Class Schedules

Starting college is an exciting time. The world is full of new possibilities, and you can’t begin imagining the future. When starting community college, getting caught up in the excitement is easy, but you need to maintain a certain degree of practicality. For instance, you shouldn’t just load up your class schedule with fun electives and “blow-off” classes if you want to graduate on time. Here are some tips for crafting the perfect class schedule that is the ideal mix of fun and functional.

Things to Consider Before Choosing Classes

Depending on your community college, you may facemany class options, perhaps a full book. It's not the same as choosing classes in high school. While it may be tempting to skim through the class list and pick the ones that interest you, be realistic about your choices. The number of classes you choose is just as important as the types of classes you choose. Only you can know how much you can handle when it comes to your class load, so don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with a bit of hard work, but be realistic about how much time you have for studying and homework without completely sacrificing all of your free time. Different students learn and work at different rates, so be aware of your abilities and limitations and consider those things when scheduling classes.

Hailey Dollar offers some advice on picking classes in the following video.

When it comes to taking college classes, a certain degree of planning and forethought is required. Different schools have different requirements to earn a degree, and most colleges do not offer all required courses every semester. This is why you must be very careful about planning your course selection to ensure you get all the credits and core classes you need.

Core classes are the main part of any degree, but most colleges – both community colleges and universities – also require their students to take some elective courses. In some cases, students are required to take electives from certain categories, but the beauty of elective courses is that you can choose which ones to take. However, even if your degree does not require any electives, you should still consider taking some because they can be very valuable for your education.

This video offers advice on how to choose your electives.

What Are Elective Courses?

The courses you must take for your degree are typically referred to as core classes. These are the classes that every student must take to receive that particular degree. Elective classes are extra classes that may count toward your degree but may not be directly related to the degree program you are in. You might choose to take elective courses that complement your degree or use them to explore another subject you think you might like.

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The famous “all-nighter” has been a mainstay at colleges for generations, particularly during midterms and finals weeks, when students are cramming for exams. However, some community colleges across the country are now taking this popular college term to a whole new level. Instead of poring over books and lecture notes in the privacy of their bedrooms or dormitories, students are now hitting the road – and the books – to attend community college classes in the wee hours of the night. So who attends midnight classes and what is the point of offering them? While we reported on the midnight-class phenomenon in 2009, we’ll take a closer look at how this trend has grown even more in the last two years.

This video shows one person's experience with night classes.

Meeting Needs – and a Growing Demand – Head-On

Most community colleges across the country have seen enrollments grow by exponential numbers since the economy went south and more displaced workers began showing up on campus. The higher enrollment numbers have been difficult for some schools to accommodate, particularly in light of budget cuts that have also been a byproduct of a sluggish economy. The unfortunate result has been that many community colleges are forced to turn students away – an action these schools vehemently oppose. To help alleviate the problem, some schools are turning to unconventional approaches to

As more students flock to community colleges today, institutions are staying ahead of rising enrollment with creativity and flexibility. The newest offering at many community colleges across the country is early class times that allow for additional course offerings and work around professional students' busy schedules.

However, do classes before dawn really make the grade? We looked at three different community colleges with early course offerings to find the answer.

"Early Bird" Classes at Gateway

Gateway Community College in Connecticut is just one of the many colleges opening up their campuses for early birds. According to a report in the Hartford Courant, Gateway will begin offering its first set of "early bird classes" during its fall semester. The courses will begin at 6:30 in the morning and let out by 8 a.m., giving you plenty of time to make it to your day job.

"If you work the average day shift, this could be a simple way to get a class done before you go to work," Dean of Academic Affairs Mark Kosinski states on the college's website. Kosinski also told the Courant, "We are constantly looking for new ways to meet the needs of our diverse student body so we'll be looking closely at the results of this pilot to see whether it should be expanded beyond the fall semester."

In addition to flexible scheduling for professional students earning degrees while working full-time, the earlier schedules will provide more courses for Gateway's overflowing student

Hey there! With more and more people signing up for community college, the usual 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. class schedule isn't cutting it anymore. Some colleges are getting pretty creative with their class times to keep up with all the new students. Believe it or not, some students are even hitting the books at midnight!

Midnight is the New 8 AM

Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports that colleges across the country have experienced record enrollment rates for both new and returning students. As the economy forces many workers to retrain their skills, many community colleges nearly burst at the seams.

Coping with such pressures, Bunker Hill Community College in Boston sets a new example for college reform. Bunker Hill is the first college in the country to open its doors for midnight courses. According to reports, Bunker Hill has begun “Offering two classes on the graveyard shift to accommodate an unprecedented boost in enrollment attributed to the struggling economy as people look to augment their job skills without paying the tuition costs of more expensive schools.”

With several night courses offered at the start of the 2009 semester, Bunker Hill students can enroll in classes such as Principals of Psychology or College Writing, which both run from 11:45 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. throughout the semester.

These new midnight options were supported by many faculty leaders and students, who argued that the modern student has too many responsibilities to fit into traditional community