When choosing your classes, make sure you talk to your adviser first. The first thing you want to do is to make sure that any class you pick fits into the requirements your university says you need to have. Some universities require that you take one English class while you are in college and some universities require you take a math class while you are in college. This is all outside the requirements of your major.
If you already know which major you want to take, understand you have to take a certain number of classes to fulfill that major. The first thing to consider and to talk to your adviser about is to figure out which classes you have to take for the semester. Once you figure out which classes you have to take, that are related to your major and that’s related to your college, you will have a list of classes in front of you and then now you can figure out which professors to take.
Most classes have more than one section. That means if you have to take a Math 100 class there are probably three different professors that teach three different sections of that class. Do your research, ask other students, ask your academic adviser, look on ratemyprofessor.com (not a great source but something to consider) and see which professors fit what you like.
I generally think that it is better to choose tougher professors for your major and easier professors for classes that aren’t related to your major. If you are taking a class like Math 100 and you are not a Math major but you are taking that class because your university says you have to take one math class then take an easier professor for that. Focus on getting the best possible professor for your major classes! Usually the professors that are really tough tend to be better professor because they push you more, they demand more of you and they give you more from their side, so you have to find a balance.
As always GPA is really important, especially if you are on scholarship but also on your resume. Make sure you never take too many difficult classes because it could pull down your GPA but at the same time don’t just take the easy classes because you are depriving yourself of a good education.
Again, find a good balance. Choose the right classes with the help of your adviser and then use advice from other students and your own research to determine which professors to take.
