Regardless of whether you’re a weathered senior or an inexperienced freshman, class registration never fails to incite stomach-fluttering nerves. We can all identify with that drop in the pit of your stomach as Self Service fails to load or the class you were dying to take fills up. When 1,900 students are all vying for many of the same classes in a period of a few days, stress is inevitable. Class registration doesn’t have to be this way, though. Step one: Breathe. Step two: Follow these pieces of advice to make pre-registration and registration week less panic inducing. It’s not as scary as it seems.
1) Make a Plan B… And Plan C… And Plan D.
Popular classes become full pretty quickly, especially if they’re at the introductory level. Don’t bank on definitely getting into one of these classes, especially if you’ve planned the rest of your schedule around them; when you realize your plan has crumbled because you couldn’t get into that one class, you’ll be scrambling through the course catalogue trying to find others to fill that spot or general education requirement. Make sure you have alternatives you would be just as happy taking, and then create a Plan B schedule around those. Having one to several backups for your first-choice classes ensures you won’t be rushing if your ideal schedule doesn’t work out.
2) Meet with your adviser ASAP.
If you haven’t already, contact your faculty adviser as soon as possible and set up a meeting. This is where you will get your PIN, which is required to log in to the class registration page. He or she is also a great resource to discuss your possible schedules for next semester and beyond; you may find you haven’t thought about his or her suggestions before, such as taking a class in a department you haven’t tried or finding a class that not only fulfills a general education requirement, but is also related to your major or interests. Your faculty adviser can also assist you in coming up with your Plan B if you’re having difficulty. Regardless of what you talk about, faculty advisers are often underutilized sources of insight.
3) Pay attention to the seven general education requirements.
The sooner these are out of the way, the easier class planning will be down the line once you declare a major or find a few areas of interest. That being said, gen eds don’t have to all be knocked out freshman year; it’s totally fine, even smarter, to spread them out over a few years. As long as you don’t have most left until senior year, you’ll be okay, but don’t ignore them completely. Having more freedom as an upperclassmen to take preferred classes as opposed to feeling tied down by general education requirements is important not only to relieve frustration, but also because it allows leeway and time to explore possible majors and get a head start on major requirements.
4) Find a stable Internet connection.
With a couple hundred students clogging the Wi-Fi at once, finding some kind of stable Internet connection can be difficult. There are, however, a few tricks to skirt around this issue. Accessing the Internet with an Ethernet cable insures a quicker, stronger connection. I’ve also heard of students guiding their parents or siblings at home through the registration process, having them sign up for classes for them; without the heavy traffic of Conn students, chances at getting the classes they want are higher because their connection is less weighed-down. Connecting with a smart phone works well sometimes, too. Regardless of the method you choose, it helps to be assured that your Internet connection is strong, whether this means staking out a library computer over an hour early or having a backup Ethernet cable ready in case the Wi-Fi is too slow. In all these situations, remember one thing: patience.
5) Let it go.
So you didn’t get your ideal schedule. Oh well. Sometimes it happens, and dwelling on it doesn’t help the situation. If you find you didn’t get into a class that you absolutely need to take, send the professor an email; many are willing to make adjustments, and if they still can’t let you in, they can notify you if a spot opens up. Going off of that, check back in a few days; some students may have dropped out of that class, and there may be some slots available. Nothing is set in stone. Otherwise, let it go and try to be positive with the classes you have; you may find yourself enjoying them far more than you thought you would! If not, you can always drop and switch classes when spring semester starts. There are a variety of options available and recognizing this will help to ease any anxiety.
Picture sources:
http://unsuckdcmetro.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-metro-always-have-plan-b.html