With fall registration under way, many students have already experienced the horror that is Nest. As with any registration process, it is hard to guarantee a spot in a class of your choice, unless a seat is being reserved for a specific reason. Here are a few tips and tricks, as well as complications we can all relate to and should heed in order to [try to] ensure a smooth registration day.
1. Holds
Some have them, some don't. Point is, if you do have them, whether it's because your account has an outstanding balance, you haven't seen your advisor (freshmen and some majors), or you have a parking ticket you haven't payed off, these need to be taken in care of before you register; otherwise you will not be allowed to.
2. Repeating Classes
In the unfortunate event that you must repeat a class, it is not how it once used to be. Rather, students are now required to obtain an authorization PIN from the Registrar's Office in order to sign up for that same class. Though the reason may be unclear or not make sense to some, I do believe this method is better to ensure that those who are repeating classes are doing so for rightful reasons and not simply to boost their GPA.
3. Personal Information
As with WESS, students are once again required to update their personal information, which include their address and emergency contact, but must also accept a few Terms and Conditions. It's a simple task, but still very important.
4. Prerequisites
Because Nest is still fairly new, it hasn't had to chance to completely transfer over all the information from WESS. With this said, if you are registered for a class now or in the upcoming summer that is a pre-requisite for the fall, you will need a special authorization from the department in order to be able to add that class to your new schedule.
For the most part, these are basically the only things that should prevent you from registering smoothly. However, with a new system being launched for thousands of students to utilize heavily every hour on the hour, additional complications can and should be expected.
5. Glitches, Glitches, Glitches
A major issue with anything technical is the possibility of a glitch. In my case, for a 1:00pm registration time, Nest decided to not comprehend that it is time to open registration for students. Because of this, I had to sit there for twenty minutes constantly refreshing the page in hopes that it will allow me to add classes. Once up and running, it was alright [for the most part]. I did lose the class that already has two spots remaining, but at least that was a problem on their end; still, it didn't help. Unfortunately, glitches cannot be avoided, and the truth is, we'll just have to deal with them.
With this said, because even the impossible could happen, Montclair State has taken the initiative of setting up registration help centers, where members of the Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and Registrar's Office will be available to assist with and answer any questions regarding the upcoming semester and registration.
As a word of advice, I highly recommend you register on campus in the event that something does go wrong, and yes, even if you normally are not at school on that day. Having no Friday classes, I found it in my best interest to haul myself to campus just in case, and good thing I did. The point is, although you may complete everything on your end, there is just no way of knowing what can and will happen. Take the precautions, remain calm, and hopefully your registration will run smoothly.
