I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to be. This summer, looking back on all that I did last year, I realized that there were a lot of things about class registration that I would have known or had learned earlier that would have really helped me out, so that’s what I’m going to write about. I hope these little bits of information are of good use to you!

Class registration is coming up this summer. That means you’ll be signing up for classes online (on Tritonlink) BEFORE you get on campus. Don’t sweat it though; the process of actually registering online is pretty simple and straightforward, and you will be able to consult E-Advising about what classes you should choose. While different people will have very different schedules, there are some things everyone should know.

One thing, be mindful of where and when you’re classes are on campus. Most standard 4 unit classes are 3 hours a week, that might have a 1 hour discussion section with a TA once a week. This can either be split up as an hour 3 times a week, 1.5 hours twice a week, or a single 3 hour block once a week. However, the last 10 minutes will always be left open for you to move between classes. Usually, this is plenty of time, but UCSD campus is big and hilly, and going from one lecture hall to another might take longer than 10 minutes on foot. When you schedule your classes, I definitely recommend checking where they are using a campus map. The most helpful one I’ve seen is this one, which calculates the shortest route between buildings. (http://campusmap.michaelkelly.org/map.cgi)

Another thing I highly recommend is to start Warren Writing (aka WCWP 10A) in the Fall Quarter. It’s a 2 quarter class sequence that will help you a lot with writing papers, which is great preparation for many other classes. However, it is a very competitive class to get into, and I do not recommend wait listing it, unless the first person on the waitlist, and even that is risky. There are only 15 people in each section, and it’s not likely that many of them will drop it because everyone in Warren needs to take it. Its not a big deal if there are no spots left, there will be plenty of space Winter Quarter. In my opinion, it’s just a good class to start in the fall if you have the option.

The last piece of advice I have for you is only for the non-engineering students (sorry engineers, but your GEs are a bit different). In addition to your writing sequence, Warren GEs require you to take 2 Programs of Concentration (PofCs) in areas unrelated to your major. These are comprised of 6 classes, 4 units each. However, a minor is only 7 classes, 4 units each. It’s easy to just take 1 extra class to turn your PofC into a minor, and still count it for your GEs! If you’re interested, I highly suggest talking to an academic advisor about it. It’s not a decision you have to make soon, but it’s good to think about.

That's it! Thanks for reading! Remember, keep up with your studies, but there is a lot more to college than just classes. It's a great experience, and I hope you live it to it's fullest. See you all in September!

-Matthew Hendricks, Freshman OL