College Academics

Are college classes that different from high school? We asked current Bradley students to share their experiences from the classroom so that you know what to expect. #BradleyBound

How do you manage your time with studying and class?

That is pretty ironic because I was notoriously bad with time management in high school. I always wanted to get involved with extracurricular activities and would bite off more than I could chew. What helped me the most when coming into Bradley with balancing classes, extracurricular activities, and outside involvement was understanding my objectives and understanding what I wanted out of everything that I wanted to do. So when volunteering I would strive for a set amount of time instead of an unlimited amount of time.

As an undecided major, how will I take classes that help me decide what I want to major in?

Coming into Bradley, I was an undecided student as well and so that put me in the academic exploration program. Being in that program is a really good opportunity to test the waters and try a bunch of different classes to see which ones you like the most. So for me, when I was coming into Bradley I was really interested in psychology. I took a psych class during both semesters during my freshman year which allowed me to learned more about psychology and the different possible careers. It helped me realize that I found it interesting, but it just wasn’t for me. During my second semester, I also took business classes and I’m glad I did because I am double majoring in two business majors.

Let’s say you declare a major and then later realize that it’s not the one for you. What is the process like to change majors?

I came into Bradley as pre-med thinking I wanted to be a vet and during my freshman year, I decided that I didn’t think that it was the path I wanted to take. I decided that I wanted to go into physical therapy instead. I remember thinking that this was going to be such a hassle, but I went to my academic adviser and she was great. She laid out my schedule for me and got me back on track. She told me everything that I had to do and it was really simple. I changed at the beginning of my sophomore year and I am still on track to graduate on time. So, it is not a big deal if you decide that you need to change your major.

What does an average day on campus look like?

I think everyone can agree that every day is a little different based on what classes you have and things like that. For me, I am definitely a morning person so when I register for classes I put all of my classes in the morning. That may be an unpopular opinion as a college student but I really enjoyed it. So normally I start with classes in the morning, I would work on homework throughout the day during my free time, and I would have different meetings for various student organizations during the evenings. Typically pretty busy days for me, but I still find plenty of time to just relax, hang out with friends, and just enjoy being at Bradley.