Schedules make or break the college experience

OPINIONS EDITOR MEGAN HARDING mhard62@dailyillini.com

COLUMNIST TALIA DUFFY taliagd2@dailyillini.com

Creating your college schedule is almost like an NFL draft. While the amount of choices seem endless compared to high school class options, choose carefully! Like picking the wrong player may a ect the team’s performance, picking the wrong class or the wrong time can negatively impact your college experience.

Thankfully, as second- and third-year students, we have advice on how to build the perfect schedule.

Not too early or too late

We know exactly what you’re thinking.

You just survived four years of waking up for high school, which started at 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. You were tired, sure, but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. So when your counselor suggests taking an 8 a.m. lecture three days a week, you agree. That seems reasonable and you can even sleep a whole half hour later than in high school! It’ll be totally ne.

Except it’s not ne.

There’s no scienti c explanation for it, but once you enter college, it becomes a lot harder to wake up early for class. Latenight studying, later-night partying, latest-night deep talks with your roommate — it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep as a student.

So instead of eight in the morning, try starting your day with a 9 or even 10 a.m. time slot. Three months from now, you’ll be thanking yourself from the comfort of your lofted bed.

Location, location, location

The University has a sprawling campus that includes 354 buildings across 3.6 square miles in the main University District. It’s a beautiful area, and having such a large campus creates an immersive college experience.

But when you realize it’s a 20-minute walk from the Siebel Center for Design to your next class at the Siebel Center for Computer Science, you might be a little less grateful for the scenic stroll. Passing periods are only 10 minutes here, which means you’ll be really pressed for time if you don’t pay attention to where your classes are held in relation to each other.

As you progress through your se- mesters, your classes will likely be less spread-out — for example, many business classes are held in the Business Instructional Facility, and many engineering classes are held on the Bardeen and North Quads.

But general education courses are free reign, so either give yourself more time in between classes, make sure the walk is doable in 10 minutes or consider bringing a bike to cut down your travel time.

Megan is a sophomore in Media. Talia is a junior in Media.

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Connor Flanagan, sophomore in LAS, and his mother, Ronna Flanagan, look at handmade soaps at the Illini Union Cra and Vendor Fair during Moms Weekend on April 15. Each year, Moms Weekend draws crowds of parents and children all over campus for a slew of events hosted by the University.

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Students on the Main Quad on April 11, one of the year’s first warm days.

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