It is almost time to register for Spring 2018 classes! Here are some tips to have a nearly stress-free registration process no matter what year you are.
Registration 101: Tips for Course Registration
1. The Prospective Course Planner is Your Friend!
Go to Inside F&M > Academics > Prospective Course Planner
You can type in the CRNs of the courses you are interested in/want to take and see if they fit with each other. I always take a screenshot of the different schedules I want and have at least three back-ups in case I don’t get into my first choice schedule. For first-year students, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more back-ups (at least five is best).
2. Label Your Sample Schedules
Once you have screenshots of sample schedules, you can edit it on Preview (or whatever photo-viewing app you choose) and type your PIN number and the CRNs directly onto the photo so that it is easier to see during your registration period.
3. Check for Open Seats
If you are not a senior, you will be registering for courses after upperclassmen. This means that some seats may be taken before you get the chance to register. On the day you need to register, you should go to the Course Planner once more, enter the CRN for the class you want and click on it. It will show you how many open seats there are or if the course is full. This tool is helpful because you can be prepared to either be put on the waitlist and have to enter a different course momentarily, or just avoid trying to get into that class at all. Please note that this does not work on Safari and that Chrome works best when wanted to see open seats for the classes.
4. Get your Highlighters
Assign a color for each subject or class that you want to take (ex: Blue for Chemistry, Green for Bio, Purple for Bos, Pink for Art, Orange for Humanities, Yellow for Languages, etc.) and make a color-coordinated list of courses. It will be very convenient to have all of the CRNs you will need in one place on the night of Registration. I find it useful to organize it by the days/times of the class, not the subject and then just use a highlighter to denote different subjects. As you may know, you cannot finish registering unless you have a total of four courses. If you get waitlisted for a class, having a list of the classes organized by time allows you to enter a different CRN that fits in your schedule so that you can submit your classes.
5. Talk to Your Advisor!
Your advisor can be a great help if you need certain classes for your major or minor. For first-year students, your advisor can also aide with general questions about registration and which General Education classes you should be taking next semester. Make sure to meet with them to get your PIN or else you will not be able to register!
6. Use a Campus Computer and Turn your Phone Wi-Fi off
We have all dealt with faulty Wi-Fi on campus. If you go to Martin, Shad, LSP, or any other building with desktops available to students, use these to register! These computers are hooked to the school Wi-Fi via an ethernet cord, so the connection is much faster. While using these computers, make sure to turn your phone and personal laptop’s Wi-Fi settings to “Off.” The school’s Wi-Fi also gets jammed when there are a high number of devices trying to connect. As a courtesy, keep your phone’s Wi-Fi off for at least an hour to allow your friends to be able to register for classes as well successfully!
Image courtesy of iStock
Cover image courtesy of The Odyssey Online