Course Planning Showdown: Comparing TigerJunction's and ReCal's Strategies for the Following Academic Semester
Princeton University students now have a new arsenal of digital tools to aid in their course planning, courtesy of TigerJunction. This innovative group, dedicated to enhancing campus life for Princeton students, has developed a suite of applications designed to make the course selection process smoother and more strategic.
The Basics: ReCal and TigerJunction ReCal
At the heart of this suite are two course planners: ReCal and TigerJunction ReCal+. While both apps share a common goal of assisting students with course planning, they differ significantly in terms of features and functionalities.
ReCal is a popular choice among students, providing a straightforward, colour-coded calendar view of a student's planned courses alongside the official academic calendar. It helps students visualize their weekly schedule, spot conflicts or gaps, and primarily aims to organize course times and avoid clashes across semesters.
TigerJunction ReCal , on the other hand, is an advanced, more comprehensive version of ReCal. It offers enhanced features such as detailed course data integration, including professor ratings, enrollments, and course requirements. Users can filter courses by department, time, professor, and other customizable criteria. The app also provides tools for comparing different course schedules side-by-side, the option to save multiple hypothetical schedules and analyze their impacts, and potential integration with degree progress tracking and personalized advising notes.
Expanding the Suite: CourseGenie and ReqTree
TigerJunction is set to release two additional apps: CourseGenie and ReqTree. CourseGenie is an AI-based 4-year planner designed to help students meet major, minor, and certificate requirements. ReqTree, on the other hand, is a visual map of class prerequisites, aimed at helping students explore the progression of course requirements. With these additions, TigerJunction will become an all-in-one course planning platform.
Making the Right Choices
When choosing classes, it's essential to consider research interests and available resources at the university. Utilising Princeton Courses concurrently with course planners such as ReCal or TigerJunction ReCal+ can help in planning a schedule that includes both required courses for degree progress and courses of interest.
It's also beneficial to reach out to friends, academic advisers, or residential college deans for advice on course selection. Shannon Yeow, Engineering Correspondent, recommends trying out both TigerJunction ReCal+ and ReCal for course planning, stating that the choice between the two ultimately depends on the student's specific needs and preferences.
A More Customizable Experience
TigerJunction ReCal+ offers more customization options than ReCal, with advanced search settings and style options for added convenience. Users can customize the colour theme for courses, allowing for a more personalized planning experience. Additionally, TigerJunction ReCal+ allows users to add easily-accessible information to saved courses, streamlining the course selection process for students.
In summary, while ReCal provides a basic visual scheduling aid, TigerJunction ReCal+ extends these capabilities by adding rich course data, customization options, and more sophisticated planning tools, making it especially valuable for students who want to strategically manage their academic trajectory at Princeton.
- Princeton University students can leverage TigerJunction ReCal+, an advanced course planner, for their education-and-self-development, as it offers detailed course data integration, customizable searching criteria, and the ability to save multiple hypothetical schedules.
- Learning about different courses at Princeton University can be more strategic with the help of online-education tools like CourseGenie, an AI-based 4-year planner designed to help students meet major, minor, and certificate requirements, and ReqTree, a visual map of class prerequisites aimed at helping students explore the progression of course requirements.
