Nathan Brown

How I aim for college class schedules

What do I look for when crafting a class schedule?

Here are my class schedules for my first 3 semesters at UT:

Actual classes are obscured for semester 3 to avoid potentially doxxing myself.

I'd say in terms of schedule "quality", sem 3 > sem 2 > sem 1, which is great! I've honestly had a good run getting the classes I want at UT, despite the registration system being notoriously scuffed (1, 2, 3).[1]

In order of importance, I consider these things when crafting a class schedule:

  1. Degree completion (do my classes count towards my degree/minor?)
  2. Class stacking (can I arrange back-to-back classes?)
  3. Difficulty of class (will I be able to get a good grade?)
  4. Professor quality (is the professor engaging and organized?)
  5. Class start/end time (can I wake up late / not go to class after 3pm?)
  6. Days with no classes (can I have a long weekend?)

Let's talk through each priority.

1. Degree completion

This is obviously the main focus. In my first two semesters, I took as many courses as possible that (1) count towards my degree plan and (2) were prerequisites that unlocked later courses. M408D, M325K, ECO304K, M341, and M362K are pertinent examples of prereqs that count towards my degree plan and allowed me to have significantly more flexibility on my future course selection. (The other courses: ARC308, HIS315L, UGS303, and GOV310L all count towards UT's core curriculum.)

2. Class stacking

I define class stacking as arranging your classes to maximize back-to-back classes and minimize 1-3 hour gaps between classes. I did a poor job of class stacking in semester 1, a better job in semester 2, and a great job in semester 3.

Why does class stacking rank so high on my priority list? Because 1-2 hour gaps between classes are extremely annoying. You can't really get anything meaningful done with 1-2 hour gaps of time.

I believe class stacking minimizes unmeaningful time. It is also far easier[2] to stay focused for one small chunk of the day (having 2-3 classes in a row) rather than distribute your focus over a longer period of the day.

3. Difficulty of class

This one is mostly self-explanatory. Yes, I would like to keep a solid GPA and would prefer not to take a class where the grade distribution is cooked. Thus, I'm not taking History of the Atomic Bomb next semester. I'm sorry, Bruce Hunt, but that grade distribution is not ok![3]

Obligatory shoutout to UT Registration Plus.

UT Registration Plus and RateMyProfessor (RMP) are both good sources for evaluating potential professors based on grade distribution and teaching quality. It's worth noting that the grade distribution and RMP ratings don't tell the full story, though. I've had solid profs with relatively ok RMP ratings, and look at

and I can guarantee you that Real Analysis II is far harder than History of the Atomic Bomb.[4] But you wouldn't know it from the grade distribution.

4. Professor quality

You may be surprised this doesn't rank higher on the priority list. To be honest, I just don't care that much about whether the professor is good, because that's not the main factor that determines my success in the course. It's how well I understand the content, and that is mainly determined by my work outside class.

It's obviously great if the professor is well-spoken and organized. But it's just not that important to me.

5. Class start/end time

I used to have a good sleep schedule in high school. It's no longer that good. I avoid morning classes (ie. before 10am) if I can help it. I've avoided 8am classes my whole college career, and I will be happy if I can keep it that way. I also avoid evening classes (ie. 5pm or after) because my focus naturally wanes in the early evening, and it's when I like to eat dinner.

But it's not that big of a deal. If I end up with 8ams or 5pms next semester, I'll figure out how to shift my circadian rhythm and deal with it.

6. Days with no classes

It's nice to have Fridays and/or Mondays off, but it's not as good as people say it is. I like to have a somewhat clear separation between the weekdays, when I work hard, and the weekends, when I go party!!!!!!!![5] But seriously. I had no classes on Friday in my 2nd semester, and it was nice to have a long weekend every week. But I think I would have been more productive on Friday if I had a class on the day, instead of having nothing scheduled to do.

Conclusion

Those are the things I prioritize every time class registration rolls around. So far, I've had a lucky streak in getting good class schedules that are pretty good, in the grand scheme of things.

  1. Ultimately, there are 44k undergrads at UT and not as many professors / classes as we need. It's a supply and demand issue. I always have at least one friend who gets screwed during registration. So far, I have not managed to get screwed myself (thankfully). ↩︎

  2. at least for me ↩︎

  3. it sounds like a really cool class though ↩︎

  4. The grade distribution is only that good because only people crazy and cracked enough to take Real Analysis II take Real Analysis II. It's the same reason why AP Calculus BC has a better pass rate than AP Calculus AB. ↩︎

  5. just kidding ↩︎