This time of year always seems to creep on you faster than you would think, and before you know it’s time to register for classes again. By now you’ve probably received the email talking about class registration. Paired up with upcoming finals, it can usually be the one of the most stressful times of the semester trying to hold yourself above water from drowning in your classwork, while also trying to get into all the classes that you need to graduate. When you’re into your higher level courses, they sometimes tend to fill up faster due to the demand from other students in your major wanting to get into those classes. It’s also important get the professors that have the flaming pepper on Rate My Professor, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a little eye candy while learning about Economics? Unfortunately, Mankato doesn’t have any Economics teachers with the flaming pepper which means you’ll have to utilize Rate My Professor to get more useful reviews on your professors and how they teach and interact with the students. To avoid the stress, here are some useful tips to help you out before you find yourself registered for 12 Human Performance classes.
1. Know when your registration window is open.
The email they send out should have included you’re registration window, but if you deleted it right away, just log in to E-Services and it will let you know under Courses and Registration > Registration Window. Change the semester to Spring 2016 and click Registration Window again.
2. Decide which classes you need.
Remember that big book they gave you at the beginning of your Freshman year? Yeah, that’s filled with all of the classes you need for your major and gives you a list of every single major the university offers and what classes you need to get that major. It also shows you minors. So take a look through there, who knows what you’ll find out.
3. Look at your DARS.
Your Interactive Degree audit. If you haven’t heard of it, I’m about to blow your mind. When you log in to E-Services (not D2L), click on Grades and Transcripts, then Interactive Degree Audit, the screen will have you click on your major, then if you scroll down, it will show you all of the classes that you have left to fill all of those gen-ed goal areas, diverse color requirements, and writing intensives. It also includes the classes left to fulfill your major requirement and gives a nice little pie chart with your GPA.
4. Make multiple schedules.
Mankato offers an amazing tool called the “Class Schedule Builder”. If you just search it on the main homepage, and it should be the first link on the page. Choose the semester you want, the course you want, and it gives you all of the different times, days, and professors. It also shows you how many people have registered for the class and how many spots are open. A great way to have a stress free registration is making multiple schedules so if one of your classes fills up within the first minute, you have other options to choose from!
5. Use RateMyProfessors.com.
Let me just say it again: use RateMyProfessors.com. If this is your first time hearing about rate my professor, you’re going to love it. RMP is all about students helping other students. That teacher where their tests are related to nothing they teach in class? Five students have left reviews letting you know. This website will help you take the teacher that would be the best fit for you, giving you a rating on a 1-5 scale of Helpfulness, Easiness, Clarity, and Overall Rating.
6. Talk to your adviser.
They’re there to help you. Your adviser is listed on your DARS report and was sent to you in your email from the school. You can email them and set up an appointment and they’ll help you look through what you need. They can also help you figure out an academic plan for the rest of your college career.
For more information on registering for classes, contact the Office of the Registrar or click this link and visit their MNSU webpage.