Starting college in a week :) (computer science, skill, degree, high school)

[rgomez912]

Yep start summer class in just a week and am really excited. I debated with myself for weeks on what I wanted to major in and have finally come to a conclusion that I like building computers so have opted into majoring in Electrical Engineering.

Question I would like to ask for those who are in college or been to college is how do you set your schedule for all your classes? For me I am taking 2 classes at a time giving me a break in the middle, so it would be 2 classes then 1 hour break then another 2 classes. I am allowed to take 18 credit hours at a time and am wondering if taking 6 classes is a good idea when you are just starting off?

So many questions so little time...

[Ceece]

Well I'm speaking as the mom of a college student and recent college grad but they didn't usually have a whole lot of choices in setting their schedules. The first two years they didn't have priority for registration so they grabbed whatever they could, although the intro GE courses offered a little flexability. Later, you will take the classes they need when they were offered, and there usually wasn't much choice in that. My daughter had night classes, morning classes, all over the map classes for her major.

Jump on registration the moment you can, that's your best bet!

[rgomez912]

Thanks for the information! Ceece

How should I handle a minor with my major? Would it be wise and if so what minor goes well with a EE degree? Two choices that pop into my head are Computer Science and Chemistry

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by rgomez912

Thanks for the information! Ceece

How should I handle a minor with my major? Would it be wise and if so what minor goes well with a EE degree? Two choices that pop into my head are Computer Science and Chemistry

Oh I'm so out of my league there. I hope someone pops in with advice. Have you talked to a counselor yet? They would know what people have done before with majors/minors and what was the most popular, etc.

[SoCalCroozer]

If you were smart you'd opt out of the racket that is American higher education, stay out of debt and learn a highly sought after skill that will allow you to become more self sufficient. Electrical engineering? And then what? Go work for corporate America that will undercut you and hire an Indian for half your necessary salary to make ends meet. You'd be better off learning how to weld. Sorry but that's the cold hard truth. Remember these words kid! College is a waste of time nowadays.

[goyanks57]

I'm about to start my 5th and final year of college, and I do have to agree that it is somewhat of a racket. With that said, majoring in electrical engineering will make you more marketable than someone who majors in something worthless like philosophy or art.

To answer your first question, scheduling classes will be easier when you first start college than it will be when you are in your upper-division classes. Most gen-ed classes are offered 2 or 3 times a day, so that will give you more flexibility. At my college, M,W,F classes last 50 minutes and T,Th classes last an hour and 20 minutes. I find it a lot easier to stay focused in shorter classes, but sometimes, you have to take longer classes.

For your first year, 18 credit hours would probably be to many. I would sign up for 12 in the first semester, and maybe increase your class load to 14 or 15 in your 2nd semester. The most I've ever taken was 16, and it was quite a challenge.

Good luck!

[rgomez912]

Thanks for the information goyanks57 I for one do not see college as a waste and value higher education over any skill, before I was out of high school I posted in the Canada forum saying if welding was good up there since I planned on being a boilermaker. Well since then I did my research and found that money wise, a degree is the way to go.

To my question, I will then just stick with my 4 classes at the moment. Also did you do any internships goyanks57? I always wondered how you would do an internships when you still had classes to take since a lot of the internships posted at my college site are from around the US and even overseas? Again, thanks for all the information

[golfgal]

Don't over schedule yourself your first semester, 4 classes should be plenty your first semester--especially if you are going into EE you will probably have at least one lab. On average I would say that most college students take 2 classes/day and usually classes are offered either on an every other day basis on a 6 day cycle or on a M,W,F or T, TH rotation. The college I attended had a 6 day cycle which was really a nice schedule. For the most part I carried 17-18 credits/semester having 4 classes-2 each day and a lab or a shorter 1 credit class (PE was required and was a 1 credit class, for example).

My oldest heads off to college in August. He has a full day of classes on Monday which includes his biology lab but then has 2 classes every other day except Friday where he has one class. It came down to which classes worked into his schedule more than anything.

[rgomez912]

Thanks for the information golfgal

Still need info on internships tho

[DubbleT]

My DS is an engineering student and I have to agree to sticking with 2 classes (or labs) a day unless they are fluff classes like PE. Might not be a bad idea to schedule at least one fluff class to keep you at at least 16 hours, that way if one of the other classes doesn't work out you can drop it and still have the minimum 12 hours a lot of places require to consider you a full time student.
DS was interested in interning but he tells me that it would probably extend the amount of time it takes for him to get his degree (not a bad thing in this economy). I think he still plans on doing it between his third and fourth year because most of his friends that have already graduated tell him it makes getting a job after graduation easier.