Whether this upcoming spring will be your first at Washington University or you are a seasoned veteran, it’s coming time to pick what new areas of knowledge to dive into. While you are never really stuck in a course besides clusters and some major-specific core requirements, it is worthwhile to do a little research now to pick good classes so you do not have to scramble to rearrange your schedule later. Below are several ways to ensure that you are making good choices for yourself next semester.
Ask around
The best way to figure out what the great classes are at Wash. U. is to ask around. Talk to your friends, upperclassmen, RAs or any other student who is willing. Students will give you the most frank view of professors and what the workload is like in the course, and you should take advantage of that because they had to learn the hard way. If you are looking to take a course in a department that you have never taken a course in before, you could speak to the faculty there, or specifically, the professor who will be teaching the course you had in mind. Just be sure to keep in mind that that person’s opinion is that of just one individual, so try to seek some diversity in opinions.
Consult course evals
We’ve all been solicited incessantly to fill out course evaluations, but few of us actually use them. If you’ve never looked at the evaluations because you do not know where to locate them, here is how to find them: Go to the WebSTAC page and click “course evaluations” on the left. Then click “check and take course evals.” Log in with your WebSTAC password; hit “past evaluation results,” and you’re set. Evaluations offer a quantitative look at what the course was like as it was taught in the past and evaluated by students like you so you get an honest perspective. At times, lots of information is listed in a course’s evaluation, including: students’ expected grades, how many quizzes were given, how many oral presentations, the number of long and short papers, etc. From the questions polled, you can get a good feel for how much work the course will require, how interesting and organized the professor was and how likely you are to get a decent grade. The only drawback is that the numbers do not tell you what about the course students found particularly interesting or what they struggled with. Also make sure that the professor teaching the course in the upcoming semester is the same professor.
Rate my professors
If you want the straight-talking, no-nonsense thoughts of students toward their professors, then go to RateMyProfessors.com. This site enables curious students to search by school or by professor’s last name. Not every faculty member at Wash. U. is there, but a number of them can be found, and if you have a strong view of a faculty member in particular, there is nothing stopping you from adding a profile for that person and rating him or her. Professors are rated on a scale from one to five according to how easy their class is, how helpful they are, how clear they are and how interesting they are. For kicks, there is even a hotness rating. The most helpful thing about this site is that you can read the students’ comments, which often include what particulars they liked or disliked about the professor. These ratings should be taken with a grain of salt, however, because it is often the extremes on the spectrum of fans and critics who take the time to write the reviews. For more information on RateMyProfessors.com, check out “Rating the rankings: How useful is RateMyProfessors.com?” on Studlife.com
Time vs. interest—What’s your priority?
Eight o’clock may not have seemed like an odd time to start class in high school, but when you’re up at all hours playing video games with your friends or chatting over a midnight fro-yo snack, you may not feel the need to start your day before, say, noon. That’s an exaggeration, but a lot of students give as much consideration to the timing of courses as they do to what those courses are about. I’ve yet to be cutthroat or clever enough to manipulate my schedule so that I only have class three or four days a week, but it can be done.
Some students in the past who only have classes four days a week use their extra time to take on an internship, job or something of the like. Others have used the time to study, or simply relax. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind that these four years may be the only ones in which you have complete freedom over your time schedule, so take advantage of it while you can.
On the other hand, don’t pass up on a course that looks really interesting to you just because it’s offered before one in the afternoon. Some courses are only offered every few years, so you can’t always wait until next year to take something that you may really enjoy.
Think of what academic experiences affected you this semester. Was it one course out of the plethora of interesting subjects Wash. U. offers? Or did you connect with an amazing professor or lecturer who engaged you in thought-provoking discussion? Follow those leads when you pick courses for this coming semester. Most importantly, take advantage of all the amazing opportunities this institution has to offer as best you can!
Spring Courses: How To Get Great Picks
Published: Monday, November 3, 2008
Updated: Monday, November 3, 2008
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