Do you know what you'll be taking this semester? Though classes started less than a week ago, many students already have set schedules for this spring - and some even finalized their courses before winter break.
With students paying thousands of dollars for each class they take, however, it literally pays to be more discerning as students. Rather than choosing courses based on paragraph-long descriptions from course listings, we are best served being patient in choosing our courses - and the undergraduate schools can do a better job facilitating a careful selection process.
The university can start by offering a "shopping period" to Tufts undergraduates.
Harvard and Yale both give their students this option, which consists of short class meetings with professors that take place before classes actually begin. The shopping period is designed to give students the chance to sample and explore various courses. Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy has a similar program; students there had a shopping day last week.
Tufts should seriously consider giving its undergraduates the same treatment.
Such a change can only serve to improve the education Tufts offers its students. With hundreds of courses offered by dozens of departments - not to mention cross-registration classes offered to Tufts students at Brandeis, Boston College and Boston University - it is unrealistic to assume that students will be able to make careful choices about what to take without a chance to explore their options.
Adding and then dropping a class, as Tufts currently allows students to do early in the semester, is like buying a piece of clothing and then returning it because it doesn't quite fit: It works, but it can't compare to trying something on while you're still at the store.
A shopping period would allow Jumbos to try out their classes and see how they fit; like shoppers sampling clothes in a changing room, they could try out any course that looks interesting and discard the ones they don't like.
But with no sign of such a change coming anytime soon, the lack of a formal shopping period should not stop Tufts students from shopping.
Students would be wise to take advantage of Tufts' current add/drop period by enrolling in a full schedule at the start of the semester. In the weeks to come, they can evaluate their professors, along with the subject matter and workload of each course, and plan on dropping their least favorite class.
It's easy to choose courses early simply to fill requirements or fit a specific schedule, but it's far more rewarding to try something new, especially when there's little risk involved. Most professors understand that the first week or two are made for adding and dropping, and will accommodate students who register within that time.
The deadline for adding classes is Jan. 30, but you have several more weeks to drop - so take a chance and register for a course that sounds interesting. Try out an Experimental College class, take something completely unrelated to your major requirements, or learn a new skill such as art, photography or music.
Explore your options, and you'll be sure to get your money's worth.
