Planning a Schedule

Making Choices and Putting it Together

To put together a schedule, first learn about courses available in the coming semester by studying the Course Offering Directory. Instructions are available in the Undergraduate Record for how to read course listings. You might also find it helpful to consult the online Cavalier Daily Course Evaluations to learn opinions of students who have taken a class.

Select four to five courses, depending on the number of credits per course, and several alternates for each of your top choices. Some classes fill up quickly, so there may be occasions when you will have to instead enroll in an alternate selection.

Use the course selection worksheet (.pdf, 49KB) to list all of your choices and alternates so that you will have a reference while you attempt to enroll. To visualize your chosen schedule, it may be helpful to lay it out in a weekly calendar form with the course enrollment time schedule worksheet (.pdf, 17KB).

Satisfying Requirements and Restrictions

You are urged to review your VISTAA report, using ISIS Online, prior to planning a schedule, to ascertain which courses you need to take to remain on track satisfying College degree requirements, requirements for your declared or prospective major or minor, course load requirements and restrictions, and requirements for other U.Va. Schools to which you are planning to transfer. Any errors found in your VISTAA report should be brought to the attention of Judy Updike, College Registrar, ( ; 434-924-8867).

Undergraduate students wishing to enroll in College courses beyond the 599-level should complete the "600 Form" for the appropriate semester. Forms are available in Garrett Hall. Students will need to seek permission from the instructor, the Director of the Undergraduate Major Program and the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences whose signatures are required on the form. Courses in other schools must be approved by the instructor and the department chair. Signed forms should be submitted to Garrett Hall for final approval.

Picking a Good Mixture of Classes and Subjects

Keeping in mind degree requirements is essential when selecting courses, but it is equally important to deliberately choose interesting and challenging classes in subject areas you have never studied before or with which you have little familiarity.

As you select your classes, be certain to include discussion sections and labs. You must select these as you do any other class.

Leaving Time to Get Around Between Classes

Try to avoid more than three consecutive classes. Allow time to eat lunch. Keep in mind the location of your classes and consider the amount of time it takes to travel from one classroom building to another. To visualize your chosen schedule, it may be helpful to lay it out in a weekly calendar form.

Also factor in the toll of time and energy a part-time job, extra-curricular activities, and social life will take in order to achieve a balanced schedule which will not exhaust you so much as to detract from your studies.

Considering Academic Demands as a New First-year

If you are a new first-year student, we urge you not to take on too much your first semester. Most students find that college work requires more time and effort than high school courses; you may need a semester or two to acclimate to this new, demanding academic environment. If you are worried you are not as well prepared as you should be, start with 15 credit hours your first semester; this will give you the freedom to drop or withdraw from a course if you find your schedule too rigorous and still complete the minimum 12 hours. (If you enroll in a demanding 4-credit course, sign up for 16 credit hours; this will leave you with 12 credits should you need to drop or withdraw from the 4-credit course.)

You should consider past experiences or your current situation when deciding which classes to take. For example:

• Did your high school demand little work and/or offer little or no AP work?
• Are you expecting to work 10-15 hours at a part-time job, or play a  varsity sport?
• Are your SAT scores well below the U.Va. mean?

If, after your first semester, you are concerned that your study skills may not be adequate to handle the avademic load you wish to take consider following the structured schedule offered by the Academic Achievement Program.