July 30, 2020 by

Dear Future Yellow Jacket,

It is Angela once again! I know that I have given you a lot of insight into my life, but I want to share one of my most exciting and interesting stories that I experienced at Cedarville during my time.

I attended the engineering ball as a blind date.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what on earth? But yes it is true, Cedarville University is so cool that they host a ball devoted solely for engineers. So if you are an engineer, make sure to go!

This blind date was with a junior mechanical engineer that I truly had never met. To sum up my entire experience, it began with me going for a handshake and then him going for a hug and then me not knowing what to do. Next, he told me that he had parked in the parking lot we affectionately call “Africa,” because it is far away, so we had to walk all the way there. (Note: men. please bring your car to where you pick the girl up;) Next, we ate pizza in silence with other engineers. Next, we got to the dance and participated in engineering activities (I mean building bridges and solving circuit equations). And lastly, we danced, and I mean swing danced (my date did not know how to swing dance).

As much as I laugh at this story now, I wouldn’t change the experience for anything! If you want something similar and exciting, make sure to attend the engineer ball. 🙂 There are so many opportunities to find your most interesting college experience.

Now that you know me a little more personally, I wanted to write to give you a little more information about classes! This is a huge part of why you come to Cedarville, to get an education, and we get so many questions about this topic! I remember arriving my freshman year and coming from a public high school where your high school advisor walks you through every aspect of picking your classes. I came into college with the same expectation.

But this was not the case. 

The first and second semester of your freshman year the registrar’s office helps you out in this department after you declare your choice of study, whether undeclared or with a specific major. They make your entire schedule for you. This is very helpful because they know what classes are best for you and what you should be taking. If there is a need for an emergency change, this can be made when you physically arrive on campus and meet with your advisor.

After your freshman year, you are on your own for choosing classes. You do have a major-specific advisor who will meet with you and help you through the process. They are the ones that ultimately approve your schedule. For nursing and engineering students, planning your schedules may be a tad more simple, because most classes build on each other and are required during certain semesters/years.

For majors like communication, it is a little more complicated because you are looking for classes that complement what you would like to do in your future career. Here are a few simple recommendations that I have in regard to choosing and scheduling classes that have helped me make sure that I had everything I needed to graduate!

  • When you come your freshman year, make sure to get a catalog. This is a book that has a description of all classes and what you are required to take for your major in order to graduate. The catalog that you receive your freshman year is the one you follow even as it updates every year. There is also a virtual catalog if you are interested in looking at it before!
  • Talk to upperclassmen of how they chose their classes and what the process looked like for them. I had an upperclassmen in my hall help me get into a class that I thought I would not be able to because of the simple tip of emailing my professor and asking if I could.
  • Familiarize yourself with “student planning.” This is a platform through your CedarInfo portal, which is something that you will most likely use every day because everything important is located here. This is where you register for classes and look at your overall progress toward graduation.
  • Make sure that you know when you are allowed to register. Depending on your class status and how many credits you have, you will have a time slot to register for classes after your freshman year of the registrars choosing your classes. Make sure you have your classes planned as well so you can quickly register when your time comes. Classes fill up quickly!
  • Lastly, make sure to plan according to what classes are offered certain semesters and also with certain prerequisite classes. It is a little bit of a puzzle but a fun puzzle!

I did a lot of my scheduling on my own. As I approach the last semester of my senior year, I am on the correct track to graduate. You are at the beginning of the journey so you have a fresh start to plan and prepare well! You are going to do great! Your first class is coming up so soon!

Can’t wait to see ya’ll!

Angela Farlow | Public Relations Student Writer

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