Registration Tips and Tricks

By: Christian Ray, Peer Advisor

It is hard to believe that we are over 10 weeks into the semester, yet here we are! With all of the joy (or stress) that may come around this time of the year, students have the added responsibility of registering for the next semester. While this responsibility may feel overwhelming, it does not have to be. Moreover, by planning ahead on your registration, you can set yourself up for success.

As a student myself, I am well aware of the obstacles that students encounter when registering for classes. This is why I believe the most important step in registering for classes is to select your classes ahead of time. Registration for Spring 2022 opens on November 1st at 9:00 AM. While the earliest available registration time could be later for a student depending on their number of hours earned or priority status, students should be ready to register as soon as possible. For more information about registration times, click here. Students should have all courses and sections planned out several days before this. If you need to speak to an advisor or a peer advisor, such as myself, do it now. Do not wait until the last minute. See information here for scheduling an appointment or visiting during drop ins.

The second most important tip is to make sure you are registering for the courses you need to be in. If you are a freshman going into your second semester, you should typically be working towards your writing, math, and science courses. In particular, pre-requisite courses, such as MATH-1120 or STAT-1220 should be prioritized. For more information on this, students should consult Degreeworks as well as their advisor.

Finally, students should be plan on contingencies (such as if the desired class is full by the time of registration). The best way to plan for this is to have a handful of backup courses to take in the event that a desired course is unavailable. Another thing I encourage students to consider is waitlisting. If a course is full, students may usually join a waitlist in the event that a seat opens up. In my experience, I have been very lucky with waitlists, though your mileage may vary.

Lastly, as an honorable mention, make sure to look at the meeting times of courses before you register for them. Most courses have a handful of sections offered at different times and this gives students flexibility to decide what days and times they will need to be in the classroom. I encourage students to use this to their advantage.