Registration can be pretty nerve-wracking. It’s a race against time and your peers to snatch up the high-demand courses you want and the easy classes that will fulfill a core requirement. In order to experience as smooth a registration as possible, follow these tips from seasoned senior Paulina Levy, an environmental science major from Washington, D.C.
Tip #1: Plan ahead
“Organization and preparation are key…I will never forget a certain afternoon I spent at Starbucks at the end of fall quarter my freshman year. I had made the perfect schedule. But when my registration time rolled around, nothing was working. Some of my labs were filled and others didn’t work with practice or chapter or whatever—I panicked and one of my friends had to give me a hug. Never would I let that happen again, so I started creating excel spreadsheets and color coding classes with days of the week and times so that if one code doesn’t work, I can punch in a backup.”
For those who didn’t know, Pioneerweb also offers a “plan ahead” option that allows you to build potential schedules that you can load when your registration time comes.
Photo Courtesy of Paulina Levy
Tip #2: Know who to talk to
“Whether it’s your professor, your advisor or the department head, someone will have the answers.”
It’s crucial you develop a relationship with someone; many students treat the required talk with their academic advisor as a dentist appointment, but getting to know your advisor has its advantages. Besides having the inside track on your professor, they can usually give you a fair warning about your course load given another student’s experience. Do it as soon as possible—don’t wait till junior year.
Tip #3: Don’t be ashamed to beg
“Freshman year, I ended up at Olin begging to be overenrolled in certain classes I needed.”
In the event a needed class is full, meet your potential professor and ask their permission to register for their class. If it’s a class you really need and you have a good argument, chances are they will hear you out.
Tip #4: Don’t stress too much
There will be quarters as a freshman and even as a sophomore that you may not get any of your first choices, that’s just the nature of registration. Take it from Levy, “You will graduate on time and get into all your classes. You may have an 8 a.m. or a Friday class, but hey, you’re here to learn.”
