With course registration on the horizon, I wanted to give a few tips, tricks and recommendations I’ve collected during my time at Brandeis. For more specific advice, you should meet with your academic advisor and consult your department head to make sure you stay on track to complete your major. 

Strategize:

A common stereotype of Brandeis students is that we all have six majors and 13 minors, which, in many cases, is at least partially true. If you are a student who has committed to multiple departments, you must be strategic and intentional with your course load. Make a document with the requirements for all of your majors and minors listed out so you can see if there is any overlap that can be cross-listed across departments. Many departments put a cap on the number of classes that can cross-list, so be conscious of this. Some departments, such as European Cultural Studies and History of Ideas, are entirely interdepartmental, with the majority of classes for those departments being cross-listed with other departments, so they are useful for getting involved in more departments without having to commit to five additional courses for a minor or 10 for a major. 

On top of attempting to make your classes count for multiple majors, be aware of how they will factor into completing the Brandeis Core. Don’t choose classes purely on whether or not they will help you meet your requirements; A future class could both match your interests and fulfill a requirement. Most departments on the Provisional University Bulletin include lists of courses that fulfill each requirement, and you can look through past years on the Schedule of Classes to see how regularly each course is offered, so you can plan future semesters without having to spend time on courses you have no interest in just to fulfill departmental requirements. If your majors and minors require you to take five or more classes every semester until graduation, I would recommend reevaluating your load, as this can be unsustainable and can cause your mental health, social life and GPA to decline.

Many classes fill up quickly, so make a saved schedule on Workday so that you can sign up for all your classes simultaneously. You will receive a date and time in which registration will open for you, and I’d suggest setting an alarm for this time so that you don’t forget to register for classes. If you get waitlisted for a course, you can email the professor and ask to sit in on the first few classes to get a feel for the class and not be missing anything if you do get taken off the waitlist. The professor may also allow you to register for the class if you take initiative, so don’t give up hope.   

Know Thyself:

If you are not a morning person, an 8:00 a.m. class will not make you one. If you have the misfortune of having an 8:00 a.m. class, set five alarms. Be honest with yourself about your capacity and capabilities: An overly ambitious registration period can ruin your semester and tank your GPA. Keep in mind that most people aren’t able to focus when they have three classes in a row, especially if there is no lunch break in between. If you need academic accommodations, contact Student Accessibility Support as soon as possible and make sure to email your professors your accommodations letter in the first week of classes. 

Shop Around:

If you’re unsure of which classes or professors you’d enjoy, or if you have too many classes you’re interested in, I’d recommend making good use of the “shopping period.” The shopping period, or the add-drop period, is the first two weeks of instruction every semester where a student can add or drop classes as they see fit. Next semester, this period will be from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26. Register for five or six classes, even if you only intend on taking four, and drop whichever class you feel isn’t serving your schedule, interests or learning style. I would recommend making a list of around seven classes that you can explore during the shopping period to ensure you get the perfect selection. 

Many professors will allow you to sit in on a class during the shopping period, just make sure to ask permission beforehand. Furthermore, many professors already have the draft of a syllabus, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for the syllabus for a class you’re interested in.

If you are a first-year or sophomore who is still unsure of what major to enter, this is your time to explore classes in different majors. Oftentimes, the introductory course is not the best class to gauge what your experience will be in a specific major, so take other lower-level classes within that major that interest you for a more authentic experience. 

Impactful Professors:

Many Brandeis seniors will tell you that the professors are the greatest asset the University provides. Among this quality crop, there are a few standouts who are well-known by the students in their field to be incredible lecturers and extraordinarily kind people. The standard for which I asked for recommendations was whether or not the student felt as if they had learned something new after every class, and if after completing the course they felt highly knowledgeable about the topic that was being covered. 

This list was compiled by asking some of my peers who are seniors in the humanities and is not representative of all humanities departments or professors. This list is also biased based on the preferences of teaching styles that the individual holds. I will also only include professors who will be teaching next semester. Standouts in the English department include Professors Quinney, Tharaud and Flesch. The History department boasts Professors Kapelle and Sreenivasan, and Professor Ratzlaff is excellent in the Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies department. Professors Lamb and Horton are remarkable in the Anthropology department and Professor Suh is singular in the Sociology department. The Art History department is blessed with Professor Wong; the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department boasts Professor Chaudhry and The Justice’s journalists recommend Professor Silvio from the Journalism program. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, and I’d recommend exploring different professors and departments to find who best suits your learning style.

Overall, aim to find courses that you’ll enjoy with professors who you can learn from. You go to college for the academic experience, so make sure you aren’t wasting your time with classes that don’t suit your needs and fulfill you intellectually. I hope this guide helps and best of luck with registration!