Strategy crucial as registration looms
Registration for freshmen is frustrating at best, but registrar A. Kay Anderson lends some helpful hints on how to get through that dreaded 5 a.m. wake-up call.
Anderson advises all students to be up and be ready and not to panic. Being ready is easy, although it may require some time. The secrets to registration success are knowing and clearing all holds, knowing your requirements, meeting with your advisor, and developing a proposed schedule (or two), and asking for help.
Holds are located on myCats under Student Record. Don’t panic, at this point everyone should have a hold that will be lifted when you visit your advisor. Other holds may also be present such as immunization holds and holds for parking tickets or other school policy infractions.
Check your holds now and continue to check often. The easiest way to ensure a registration night free of holds is to see your advisor.
“Avoid doing things that cause holds to begin with,” Anderson said.
Meeting with your advisor is crucial in getting the classes you want. In competitive areas, your advisor can be your best friend. Anderson suggested creating an ideal schedule and a few alternatives. Then, if a class you need is full, your advisor will keep you posted on openings, so be diligent about checking your e-mail.
“I go on C.A.T.S and come up with three possible schedules,” said Jessica Gidjunis, sophomore nursing major. “I research the classes and all the professors that teach each class.”
After you have several schedules that include the CRN number and the time and day of each class, all that is left to do is go to bed and be ready in the morning.
“I try to get a good night’s rest so I can be amped to register at 5:00,” Gidjunis said.
John Bailey, a junior biology major, always checks to see how many slots are left in the classes he is interested prior to registration. This information is located on myCats under C.A.T.S. As a junior, registration gets a little easier.
“When I look at the numbers the night before, that’s when I stress,” said Bailey.
Derrick Bahnsen is a freshman who concedes that he has yet to prepare for registration yet he does admit that he is a bit nervous.
Natasha Sasser, a freshman early childhood education major, plans to make up several schedules, and has a meeting with her advisor, but she is not nervous at all about registration.
Anderson’s last bit of advice: ask for help. The office of the registrar, your advisors, and most importantly upperclassmen are always there to help you. Other students have tips that you might not get elsewhere. Don’t be afraid to ask. Good luck to all!
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 10 2008. Filed under News.
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