Should I block my classes like this?

[idemandeuphoria]

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I'm going to be a freshmen this fall, so I'm pretty ignorant.

Is it a bad idea to cram five afternoon classes in a block (2 days of the week), so I have the mornings free those days and then only taking 2-3 classes the other days of the week? In theory, I would like having blocks of free time for volunteering/studying and my siblings (who aren't premed) recommended this method of scheduling to me.

Also, there's no way for me to reverse and completely block classes in the morning and have the afternoons free because those classes have fifty people waiting lists. All I could really do is spread my classes more evenly throughout the week.

 

[DBC03]

You'll learn a lot this year and you will have a much better idea of what works best for you after you go through a full year. That said, my experience as a post-bac student at a large university is that I enjoyed having classes only two days a week during the fall semester. I found that gave me time to block out other things, as you mentioned. I could spend a long time working in the lab or studying. And after working in an office for over 10 years, I was very good at using my time wisely when I wasn't in class. That said, you might enjoy having everything a little more spread out. Do you have an idea about when your exams will be? I will say that having exams back to back on the same day can be a killer, so that is probably the biggest downside to blocking your classes. It only happened to me once, but that was the same semester I had something like 16 exams for only 11 credit hours. It also seems like you might be at a larger school where you get to choose your class schedule? My original UG degree was from a smaller private school and they only offered one of each class, so I had next to no power over my schedule. I definitely would have chosen differently if I had the opportunity.

 

[idemandeuphoria]

You'll learn a lot this year and you will have a much better idea of what works best for you after you go through a full year. That said, my experience as a post-bac student at a large university is that I enjoyed having classes only two days a week during the fall semester. I found that gave me time to block out other things, as you mentioned. I could spend a long time working in the lab or studying. And after working in an office for over 10 years, I was very good at using my time wisely when I wasn't in class. That said, you might enjoy having everything a little more spread out. Do you have an idea about when your exams will be? I will say that having exams back to back on the same day can be a killer, so that is probably the biggest downside to blocking your classes. It only happened to me once, but that was the same semester I had something like 16 exams for only 11 credit hours. It also seems like you might be at a larger school where you get to choose your class schedule? My original UG degree was from a smaller private school and they only offered one of each class, so I had next to no power over my schedule. I definitely would have chosen differently if I had the opportunity.

Thanks for your comment! I'll be at a large private university, so there's like 50 sections of most freshmen courses. Luckily, we have a testing center, so teachers (for the most part) assign a range of days that you can go and take a given exam. I think two of my teachers might have clicker quizzes during the allotted class time, but besides that I won't have to worry about having back to back exams. I'll be taking five classes, 16 credits. So far, I know that three of my final exams are assigned to different days. I guess my only worry is my stamina through so many classes, especially since I have chem, calc, and bio right after one another.

 

[DBC03]

Thanks for your comment! I'll be at a large private university, so there's like 50 sections of most freshmen courses. Luckily, we have a testing center, so teachers (for the most part) assign a range of days that you can go and take a given exam. I think two of my teachers might have clicker quizzes during the allotted class time, but besides that I won't have to worry about having back to back exams. I'll be taking five classes, 16 credits. So far, I know that three of my final exams are assigned to different days. I guess my only worry is my stamina through so many classes, especially since I have chem, calc, and bio right after one another.

That sounds like a good situation! I didn't realize that my original UG institution allowed you to reschedule finals if they are on the same day - I should have taken them up on it, but I thought I was able to handle it. So if you have them scheduled on the same day, ask if you can reschedule. Five classes is a pretty full load for your first semester, so be ready to buckle down and study (and forgo various social activities).

As far as the actual classes go, you'll have to do a LOT of learning on your own. It's completely different from high school. So I would not necessarily be too concerned with surviving the classes during the day. Instead, focus on how you can get your studying in and learn the material on your own. Freshman year is a big learning curve, so don't be afraid to take a slightly lighter course load if you need to.