You are in the midst of your 12th week in your spring semester, the snow has melted though any UVMer knows that there is probably another storm on the horizon. The days have become longer which is a welcome sign as the winter months are long here in Vermont. You are working your way towards the end of your first full year or potentially your last semester of your college undergrad career. Whatever it might be you are starting to figure out the next steps. What will my fall look like next year? For a majority of the current students it is looking at your specific curriculum and working through the schedule of courses to find your CRN numbers and marking what days and times your required courses are going to be held.
In the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS), we have planned out your four years. You know you are in highly sequential majors and there is hardly any wiggle room for you to figure out what to take next. Unlike most majors at UVM, you don’t have to worry about when registration day rolls around. You have to get in to these classes, only you can get into these classes and they are also only solely open to your specific cohort. It takes the pressure off of making sure you get what you need.
What else can be done? Are you planning on doing a minor? Do you want to do an internship? How about some research? Your sequential academic plan doesn’t have to be the only courses you take here at UVM. In speaking with students they talk about minors, “I have to minor, it will look good on my resume.” Not necessarily. Sure, a minor can do can help bring prospective to your major that can be a unique approach or fits just nicely in what you are majoring in. For example, nutrition is a popular minor with CNHS students. Nutrition and a health related field just seems natural.
However, you might find yourself wondering how am I going to factor in an additional 15 to 18 credits to minor when I have such a highly sequential schedule? This is where your four year plans come into play, along with speaking with your advisor. What are your priorities? What is it that you want out of your four years at UVM? What do you want to look back on with fondness when it is your first year out of college, your 20th year? You are here to definitely get an education and you will have the curriculum to get you to the place you need to be at when you walk across that stage in May, but what can add to your experience?