If you want to choose the best earth science courses, you need to know exactly what you are looking for. People take earth science courses for a variety of reasons, which range from completing degree requirements to personal enrichment. Identifying what you hope to gain from different courses is the best way to determine which courses to take. There are additional factors that could affect your decision as well, which include costs, convenience, and reputation of the instructor.
Identifying your desires from a course is easier said than done. If you happen to be pursuing earth science courses as a means to get a degree, then this choice may be easy. Simply follow your degree requirements en route to accomplishing your goals. If these requirements offer any flexibility, then you could use your personal interests to choose your courses.
If you happen to be picking out different classes simply to learn more about the earth sciences for yourself, then follow what you are interested in. Perhaps you want a specific skill set. Then, you should make sure any chosen course will provide this for you.
You should also take into consideration any other courses you will be taking at the same time as your earth science courses. This is important because, if you have a heavy course load already, you may not be able to tolerate a difficult earth science course. Careful management of concurrent courses is important for success as a student. Sometimes, prerequisites are required as well, meaning you can't take an advanced class without taking its introductory version.
Costs unfortunately factor into many decisions that people make, including which earth science courses to take. Scholarships are sometimes available for serious academics and full-time students, which can significantly decrease the financial burdens of education. If you are not among this fortunate but deserving group of students, you might want to heavily weigh expenses into your decision.
Expenses vary on credits, quality of instruction, and type of institution. It is also more expensive usually to take separate courses one at a time rather than enrolling as a student in pursuit of a degree. Make sure you are informed on all of these factors before you begin to pick out your courses.
The reputation of a university and instructor should also be a part of your decision. There are online websites dedicated to allowing students the ability to reflect on their experiences with certain teachers. These can be valuable resources, although any online forum needs be taken with a grain of salt.