Most people apply to university just to avoid being a waitress for an Toronto caterer for their entire working lives. Then once they get to university they discover that there are an absolutely overwhelming variety of courses to choose from. How in the world will they ever decide? Some people float their way aimlessly through their degree and still end up in the catering business. To keep that from happening to you, you need to put some serious thought into your class schedule. Here are some of the factors that should play into your decision.
Career Plans
If you know what you want to be after you graduate - fabulous. All you have to do is select the courses that will be relevant to designing a power quality analyzer or treating third degree burns or whatever it is you've decided to do. Even if you don't know for sure, knowing the field you hope to enter (law, science, or health care, for example) will allow you to make more targeted, career-related course choices. Always look up what you need for your chosen career, as the required courses aren't always obvious.
Degree Plans
Universities leave it up to their students to choose their own courses, which means its entirely possible that if you choose wrong you might not have all the requirements to graduate on time. To avoid being treated for an anxiety disorder in Hamilton in your fourth year, look up how many credits you need in each subject for the kind of degree you want (i.e. physics, history, math). If you haven't made up your mind, meet the requirements for several different programs in year 1 to keep your options open.
Interest
The studying you do at university is a little taste of the sort of thing you're going to be doing for your entire working life, so you should at least be interested in the course material, if not enjoying it. A total lack of interest in torts means you're probably not cut out to be a Canadian lawyer. So when you're choosing your courses, read over the descriptions to see whether it sounds interesting or not. If not, choose something else. You'll end up doing better work.
Learning Methods
Sometimes different professors have different teaching styles that can aid or hamper your ability to absorb the material. If you plan to be a Toronto print broker and hate speaking, you don't want a prof who does everything through debates. If you can't write to save your life, you don't want to have to do a lot of papers. Touch base with the professors before classes start or use the first class as a test before you make your final decision to take, drop, or switch.
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