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Registering for college classes: Take whats interesting VS what I need to graduate in time

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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
I'm looking to go to Physical Therapy school, I'm going into my sophomore year and still need to take Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Chem 1 and 2, Physics 1 and 2, Calc 1, writing and 2 Psych classes.

But these are the classes I want to take next semester:
BIOLOGY
PHOTOGRAPHY (with the Idea I'll later take photojournalism and some writing classes for magazines/ articles)
FILM Production for the visual artist
MATH (Calc)
Both Avalanche and Ski Touring classes (barely count as classes, only meet a total of 4 days in the field

I could also swap out my Calc class for my writing class and take calc over the summer, if I did that I'd have no class thursday, thursday, or friday and could ride then.

But I don't know am I going to regret not taking classes that interest me and loading up on only what I need to graduate and go to PT school, or would that be smart?

Part of me isn't even sure I want to do physical therapy, but part of me knows I can do it and it will be a stable career, while I'd rather load up on only journalism, photography and writing classes, that doesn't really seem smart but I'd still like to do some of that.

Part of me worries if I'll graduate on time though.

Nov 7 2013 12:21PM
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nutz.
Posts: 3150 - Karma: 6,712
Not graduating on time isn't too big of a deal, I know a lot of people at UC's have to graduate in 5 years because there isn't enough room in some required classes they have to take. If you're worried about that though you could always take those writing classes and stuff during the summer.
Nov 7 2013 12:35PM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
How the hell did you make it to halfway through your sophomore year without having taken any basic science/math classes?
Nov 7 2013 12:52PM
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Dylan_
Posts: 9824 - Karma: 1,403
lol,right?
Nov 7 2013 1:09PM
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5712 - Karma: 20,638
Speaking from experience, AP credit from high school waived the basic requirements and my degree had nothing to do with science so the only thing I had to take was Geology 101 (which was a hoot with all the football players).
Nov 7 2013 1:12PM
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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
Took Chem1 first semester but on the PT school requirements it says they need to be 1 and 2 in sequence. Wish I had known I was thinking about PT school when I started school. And I'm retaking pre-calc right now as a refresher for when I need to take Calc.

Still, better planing would have been helpful, I hated chemistry the first time around.
Nov 7 2013 1:15PM
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TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
Trolling used to mean something ya know. You're just being disrespectful
Nov 7 2013 1:16PM
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Spic-N-SpaN
Posts: 2002 - Karma: 1,465
I guess I'll drop film and add pyshcology since I need it. The class sounds fun though.
Nov 7 2013 1:37PM
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-benedetto
Posts: 5238 - Karma: 1,359
Pursue what you are actually interested in with slight practicality taken into consideration. It's apparent that you like film and photography..
Nov 7 2013 1:52PM
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Ray.
Posts: 426 - Karma: 443
So youre complaning about not getting the requirements for PT when you know you are more interested in film/photo/skiing?

I wouldnt be too worried about the requirements.You basically have to make a choice. Ski a lot this year and do film/photo, but that means stacking chem, physics, anatomy, writing, and psychology for junior year and following their sequences into the following semester. Or ski less and swap out a class or 2 this semester for a requirement. Because you don't want it to be senior year and not be able to graduate just because a class fills up.

Or take summer classes.

Or just talk to your fucking advisor instead of Newschoolers.
Nov 8 2013 7:50AM
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louie.mirags
Posts: 6015 - Karma: 5,029
Sounds like you're not too in to PT... Take the courses you want always. Maybe even switch majors so the PT degree isn't looming over you while you take electives. Also, fuck calculus if it is a short summer class, that can be tough.
Nov 8 2013 8:01AM
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first_rodeo
Posts: 2385 - Karma: 7,781
i'm a junior undeclared business
-- i've planned on doing business analytics
Debating switching to accounting
 my grandfather runs a local CPA firm and my uncle is a partner in this area's most prominent firm 
Nov 8 2013 10:50AM
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-benedetto
Posts: 5238 - Karma: 1,359
Get to the point..or humble bragging?
Nov 8 2013 11:01AM
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motionmovement
Posts: 108 - Karma: 59
You are going to want to have a job when you graduate and if you switch to a film major or journalism major it is very unlikely that you will have a job and extremely unlikely that you will find a job in your field that pays an adequate salary if at all.

If you graduate in 5 years you will be looked down upon by employers for not being able to get your classes done in 4 years. Employers already know that college is a joke compared to the real world.

You can always learn about film, photography, psychology, etc by reading books in your own time. I've taken a lot of art/culture classes and while some can be very interesting, they often aren't as interesting as I'd expect and the information can always have been learned by independent reading - email professor's and ask for the syllabus or get it from a friend and do the reading/viewing on your own if you're really interested.

So I would highly suggest you take the classes you need to graduate in time. You can always take more credits than necessary in a given semester, take summer courses, or pursue your hobbies in your own time, but make sure you take what you need to learn to get a job. You'll be much happier for the rest of your life as a PT who read a few books on photography than as a barista who took a photography class.
Nov 8 2013 3:21PM
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Ryan*
Posts: 1827 - Karma: 1,195
My school has an open curriculum, I haven't taken a single math class and I'm a junior...heheheheh
Nov 8 2013 3:29PM
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mski
Posts: 4791 - Karma: 3,803
Kill those generals, or they will drive you nuts later. Being a senior with nothing but generals and 1 interesting class my last semester felt like a regression to highschool. College is college though, get that paper!
Nov 8 2013 8:19PM
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coling
Posts: 1086 - Karma: -3
Interesting
Nov 8 2013 8:53PM
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coling
Posts: 1086 - Karma: -3
Upon looking at your major, take the science courses. Scienve is the most rewarding
Nov 8 2013 8:54PM
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Mr.Panda
Posts: 17711 - Karma: 564
As a guy that took 6 years to graduate... take the general requirements first. You can take what interests you as a senior then.
Nov 8 2013 8:57PM
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
Ya maybe by a select few; this is a wild generalization that is very false.
Nov 8 2013 9:03PM
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Mr.Panda
Posts: 17711 - Karma: 564
It's not even a generalization. The honest fact is with college requirements most colleges are telling students now the "if you finish in 4 years you are a rarity".

AP classes/test scores are routinely getting more and more "ignored"/not looked at, all the GUR bullshit that you can't double dip to count for multiple ones... I hate it when I look back on it.
Nov 8 2013 9:06PM
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