Making your four year plan

For those of you who are unfamiliar with credit hours, each class is worth a certain amount of hours. A typical class is equal to 3 credits. Each major requires a certain amount of credit hours needed before one can graduate. These vary based on the degree you are seeking to receive. Every semester you will set up your schedule with as many credit hours as needed. The max amount of hours is equal to 18 per semester. This is where your 4-year plan is very important. 

Make A Four Year Plan 

Towards the end of your freshman year you’ll be asked to make a 4-year plan. If you aren’t, you should still make one. This will become your map, your guide, of the classes and amount of credit hours you should take each semester in order to graduate college in 4 years. Most colleges should have a course guide that shows all of the classes offered for the next four years of your college education. This course guide and the list of required courses for your major are important.  

Ask Your Advisor 

One great thing about Concordia is that your advisor will help you along the way and is an excellent resource for figuring out the ins and outs of registering for classes, credits, and scheduling. They can also help you fit in classes that you're interested in but may not be required for your major. These can be fun and serve as breaks from your other major-specific courses. In my opinion, mapping out your four year plan using a spreadsheet or planner is an easy way to share that information with your advisor or just keep yourself organized.  

Know Your Resources 

Concordia also offers an online program called DegreeWorks which helps students keep track of the classes and credits they have already taken and still need to take. It’s super helpful and beneficial for the future. Additionally, there’s an undergraduate academic catalog that shows when and what courses are offered every semester. This helps when mapping out your classes and seeing how many credits each course is worth.