Scheduling Tips

1. Try to avoid scheduling one class at the bottom of the hill and the next at the top (refer to your campus map if you're unfamiliar with the location of the buildings). It takes approximately 20 minutes to walk from Tate Page Hall to Thompson Complex by way of State Street/Normal Drive. From Tate Page Hall to Van Meter and Cherry Hall by way of Avenue of Champions, it takes 15 minutes.
2. Schedule an approximately even number of classes between Monday-Wednesday-Friday (MWF) class meetings and Tuesday-Thursday (TR) class meetings.
3. Schedule your classes during the part of the day you are most alert and attentive.
4. Try to avoid scheduling two difficult classes back-to-back.
5. To classify as a full-time student during the fall or spring semester, you must register for 12 semester hours or more, up to a maximum of 19 hours for your first semester. The number of hours for which you register depends upon the strength of your academic background and your time commitments.
6. After planning a tentative schedule, compare it to the final exam schedule printed on the inside of the schedule bulletin. If you find that your class schedule produces more than two final exams on the same day, you would be wise to alter your course selections.
7. Take time to recheck your schedule for class conflicts. Be sure to allow time for lunch!
8. If you are unsure about the practicality of your schedule, be sure to seek the advice of your advisor
9. Don't take too many courses in your major during the first year, unless they also count toward General Education Requirements. This will help you avoid having excessive electives if you change your major later. General education requirements are required for all majors.
10. Schedule changes (drop/add) may be necessary following a student's initial registration. Students should use TopNet to process schedule changes. Students may drop or add classes with no financial penalty through the last day to drop or add a course as printed in the official academic calendar. Refer to the Calendar inside the schedule bulletin for appropriate dates to drop and/or add. After that date, a student may withdraw from a course with a grade of "W." A $20 Schedule Change Fee per course will be assessed for all student-initiated withdraws. There is a deadline to withdraw from a course. Please refer to the web site noted above for specific dates and fee information.

Course Load and Selection
A minimum of 128 semester hours of college level credit is required for any baccalaureate degree at Western. To complete such a degree in four years (eight semesters with no summer sessions) you must average 16 hours credit per semester. Enrollment as a full-time student requires that you maintain a course load of at least 12 hours during the semester. No credit is awarded for courses audited (class participation without credit or grade). An audited course does not apply toward full-time enrollment for financial aid purposes.

When planning your course load for a semester several factors are considered.

• How strong is your academic preparation (as reflected by your high school grade point average, your ACT or SAT scores, etc.)?
• Will you be employed (if so, for how many hours each week)?
• Will you be commuting to campus (if so, from what distance)?
• Will your family responsibilities require substantial amounts of time?
• What are the demands of the particular courses you have selected (research paper, laboratory, etc.)?

All baccalaureate degree programs (four-year programs) at WKU require a minimum of 44 semester hours of credit in courses specifically designed to provide you a broad academic preparation in basic areas of human knowledge and to orient you to the intellectual, social, and natural world. During your freshman and sophomore years, the majority of the credits required to satisfy these general education requirements should be earned. Many programs require or recommend specific general education courses, as a part of the major or in support of the major. Students who have not declared a major should use appropriate general education courses to gain additional information about various academic disciplines and, thereby, narrow their focus concerning possible areas of specialization. It is recommended that all baccalaureate degree-seeking students concentrate, during their first year of college studies, on courses that will apply to general education requirements. With the assistance of their academic advisors, even students planning majors in highly structured disciplines should be able to blend important introductory courses in the discipline with courses that apply to general education requirements. Through such a course selection, you can be assured of progress toward degree completion even if you have not declared a major or if you should subsequently change your major.