Congratulations! You’ve made it to the part of college where you’re expected to understand a curriculum you’ve never experienced using terminology no one bothered to explain.

If you’re staring at Student Planning with approximately 47 tabs open, three different advising PDFs downloaded, and absolutely no idea what a “Mode of Thinking” is, welcome. Every Barnard student has been there.

The good news? Foundations are much less scary than they sound. The bad news? Nobody really explains them in plain English.

So here’s the guide I wish someone had handed me before registration.

First: Foundations Are Not Your Enemy

When I first heard the word “Foundations,” I assumed it was code for “a bunch of random requirements standing between me and graduation.” Or, I assumed they would be as strict as the dreaded Columbia core.

What I found was that this was not at all the case.

Barnard’s Foundations curriculum is designed to make sure everyone graduates with experience across different disciplines and ways of thinking, not just whatever major they eventually choose. It includes your First-Year Writing and First-Year Seminar, Distributional Requirements, Modes of Thinking, and one Physical Education course.

So, yes, you have requirements. No, they don’t all have to be completed immediately.

Stop Trying to Finish Everything Freshman Year

This might be the biggest misconception.

You do not need to check off every requirement before sophomore year. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy college a lot more if you don’t. I’m an incoming Senior and, heck, I still have a science and a Thinking Locally NYC to finish! And I’ve thought about NYC Locally a LOT in the past four years!

Your first year is for exploring. Take the intro class that sounds interesting. Try a subject you’ve never studied before. Sign up for the professor everyone keeps recommending. Foundations will happen naturally if you plan your schedule thoughtfully.

Double Counting Is Your Best Friend

Here’s the hack that upperclass students somehow all know.

Some classes satisfy more than one requirement. A single course can count toward two separate categories (for example, a Distributional Requirement and a Mode of Thinking, or a major requirement and a Foundation), which means you can make serious progress without taking extra classes.

This is why registration isn’t just about picking classes that look fun: it’s about picking classes that work harder for you.

Don’t Pick Classes Just Because They “Get a Requirement Out of the Way”

I know it’s tempting.

You find the easiest-looking class that fulfills Thinking Quantitatively or Arts & Humanities and think, Great, one less thing to worry about.

But you’ll spend an entire semester in that class.

A requirement you’re excited about is infinitely better than a requirement you dread twice a week at 9:10 a.m.

The best Foundations classes usually end up being the ones you would’ve taken anyway.

Your Major Will Probably Cover More Than You Think

One of the nicest surprises at Barnard is realizing your major isn’t living in its own little bubble.

Many departments offer courses that also satisfy Foundations requirements. Depending on your major, you may find yourself completing several requirements without even trying. Check the form on Slate for more information on this.

That’s why it’s worth looking a few semesters ahead instead of scheduling one semester at a time.

Registration Is More of an Art Than a Science

Every semester, you’ll hear someone say they have the “perfect schedule.”

Nobody does.

One class fills before your registration appointment. Another conflicts with your lab. Your backup has a waitlist longer than the line at Hewitt during lunch.

It happens.

The students who survive registration are the ones with multiple backup plans, not the ones who fall in love with one perfect schedule, and who knows! Maybe that random class you have to throw in to reach your credit count will be the one you tell your grandchildren about.

Ask Older Students

Seriously.

Academic advisors are incredibly helpful in ensuring you graduate on time.

Upperclass students are helpful for telling you which professor gives incredible feedback, which class has surprise group projects, which seminar completely changed their perspective, and which courses everyone somehow ends up loving.

Those are two very different kinds of advice, and both matter.

Don’t Build Your Entire Identity Around Your Schedule

It’s easy to think your first semester determines everything.

It doesn’t.

You can change majors.

You can discover a new interest.

You can take classes outside your comfort zone.

Some of the most memorable classes you’ll take at Barnard will probably have nothing to do with the career you eventually pursue.

At the End of the (Long) Day:

Foundations seem overwhelming because they show up as a giant checklist before you’ve even stepped into your first college classroom.

Once classes start, though, they stop feeling like boxes to check and start feeling like opportunities to explore subjects you never would have considered.

So before registration, don’t ask yourself, “How can I finish as many requirements as possible?”

Ask yourself, “What class am I actually excited to show up to every week?”

Your future self (and your GPA!!) will probably thank you.