Interesting Times

It's that time of year again when students start thinking about their courses for the next semester. Last year I didn't struggle figuring out what to take because it was mostly planned out for me. For second semester I was put with the same Practice professor (as is the style), I chose the same Human Behavior professor, and I just needed to figure out who to take for Groups and for my elective (I tested out of research one). I asked around about Groups professors and heard that one of them in particular does not run her class like a group. This is what I wanted. I had no desire to be immersed in a group to learn group therapy. For my elective I had been planning all year to take Object Relations, and I chose my professor because I heard him speak at orientation. It was easy to figure out, and I must say that it turned out to be a fantastic semester.

Now I have to choose classes for my final semester. I only have two electives remaining, and four courses remaining overall. I feel the pressure of making sure I continue to have wonderful professors while taking the electives that appeal most to me. I'm torn in many ways, and my ambivalence places me clearly in the "contemplation" stage of change. No, I am not ready to change to new professors and new classes. No, I am not ready to decide on what that change will look like. I am preparing, but my plan is not concrete.

I'm pretty certain of what electives I want to take: Feminist Theories & Practice and Community Organization. I hesitate, however, because I don't know anything about the instructors. I've tried researching the Feminist Theories & Practice instructor, but haven't learned much about her. I don't have any idea who the CO instructor will be. I'm also interested in the following electives: Grief, Loss and Bereavement; Comparative Short Term Therapies: Crisis Dynamic & CBT; Spirituality and Psychotherapy; Critical Analysis of Psychotherapy Theories; and lastly Ending Poverty (which wasn't even on the list the last time I checked!).

There are an awful lot of electives to choose from. I didn't even begin to consider the 1-credit courses, and I immediately excluded courses involving families or children, even though they all seem to be taught by fantastic professors. How do I make this choice?