Class registration. It’s that fateful day that comes around once every semester and has been known to take years off of people’s lives or give them grey hairs due to the sheer stress of it. If this is your first time registering for classes or you’ve been through it before, we’ve put together some tips to help make sure you have the easiest registration experience possible.
1. Make sure you don’t have any holds that will prevent registration. Log into your account at least a week before registration to check whether or not you have any holds. A hold could be placed if you haven’t paid your latest bill, or if you’re behind a credit. If you have a hold, check with the Registrar’s office to see how you can get it taken care of in advance. The worst thing you can do is to log into your account on the morning of registration and realize you have a hold.
2. Set multiple alarms. This is possibly the most important thing to do in preparation for registration. If you aren’t on your computer and logged into your Clark account by 7:55am, you will suffer the consequences. Set at least 2 or 3 alarms to ensure that you will be up in plenty of time to start your computer and get everything together.
3. Make sure you have the CRN numbers for your courses. DO NOT mistake the CRN number for the course number! The CRN number has no letters in front of it (ex: CSAC or MGMT) and is made up of 5 numbers (ex: 30272). These will be the numbers you put in the system when you register, so write all of them down! If one of your courses requires a specific discussion section or lab, write down the CRN number for that too. Registering for the class will not automatically register your for the discussion or lab.
4. Have your PIN number at the ready. You should have received your PIN Number from your faculty adviser after your advising appointment with them. Find this email and write down your number! You will not want to be frantically searching for your PIN while refreshing the registration page at the same time.
5. Beware of the Clark WiFi. We all know Clark WiFi can be spotty at best, so be aware of this. If you know someone who lives off campus and has their own WiFi network, ask to go to their house. If you live close by, consider going home to register. Having a separate WiFi connection will make the process much easier and less stressful as you won’t be fighting with the other hundreds of people in your class to get onto Clark’s network. If you do decide to use Clark’s WiFi, be prepared for delays and for the system to crash. Usually if this happens it’s happening to everyone, not just you. Remain calm! It will be back up and running soon.
6. Make coffee or tea beforehand. As soon as you get up, turn on your coffee maker or heat up water for tea. You will not want to navigate registration without some caffeine in you, so fuel up before you get started!
We hope that these tips will make your registration experience as smooth and stress-free as possible!