Advisor codes, schedule.berkeley.edu the permanent browser on your laptop the past few days, and the new way to make small talk in class, “So, what classes are you going to take next semester?” There’s no denying, Telebears season is upon us. I can hear the collective sigh and many groans on campus today as Telebears for Spring 2013 kicks off. Many students are panicking that they won’t get that one coveted section they need or any and all classes after 10 a.m. or better yet, the courses that don’t meet on Mondays or Fridays. Fortunately for us, there are several programs that make planning our hectic schedules a little less nerve-racking. These virtual schedule simulators allow you to pick and choose classes and generate personalized schedules to see if they work.

 

Ninja Courses
Founded by two campus alumni, William Li and Alex Sydell, Ninja Courses allows you to search for classes by type or department and generate potential schedules. This program also includes professor ratings, course ratings and the ability to compare textbook prices across stores.

 

Schedule Builder
Built off of Ninja Courses, Schedule Builder is Berkeley’s official website for course schedule planning. Similar to Ninja Courses, features include course ratings, professor ratings and textbook prices. Like Ninja Courses, Schedule Builder allows you to find and share schedules with friends. Unlike Ninja Courses, Schedule Builder offers live and updated class enrollment information and average grade distribution for each class. There is also a new feature, which allows students to locate their classes on a map.

Course Rank
I hate to mention this during Big Game week but Course Rank first began as a research project at Stanford. It has all the features of the other two above—course ratings, professor ratings and grade distribution information. You can search classes by department, professor, units, or by specific requirements they fulfill. Besides the average grade distribution Course Rank provides an example of the weekly workload and allows you to see which friends are currently enrolled in your classes.

 

Rate My Professor
Although not a schedule builder, this site is invaluable when choosing classes for next semester. Although the course description may sound intriguing and jaw-droppingly interesting, the quality of your professor can make or break the class. Search by school or professor and see reviews from students who have taken the professor’s class. Besides a rating there are generally pretty substantial comments explaining why the professor was rated a certain way. Generally reliable however watch out for those few raging reviews from embittered students. Plus, with the little red chili pepper icon you get to find out if your professor is hot or not. Isn’t that what really matters?!

So instead of procrastinating by playing Sudoku in your next class why not be productive and browse these sites. I hope you all survive Telebears and that the red box rudely announcing schedule conflicts in your perfectly planned schedule remains in your nightmares. Happy planning!

 

Also, check out our AskCaliber Telebears video and visit AskCaliber for some schedule advice!

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