Crash Course Guide on How to Schedule Classes for University

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you want to know the best possible way to structure your classes. Don’t worry, I gotchu. I literally spent a week doing intensive research to compile this free guide for you to use so that you have more time to do whatever it is you like doing in your free time. That means more time for you to go to the gym, hang out with friends, etc. (Me personally, I’d probably be a couch potato and bedrot but whatever)

Whether you commute to university, have a part time job/internship, this guide is aimed to be applicable to all majors that want a better school-life balance. We will go over the two main archetypes of class schedules, (spreading versus stacking), whether you should use one versus the other, variations of spread vs stacked schedules and how to best modify them to work for you.

Difference between Spreading and Stacking Classes

Ok so wtf is stacking classes and spreading classes? Stacking classes essentially mean frontloading classes or “stacking them” so that the majority of your classes fall under certain days. The most common of them is the Monday Wednesday Friday split (top if using mobile), or the Tuesday Thursday split (bottom if using mobile)

Stacking Classes Explained

By “stacking your classes”, you can essentially free up other days to do whatever you want, eg with the Monday Wednesday Friday Split, your Tuesdays and Thursdays are now open. On the Tuesday and Thursday Split, you essentially have a four day weekend every week (Fri to Monday). For those that commute, have internships/part time jobs, these two schedules make the most sense for you to take since you can stay home during your “off days” (for commuters), or work on your off days for your part time job/internship.

It is important to note tho, that having one class on your off day is normal, eg if you have one class on Tuesday and Thursday for your Monday, Wednesday, Friday Split that’s fine. Sometimes, there are just no other class times available for that required class.

Coming from personal experience, I would only recommend this type of schedule for those that have a high discipline and recommend building or using this schedule in any semester AFTER your first semester of university. Here’s why.

In the second semester of first year, I accidentally did a variation of the stacked schedule having all of my classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (I know, I'm insane).

(Example of my schedule) - I don't actually take science classes

While on paper that sounds great because I have a four-day weekend every week, Thursdays were usually spent napping and recovering from my onslaught of classes Monday-Wednesday. I wouldn’t retain anything in class either, and after my second class back-to-back, my brain would start zoning out. I’ll admit, maybe I'm a wuss, but if you can’t manage multiple classes back to back, and if you don’t have the self discipline to do something productive on your off days, whether that’s working a part time job, reviewing/studying material for classes, there is a high likelihood that this schedule isn’t for you. (Note that we will later talk about how to maximize the effects of a stacked schedule while minimizing the mental energy consumed so that you don’t end up like a potato like me after the 2nd back to back class).

Spread Schedule - The Better Alternative?

In your very first semester of university I recommend taking a spread schedule. Unlike the stacked schedule, a spread schedule aims to evenly distribute the classes throughout the week; most versions are just the regular Monday to Friday split, but there are variations of the spread schedule which we will talk about later. The reason spread classes work is because you’re less likely to feel mentally exhausted because by default, classes are spread out instead of being stacked together all in two to three days.

Think of the spread schedule like the “beginner mode of a video game”. In your first semester of college, this is EXACTLY what you want. The only exception to this rule is IF, you commute to university and the distance to uni is quite long eg more than an hour, you may want to use a stacked schedule for first semester. For everyone else, trust me when I say that using a spread schedule will allow you to better transition to college or uni. If you want to take a stacked schedule anyways and you end up dying, that’s on you bro, don’t say I didn't warn you.

Compared to a “stacked schedule,” you are unlikely to burn out, and you’ll be less stressed as your assignments, midterms and exams are going to be spread out. Once you finish your first semester of university and get a feel of the “difficulty level” of lectures, as well as getting accustomed to university life, that is when I would recommend doing a stacked schedule.

There is however, one thing that WILL hurt you when building a spread schedule, so it’s important to avoid it. (We’ll go over this in our next post) so make sure to subscribe for more college/uni tips).

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