Although picking your courses wisely can save you a lot of money, it does not mean you have to be sure what you want to do for the rest of your life, or what you’d like to major in. It does require a bit of forward thinking.

It’s not typical for people to graduate with the major they sign up for in first year. If you are among those students who don’t have their degree planned to the last details, you likely do know the direction you would like to venture into. At the very least, you should know whether you are going into arts or science, engineering or medicine.

Keep in mind that even if you picked a major before starting college, you can always change it down the road. What most students do not know, but what could save them quite a bit of time and money, is that just because you are registered in one major it does not mean you are forced to take only courses pertaining to that area of study. For example: if you are registered as a management major, but you develop an interest in economics, you can actually start taking the courses you need for the latter.

The Strategy for Your Course Choice in College

Get a complete list of programs offered at your college, and the courses you have to take for. If you are planning to go into business, look into the different options in that field (commerce versus economics or management). Make a list of the courses that are required for each program you could possibly ever be interested in. Highlight the courses that are the same for each program. Chances are that three friends studying economics, business and management will spend most of their first and second year classes sitting next to each other. Any of them can switch majors at any time, without taking – and paying for – any more courses.

Now, once you’ve highlighted all courses that are equal between the programs you might be interested in, select the four or five courses that are required for all of them. For example, if you are interested in sciences the options are vast: from virology to immunology, physics or microbiology. Each one of these streams will require students to take first year biology, chemistry and math. Some of these streams may require physics, while others do not. If in doubt about your future, putting off first year physics until your second year could really pay off. If you need an extra course, this is the perfect time to take one of the electives you will have to complete in order to graduate.
Using this strategy you can avoid taking classes you will not need. This not only saves time and money, but may also have a positive impact on your grades.

One of the biggest regrets many students report is taking courses they never ended up needing. College isn’t just about classes, avoid taking the ones you do not need and actually enjoy your college life!