A Good Hill to Die On // Down to Date and Time

We all await the day when the following term’s classes are released onto PeopleSoft. We all flock there like birds migrating to Florida during the winter. The software can barely keep up, and with the below-quality Pitt Wi-Fi, it is near impossible to create the perfect schedule — with zero classes before noon.

I have certainly been naive in the past believing I would get every single class I could possibly have picked out. My first year was rough, as I sat the night before in my dorm panicked over having to take the most random general education credits and only a single class for my major. I felt defeated, and all the excitement of a fresh start and new professors wore away. 

I learned that horrible night, after yelling at my roommate, that it is truly not that serious. Do not feel any pressure to take the last remaining spot in Vampire Anatomy or Shakespearean Literature just because it is the only class to fit in your schedule. 

In the spring 2024 semester, I chose to change my major. I was able to take more appropriate classes and found that while I may not fully understand the title of the class, it can still be really interesting. I learned quite a bit about the Haitian Revolution — through a book I sadly bought for $20 on Amazon and a word I will never comprehend — mimesis. 

It was certainly an interesting semester. It helped me complete my gen ed and taught me never to take a class with a professor who has no Rate My Professors profile.

I am sure every student is aware of the powerful platform that is Rate My Professors. Almost halfway through my education, I am truly begging for you to appreciate the honesty and trust what people write more than ever. Yes, there is a higher likelihood of bias that people will write a negative review if they get a bad grade, but when the professor has 30 one and two star reviews — run. 

So, on April 1, as I peacefully await for my time slot to open, I will go into this semester hoping I have made the best choice for me with classes. 

This brings me back to whether there is a valid argument on if you should be selecting a class based on time or teacher. I have never taken an 8 a.m. class, but I started high school at 7 a.m., and I even start my summer shifts at Dunkin’ as early as 5 a.m., so why can I not take a class that early when it is at most three days a week? So wrong. 

11 a.m. in college feels like 8, and sitting in a massive lecture hall or recitation regardless of time makes me sleepy. So, I promise you, just please do not schedule a class before 10, as you would be better with a night class. I get it. Some people are morning people, but every morning, I feel like I’m waking up with my eyes glued shut and my bed is like heaven. 

My personal recommendations for classes are French Kiss with Brendan Ezvan, Psychology — specifically with Elizabeth Richey, if you are a science hater like me — and my favorite class as a marketing major — Consumer Behavior with Yun-Oh Whang. 

This is certainly a stressful time as with the more credits we take, the greater choice we receive in picking our schedules, but classes are not the be-all and end-all — people drop, and there are waitlists.

So, a hill I do not want to die on is one with classes before 8, but I would be happy to live and die on a hill where during my senior year I can take a bunch of classes that do not make sense to the average person, like dancing or pottery.

So breathe, and I am sure you will end up with classes and professors who make the fall 2025 semester a great one.