This is a blog for those of you who are wrapping up highschool and preparing for college, especially if you want to design games. If you are going back to school after a hiatus it can be just as useful. Planning ahead and planning smartly can benefit you in the long run and make graduating easy.

Core credits are an evil plot to get more money out of students who just need a streamlined education for their chosen field. They can be manipulated to your advantage with some simple planning. Instead of asking the scheduling advisor what the easiest classes are and rolling your eyes for a few semesters, read the catalog or website for what classes are peripheral to your final goals. Besides great planning, these classes don't fill as fast and you can get more bang for your buck.

I am out to become a world builder, so I picked classes that made the most sense for what I knew I would need to research later. Anthropology, physical and cultural were two obvious choices since I needed science and humanities credits, but also to build a more real world. For a second science credit I chose Historical Geology, which covers rocks and minerals, but also prehistoric life because fossil creatures are counted in geology. World Mythology covered my other humanities class, which myths from various cultures lead to a better understanding of their mindsets, a good tie in with Cultural Anthropology.

Of course some credits you can't streamline like this, I am looking at you math, and to an extent History specific requirements, but choosing the right courses to fit the credits your degree requires can make your core of knowledge stronger. If I had been going for a broader bachelors degree I would likely have taken some biology or zoology courses to aid my creature work, but there are enough good creature design books out there to self teach. Overall don't overlook even the basic educational choices and you can really have a great foundation for the future.