It’s that time of year again, and as your enrollment appointment approaches, your nightly OPUS check-ins get progressively more panic-ridden, as your dreams of a “perfect” schedule slowly crumble. Your Enrollment Shopping Cart, once filled with 30+ classes neatly designated “Open” by those perfect little green circles, is taking on a discouraging look with a column of 29 menacing blue squares. The classes you want/need/HAVE TO HAVE are closing out by the second, and all you know is that if you don’t get into that EDS120 class that your big-big said was an “easy A” and perfect for that HAP GER that no one knows how to fill, you’re absolutely not going to graduate on time. But we digress…
Because in reality, OPUS truly can be your friend – as long as you know how to use it right. Similarly, sometimes human contact (who would’ve thought?!) helps and reaching out to advisors or professors can make your future schedule a bit more manageable. Or better yet, consult Her Campus, because we’ve asked Emory Collegiettes of all ages what their best advice is for handling class registration and beating OPUS at its own pesky games. During your enrollment appointments, heed some of these tips to ensure a smooth semester filled with plenty of time to get to school in the morning, room in your schedule for lunch dates at Cox, and plenty of no-class Fridays.
“The process is stressful for everyone, but just know that you’ll eventually get into the classes you want when add/drop/swap comes…as long as you’re aggressive. And if not, then you still have many other semesters to take the class.” – Hannah Kopelman, Junior
“Registration is a right of passage for all freshmen. You have to experience the pain of a blue square to appreciate our education system as a Senior.”- Sara Kotcher, Sophomore
“Make sure to ask about what teachers and classes are the best. Your peers have a lot more insight than you would think and you wouldn’t want to get stuck in a class that isn’t right for you!” – Stephanie Feder, Junior
“Always try, try, again.” – Melissa Black, Junior
“Create a spreadsheet of all your requirements (GERs, writing, major, minor, and any pre-professional). Mark them off as you complete them each semester. Make a tentative plan for each semester all the way through senior year, and then you can swap classes around when it gets to that semester. For registration, create a few scheduling options, so that you can resolve any conflicts as they arise (i.e. not getting into a class, not liking a class, class times, etc.).” – Margaux Bratina, Senior
“Do not stress. You will get the classes you need somehow – whether it’s during Add-Drop-Swap or by talking to the professor! Emory professors are generally pretty understanding, especially if you need the class for your major.” – Laura Coburn, Sophomore
“Definitely don’t stress. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get all your top choices and not worth the stress. Plan ahead, find alternative options in the event your first choices don’t work out, and stalk add/drop/swap. It doesn’t hurt to contact the professor and attend the first class. In the end, it will all work out.” – Emily Lorsch, Junior
“My favorite class at Emory so far ended up being something that I got into because all of the classes I wanted were closed! If you are upset with your schedule, just remember to give it an open mind.” – Annelise Alexander, Sophomore
“Sit in on a bunch of classes the first week of the semester so you can narrow down which ones you want to keep.” – Ava Tompkins, Junior
So, don’t let OPUS get the best of you and scare you to tears by convincing you that with that line of blue squares, there’s no hope. No, you won’t be stuck in that MWF 8:30 section if you’re willing to put in a little bit of effort and spend a lot of time on OPUS. There are plenty of ways to ensure that you’ll get the most out of your classes in a given semester, based on the classes you want to take and the ones you’re required to take alongside those that you just kind of fall into, for whatever the reason. Come enrollment time, have a plan of attack, but be sure to have some back-ups, because it seems that those pesky blue squares rear their heads at most unwelcome times, so all you can do is be prepared and a little bit creative to achieve a schedule with the perfect balance of once-a-weeks, 11:30AM’s and only MW’s…hold the F’s, please.