ARTICLE BY BELLA DECRESCENZO
Class registration for the spring semester at the University of Maryland began on October 26. If you are a freshman or even a sophomore, you might be wondering the best way to prepare for registration. The more preparation you do before your registration date the happier you will be with your classes for the spring semester! I have compiled a list of tools, resources, and advice for you to use as your registration date approaches.
How to View Your Registration Date
To ensure that you are registering for your spring semester classes at the correct time, you should head to the Testudo website and navigate to the Appointment and Registration Status page. This page will clearly state the date and time on which you can register for your next semester classes.
“Check your appointment time,” said Dario Middleton, who has been an advisor at the university for over 10 years. “You want to be there as soon as you can so you can increase your chances of getting the schedule you want.”
Another reason to view the Appointment and Registration Status page as soon as possible is to make sure you do not have any blocks on your account, which appear if any documents or requirements are missing from your file. A block will stop you from being able to register if you haven’t taken care of them by your registration date. For example, some colleges require mandatory advising appointments before you can register for classes. The block will not be cleared from your account until you have completed this mandatory appointment.
How to Use the Venus Schedule Builder
One of the best tools to use to prepare for your registration date is the Venus Schedule Builder. Venus is a tool that allows you to sketch out a wide variety of possible schedules for the upcoming semester. Within the schedule builder you are prompted to input the course codes for required and optional courses that you are looking to take for this semester. You can then choose a specific section number if that is the ideal time that you would like to take this class, or you can select All Sections, which will prompt the schedule builder to generate multiple schedules with this class at different possible times.
There are several ways to personalize your schedule to your liking such as selecting whether you want a mix of online classes and face-to-face classes. You are also able to indicate if you want a time or date excluded from your schedule; for example, if you do not want to take classes on Fridays. Lastly, you can input the minimum and maximum credits that you are looking to take, which will stop Venus from forming a schedule that goes over or under the number of credits that you have selected. Overall, this is a great tool in figuring out the layout of your schedule and what times the classes you are looking to take are offered.
How to Use PlanetTerp
PlanetTerp is a website created to help Maryland students find classes and professors that are going to work best for them and help them succeed. Within this website, you can input the name of a course, professor or teaching assistant and PlanetTerp will provide a variety of information. This includes the average rating of the course, professor or TA out of five stars, as well as the average GPA of students who have taken the course and the names of other professors who have also taught the course.
PlanetTerp also has a section for reviews where students can write about their personal experiences with a teacher and the grade that they received in a specific course. If a student has a particularly good experience with a certain professor, they can use PlanetTerp to find other courses taught by them to take in the future. This tool is important to consult while making your schedule to ensure that you are picking the best teachers and courses to help you succeed.
The Importance of Picking Backup Classes
Picking backup classes is very important, especially for underclassmen, as there are only so many seats available in popular classes. The more credits a student has, the sooner they can register for classes, so current freshman or even sophomores will often find their ideal time slots being filled up before they are able to register. The Venus Schedule Builder can help you create a backup schedule, which can help you have a smoother course selection when your registration date finally arrives.
“Have, if you can, more than one schedule ready that has those courses that you absolutely have to take,” Middleton said. “So it’s not necessarily having a backup course, you might also need a backup schedule.”
Creating a Four-Year Plan
Some colleges at Maryland require students to complete a four-year plan. A four-year plan is a layout of all the courses that you are planning to take within your four years of college in order to complete all your major requirements.
When discussing the importance of making a four-year plan, Middleton said that, “it just gives you a snapshot of what things are going to look like.”
Middleton also explained how a student should not feel restricted to follow this four-year plan throughout their entire four years, as it can just be used as a place to build from.
Scheduling an Advising Appointment
Even if it isn’t required for your major, scheduling advising appointments can help you form a personal relationship with an advisor in your program as well as ensure that you are taking the best classes for you and your four-year plan.
“Advising can end up being an untapped resource,” said Middleton. “Advising should happen every semester. Just so you can touch base with somebody who has the most recent information…and just in case you missed something.”
Middleton explained that the easiest way to schedule an advising appointment bringing up how you can either email your advisor or use your college’s website to book an appointment if their website has a calendar. Even if your college does not require mandatory advising appointments before registration, it is important to go over your four-year plan and make sure that there are no problems with the courses that you are planning to take for your next semester.
Good luck with registration, and make sure to follow all of these tips so that your registration goes smoothly!