While your business and other major’s pre-registration is already over, that does not mean the stress of picking classes has come to an end in the least bit. There are still a few more early mornings filled with anxiety that you have to look forward too, yay! Don’t fear – here are a few helpful tips to *attempt* to calm you down over the next week.
1. Schedule a meeing with your advisor
Do you even know your advisor’s name? He or She is your best friend on campus, they are practically your personal cheer leader. They want you to be successful as much as your parents want you to be successful. Schedule an appointment with them ASAP- they will guide you through the necessary courses you need to take and even give you tricks on how to fulfill multiple core requirements in less classes! (You also have to meet with them to retrieve the passcode to be able to register for classes anyway so just go make an appointment).
2. Look up professors
When you begin to look at the courses you need to enroll in, take the time to do research on the professors they have to offer. Websites like http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ are awesome and people do give genuine reviews on a professor’s teaching habits. You can totally avoid a teacher from hell by doing this!
3. Accessibility
When planning out your courses, write them down on a sheet of paper for easy access! Use labels and highlighting so you can look at all your classes quickly and in an organized manner. Don’t just avoid a class because of how early it is either. You can’t get through 4 years of college without taking an 8:00am lecture.
4. Plan your back-ups
The worst thing that can happen is waking up register-day morning and not being able to get into a required class. So have backups! Keep a piece of paper by your computer with multiple class codes so you can quickly type in that back-up course.
5. Breathe
The first time you register, you’re probably going to panic. Actually, every time you register you’re probably going to panic. Wake up at least 20 minutes earlier than the crack-of-dawn-scheduling-time so that you’re nice and awake by the time the running of the bulls begins. Wait on the loading screen with your code typed in and the when the clock strikes 7:00am (or 8:00am or whenever your scheduled time is) – wait 2 seconds THEN hit enter. Don’t hit enter right away- I’m giving you golden tips right here. If you hit enter the exact second the clock changes, you might get kicked off the website and lose your chances of getting into that 11:30 CIV class. But breathe. It will be fine.
Worse comes to worst you e-mail your professor every week asking to be over-enrolled into their class because you heard how fantastic of a teacher they are until they finally give-in and place you into their class. (I’ve done it. It works.)