The end of the school year always has its fair share of anxiety, what with finals, papers, and the looming housing lottery. All of these aspects of college life make me prone to freak outs, but honestly, nothing is more anxiety inducing than course registration. I am glad to say that over the years, I have learned to keep my heart palpitations to a minimum. If you have already successfully signed up for your courses for next semester, don’t click away. The advice I’m about to give will hopefully help you in consequent semesters, too.
1. Isolate yourself. Most people sign up for classes in a public computer lab, but being surrounded by other anxious students who may or may not be vying for a spot in a class that you’re dying to take will definitely notch up the anxiety. Plus, you’re going to have to compete with everybody’s Wi-Fi connections.
2. Preparation is key. Make sure that you know all of your desired courses’ prerequisites. Set a timer for exactly 11:15 (AM, not PM!). Write down all of your courses’ CRNs on a piece of paper.
3. Make sure that you have your alternate PIN typed in correctly. I know that everybody knows to type in his or her alternate PIN before the clock hits 11:15, but it’s impossible to tell if it’s typed in correctly because all of the numbers are hidden. If your PIN is incorrect, you’ll waste precious time punching it in again. What I like to do is type in my PIN in a Word document and then copy and paste it into the website.
4. While we’re on the topic of copy and pasting, do the same with your first-choice class. In the same Word document, write in the CRN of your first-choice. Copy it, and then as soon as you’re taken to the course registration sheet, paste it in. This will save you a solid three or four seconds. I have found, however, that this only works for one class, so you’ll have to type out the CRNs of your other choices manually.
5. Don’t forget to breathe. This one is the most important. Course registration is a high-pressure situation, but don’t let your anxiety about classes take over.
With these tips, you’re bound to rock course registration! And if you don’t get into a class that you want to take (which is bound to happen at some point in your Kenyon career), email that professor immediately and get on the waitlist. It’ll all work out in the end.