Creating a Balanced Schedule

College Scheduling Responsibility

The college academic staff have organized courses in such a way that as to minimize clashes of the courses you will most likely take each semester. Because your expertise will progress as you move through the program, any clashes will usually be with courses that are meant to be taken later on. Focus on the material presented each semester: it will prepare you for more advanced stuff later on. A well organized schedule will have little duplication, and will build on prior courses.

The first 4 semesters will cover all the theory and ear training courses. Once these are completed, you will fosuc more on performance, arranging and composition.

To minimize student exam stress, teachers should share their critical project and exam deadlines among themselves, and minimize overlap so that students will not have final exams on the same day. Stress is never a good condition for learning, so spreading deadlines over multiple weeks will make for better exam results.

Student Scheduling Responsibility

You should try to minimize travel time if you live far from the college. Try to concentrate 3 or 4 courses in the same day, and create completely empty study days at home where you can concentrate, away from distractions, and dig into the homework.

If you live close to the college, this is less critical, however, in my experience, more work is done away from college than on campus where constant interaction with other students can be distracting.