This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bryant chapter.

As the semester winds down, all we can think about is winter break. Unfortunately, before we can sit back and relax, we need to get our lives together and prepare for next semester. Going through course registration can be stressful. Here are some tips and tricks to having a smooth course registration.

1. Make an appointment with your advisor…

…like, ASAP. If you have not met with your advisor at this point, you definitely should pause reading and call now! The advisors normally are booked very fast. However, do not think it is too late to call and see if you can meet with someone, you should not be going into registration without having talked to an academic advisor about your options.

2. Check your time ticket

Login to Banner, click on “Student Services and Financial Aid”, and click “Registration”. You should see an option to check registration time and status and it will tell you your time and date for registration. Make sure to mark your calendar and set a few alarms because registration starts bright and early.

3. Check to see if there are holds on your account

If you login to Banner, you can check to see if there are any holds on your account. If there are, definitely work on fixing those holds before the time located on your registration ticket, or else you will not be able to register at your designated time!

4. Ask friends for recommendations

Your friends most likely took some of the classes that you need to take. They do not necessarily need to be upperclassmen. For example, if you are in GFOB right now, you may have friends in GFCL. Ask you friends for recommendations on courses and professors because they have firsthand experience with those classes that you need.

5. Rate My Professors is your BFF

Try your best NOT to take a class that has a teacher you haven’t looked up reviews on. You never know what your options are until you do a little research. We definitely would rather have a better professor than a better time for the class itself. If getting an 8am means you have a good professor, then rise and shine.

6. Make your schedule

Login to Banner, click “Student Services and Financial Aid”, click “Registration”, and go to “Schedule Planner”. This is where you can look up classes you need to take and see the time options along with the professor teaching that section. Spend time making an ideal schedule and put it in your Registration Cart.

7. Have backup classes

Make a backup schedule with your second option of classes. There is a good chance you may not get every single class you want. Something to keep in mind is to make sure your backup classes will match the schedule in your registration cart in case you only need to change one or two classes. Write down the CRN number (four-digit number) for your backup classes because thisis how you will search for and add them during registration.

8. Relax

Take a deep breath because if you have done all of these steps, then you are golden. Everything will work out! Advising takes walk-ins all day during registration days and they open at 7am! Get a good night sleep and manifest positivity; At the end of the day it’s just class. Goodluck!

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How to Prepare for Course Registration