Ah, one of the most dreaded times of the year has arrived again: picking next semester’s courses. An infinite number of questions will flood your head before. What class do I need to take? What if it fills up? Do I want Friday classes? Will I be able to make an 8:30 every morning? The questions are endless. As a sophomore going onto her second semester, i’ve gone through this process a few times now. I wouldn’t say that i’ve learned all the tricks in the book, but i’ve definitely learned a few loopholes to make those 7AM registration periods a little less stressful:
-
Plan your entire schedule and at least one back up for each class- I can’t stress the importance of back up classes enough! There is a very good chance you can’t get into your number 1 choice on the first morning of registration, so always make sure you know what you’re going to try to register for, as well as what you are going to try if you don’t get into your first choice.
-
If the school wifi is too slow, use your phone!- As everyone reloads their APR page at exactly 7AM on those mornings, it could take up to 10 minutes for the page to actually come up. If that’s the case, disconnect your smartphone from the school wifi and use your personal phone data to load the APR page; trust me, it’s a game changer.
-
Update your emergency contact information- You should get an email a few days before registration starts, but if not, remember to update your emergency contact information! It’s not that difficult if you already have the information in, you just have to press agree. If you don’t have this updated, APR will not let you register on registration day!
-
Make sure you know your password beforehand- The last thing you’d want is to be stuck trying to guess your password while you’re trying to register. Make sure you can get on APR on all devices at least 24 hours before so you can contact the registrar office the day before.
-
Don’t stress!- I know this process comes off as extremely stressful and detrimental to your college career, but whatever happens, you’ll be fine! If you seriously need a class for your major or requirements, teachers are usually understanding and will try to assist you if you email them explaining your situation.
Good luck with registration everyone!