Newsroom Panama

by Virginia Syngh

I recently joined FSU Panama, and when I was into my registration process I honestly had no clue that the courses I picked would be ones I’d like, but I just went for them. While hanging out with some friends, we started talking about classes and the professors, and when they asked for the classes I registered they told me they were chosen badly and that I was crazy for choosing those courses because they were too hard and that I should just drop them because I was going to fail. This created insecurity, but I really wanted to try them. They started suggesting me some courses I should take instead but I didn’t really like them. I thought to myself for many hours analyzing the situation and I realized that what they find easy might be difficult for me and what I find easy might be difficult for them too. Peer pressure is something you should be able to control because if you don’t you’ll just end up like a puppet with no personality at all. Don’t do what other people say to you just because they tell you so; do what you want and what you think is right. Just be yourself. Choose subjects you are best in and a subject that you really like. No subject is hard as long as you really decide to focus on it. Try experimenting with other subjects and maybe you will end up liking them.

I came to this university to learn, and of course occasionally but not always, go out and have fun. I want to be somebody really successful in life, and like you, I also want to party. There should be a balance between everything, so let’s not fool around and think we will get grades for free. Here I made a list of some tips for you to follow when registering for classes.

1. If you already know what you want to study, what your major is, don’t hesitate and choose the subjects you really need.

2. Only choose subjects you know you are interested in and that you would enjoy (and if you have any questions just ask for help at the student affairs office)

3. Schedule. Make sure you are available at that time and that your classes don’t clash with one another.

4. If you have any friend that has already taken that subject you could ask them about it. Questions like “is it good?’’ don’t work. You should ask more, like ‘’what did you do in class, which topics do you remember, what kind of homework does the professor leave, what is their class method like’’ among others.

5. Remember to occasionally take a look at your reference sheet, this always comes in handy. It more or less gives you an idea of what you should take.

6. If you love a subject but you do not have the abilities to perform in it, it is better you don’t take it –at least momentarily-. In some cases you might develop the abilities for it in the future, and it might be very hard but this doesn’t mean that you can’t be up to it.

Well people that was it! I hope that next time you are waiting for registration it isn’t such a headache like it was for me.