Free sample · Chapter 01
Find your first college class
Start with a subject, find your college, and use its catalog and schedule.
Leave with one course worth investigating.
Begin with an interest or a purpose.
You do not have to map an entire degree before looking at a class. Start with a subject your student wants to explore, or a requirement you want to investigate. Keep the student in that conversation.
At this stage, you are finding a possibility. Before enrolling, review the four credit questions.
Find the college.
Use the statewide finder to search by college name, city, or district. Open the college’s website and look for its catalog and class schedule.
Find a California college →The finder includes the full official directory. Check the college’s high school enrollment instructions before assuming a particular program is available to your student.
Use two pages, for two different questions.
What is this course?
Look for its subject and number, title, description, units, and prerequisites. Choose the catalog year relevant to your plans.
When can I take it?
Choose a term, then look for the class offering, meeting times, format, and instructor. A catalog listing alone does not tell you that a class is offered that term.
Try it with one of these colleges.
These are starting points, not recommendations of a particular class. If you are considering a different college, use the finder above.
Cerro Coso Community College
- Open the catalog page and choose the year you need.
- Find a subject that interests your student. Read the course description and note the full course number and title.
- Open the class schedule. Use its searchable schedule to check offerings and details for your term.
Bakersfield College
- Open the catalog page, then choose the eCatalog for your year.
- Find a course in the subject you are exploring. Note its full number and title.
- Open the district schedule, select your term, and filter for Bakersfield College.
Read the course description before choosing.
Does the subject interest your student? Do they have the preparation it asks for? Does the class format fit the way they learn and the rest of their week?
You can also read student reviews on Rate My Professors ↗. Use reviews alongside the syllabus and your student’s priorities. They do not establish whether a course meets a credit requirement.
One next step
Choose one course to investigate.
Keep its college name, full course number and title, and intended term. A note on your phone is enough. No worksheet is required.
Sources and review date
Catalog and schedule entry pages checked September 18, 2026. Course availability and individual course details have not been evaluated here.
Continue with the free guides.
Use the four credit questions before choosing your class, or open the directory to find your college’s instructions.