Registration: How to Avoid the Headache

It’s that time of year again – no, not quite the holiday season – but registration season. Though upperclassman have already registered for next semester, pay attention freshmen! Also, I’m sure more than a few of you older collegiettes will be changing your schedule around before spring. Choosing new classes when you are barely halfway through your current ones can definitely be stressful, but it does not have to be. If you plan ahead and make sure you take the classes that you need, registration can be a breeze. Here are some of my tips on how to make your class registration go as smoothly as possible.

 

This is definitely key to registering responsibly. Consulting your advisor is a good idea so that you can be sure you are taking classes that you need, not unnecessary courses that just pad your schedule. Showing your advisor a list of classes you want to take will help you decide which will be best for you. Advisors are also experts in dealing with credits and major requirements, so you really cannot go wrong with getting advisor approval for your schedule, even if it already looks great to you.

 

At GW, registration is done entirely online and GWeb, the online registration system, opens at 7:00 AM. You don’t want to roll out of bed at 6:59 with no idea what you want to take next semester. Instead, be sure to have a list of your advisor-approved classes – with their class registration numbers (CRNs) – on hand, and wake up a few minutes before seven. It’s likely that everyone registering on your registration date will be trying to log in right as the system opens for the day, so being ready to sign in right on time may help you get your class requests in a little faster.

 

On the note of registration dates, be sure that you are ready to register on your pre-assigned registration day. GW advising tends to send out emails with links to this information, but it is also helpful to check on the website yourself. For the spring 2013 semester, this information can be found at https://registrar.gwu.edu/regi….

 

While you’re checking your registration date, be sure to log into GWeb and verify that there are no holds on your account. You can do this by logging in, clicking on Student Records and Registration, Student Records Information Menu, and then View Administrative Holds. Holds can be placed for a number of reasons; maybe you did not meet with your advisor prior to your registration date, as most freshman and undeclared sophomores are required to do, or maybe there is a balance overdue on your financial account. In any case, you won’t be able to register until the hold is removed by someone in the administration. It is important to figure this out ahead of time because you will lose your chance at open spaces if you log in on your registration day but are unable to add any classes due to a hold. Also, sometimes you may have a hold that you didn’t know was there! The office doesn’t open until 8:30 AM…you don’t want to be that girl who has to wait an hour and a half just to sort out a silly hold that should never have been there. Trust us.

 

Speaking of logging into GWeb, be sure that you do not oversleep and sign on late. I usually set an alarm for six forty-five and roll out of bed, then wait until seven on the dot to log in. If you are someone who has a hard time waking up early, consider setting a second alarm to ensure that you wake up in time. Like I already mentioned, most everyone assigned to your registration date will be trying to register first thing, so there is a high volume of traffic on the site. You do not want to get stuck missing out on the classes you want just because you oversleep by a couple of minutes.

 

 

One of my best friends swears by the Ethernet cord she uses for registration. Instead of using the sometimes spotty GW1X wireless internet, she plugs her laptop into the Ethernet cord and the cord into the internet jack on her desk. This way, she insists, her connection to the web is slightly faster than everyone trying to log in through the campus Wifi. I am not entirely sure how much of a difference this makes, but in the three semesters I’ve known her, she has never had any trouble getting the classes she wants. Try it for yourselves!

 

Especially as a freshman or a sophomore, it can be easy to get caught up in taking real college classes with interesting topics. Whether it is Intro to Creative Writing or Asian American Literature, most college courses sound a lot cooler than high school classes like AP Physics. With that said, it is important to be ready with a lot of different class choices that fit your schedule. You may not get your first choices, and that is not a problem – unless you’re unprepared with backups because you had your heart set on the awesome classes that everyone else wants, too.

 

Overall, remember that these classes, while very important, are not defining your future. Yes, the minute between 6:59 and 7:00 AM is the longest minute of your life, but I promise it will all turn out OK in the end. And if not, there’s always the add/drop period!