Academic Resources & Pathways
Whether you are starting college or are currently enrolled, odds are that your college journey will be filled with questions. Let us help you find, enter, stay, and flourish in your pathway.
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Career to Academic Exploration
We are firm believers that every academic search should start with career exploration. Engaging in the career development process is the best first step to discovering your academic major. Choosing the wrong major is one of the worst setbacks college students can experience. Picking the wrong major can result in missing major applicable units, losing money, and wasting precious time. We make the career-to-major exploration process easy to understand and follow.
1
Start your career exploration on our Self-Reflection and Discovery career page, where you can take career assessments that will help you identify your interests, values, and skills.
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Now that you have completed a few career assessments, it is time to dive deep and explore careers on our Research career page. Discover information on skills, education, and abilities required for your profession, along with important information on wages, employment trends, and bright outlooks for careers, which will give you a better look into your chosen profession.
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Now that you have completed your initial career research, it is time to put that research into practice and take your first step in your chosen field. Explore on-campus and off-campus co-curricular engagement, networking, informational interviews, micro-internships, and more on our Gain and Grow Skills career page.
Course Units
Understanding what course units mean and how many units you can realistically take per semester is important, as you will have to balance multiple responsibilities outside of your college coursework.
Undergraduate Part-Time
A part-time student takes 11 or fewer semester units.
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1 semester unit = 1 hour of class time per week.
11 semester units = 11 hours of class time per week.
Undergraduate Full-Time
A full-time student takes 12 or more semester units.
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12 semester units = 12 hours of class time per week.
15 semester units = 15 hours of class time per week.
Graduate Students
There is no universal number of semester units that designates full-time or part-time enrollment, as each college/university and graduate program establishes its own unit guidelines. That said, most graduate programs consider full-time enrollment to be anyone taking 8-12 semester units. Any student taking fewer than 8 semester units is considered a part-time.
General Rule for Study Time
The general rule for calculating study time is to allocate 2 hours of study time per semester unit. Some institutions and some courses may require up to 3 hours of study time per semester unit. Graduate programs may have different guidelines for allocating study time. Adjust your calculations accordingly.
3 Semester Unit
X
2 Hours of Study Time
=
6 Hours of Study Time
+
3 Semester Units (Hours of Class Time)
=
9 Total Hours of Study Time + Class Time
(For Every 3 Semester Unit Class)
The University of Pittsburgh has an amazing Time Management Calculator that we highly recommend you try. Keep in mind they measure study time in 3-hour increments for each semester unit.
Course Modalities
There are many ways to attend college. One of the most important aspects of higher education is learning about different instructional methods, how a course meets, and the flexibility each course modality offers. Selecting the right course modality will increase your chances of success. Everyone learns differently, so learn what works best for you!
Traditional In-Person
A traditional in-person class requires students to attend every class in person. Although there may be an online component to the course, the primary instruction takes place on the college campus, in person.
Online - Synchronous
An online synchronous class allows students to work on class material off campus but still requires them to meet virtually for class at a set amount of time each week.
Online - Asynchronous
An online, asynchronous class allows students to work on class material from off campus and does not require them to meet at a fixed time each week. An online asynchronous class offers the most flexibility, since students can complete coursework anytime, anywhere.
Hybrid
A hybrid class has both traditional in-person and online components. It is up to the instructor to decide whether instruction will be held in person or online each week. If you are taking this class, talk to the professor to discuss the structure and expectations of their hybrid class.
Hyflex
A hyflex class offers the most flexibility, as it encompasses three modalities at once, allowing students to choose which modality they will learn with each class. The three modalities include online synchronous, online asynchronous, and traditional in-person classes.
Class Schedule Builder
Never worry about building a schedule from scratch again, since Coursicle and Shovel already have amazing class-schedule builders with free options.
Learning in Higher Education
Our role in your higher education journey is to provide you with the support you need to find, enter, stay, and flourish in your academic and career pathway, but we also recognize that the biggest part of higher education is learning. When you are in college, learning to stay organized, take notes, study, work in groups, and balance your responsibilities outside of academics can be challenging. That is why we recommend the Learning Corner resources and tools from the Academic Success Center at Oregon State University to help you do it all. ​
Student Perks
Your edu email is a goldmine! There are so many offers, discounts, and promotions you can access with your edu email. Regardless of the college/university you choose to attend, you will have access to a vast selection of exclusive deals. Check out some of our favorite offers below.
Other Student Discounts
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​Unidays