It's that time of year again. The spring semester is coming to a close which means it's time to start thinking about the fall. Everyone is looking forward to summer and trying their best to keep an A in that one class they swear might be the death of them. In fact, we're at the point where it'd be best to forget that some of our classes even exist.
So, honestly, coming up with more classes to take is the last thing on our minds. Especially, when class registration is one of the most frustrating tasks college students face. It's extremely rare that everything goes exactly as you want it. It doesn't really matter if you started mapping out a potential schedule weeks in advance or began the night before your time slot. It doesn't stop any of the steps that are the aggravating experience of class registration.
Advising
The first thing on everyone's list is meeting with an advisor. The problem is, everyone needs to meet with an advisor because no one wants to make all the decisions themselves. Sometimes it's just easier to let someone who knows what they're doing take control. But at some point it's too late, there are no more appointments left until weeks after you really needed one. So then you turn to email and immediately become the most annoying person in your advisor's entire life.
Schedule Building
Chances are your school has an app or website that is supposed to help you build the perfect schedule. Unfortunately, this app or website isn't always the easiest thing to use. Putting in the classes you need to take and letting it take control can lead to one of two outcomes - the option of 5 possible schedules or the option of 150. Either way, it can start getting complicated when you start looking for the best schedule possible
Classes
You honestly don't know how many students have registered before you but it must have been every single one of them because there are NO classes that have open spots. It can get extremely frustrating when every class you need is full. And sometimes you aren't even sure they are actually full. What kind of class has 5 people in it?
Electives
Electives are great and almost always necessary in order to graduate but when you need classes that actually count towards your major but are then forced to take an elective you definitely don't need it can get a little annoying. I need Intro to Public Relations to graduate but instead, I'm taking Introduction to Beekeeping (yes, this is a real class).
8 a.m. classes
No one wants them but everyone experiences them at least once in their college career. When creating a schedule, "no 8 a.m. classes" is top on the list for many people. Sometimes switching around classes or even ditching a class that is only available at 8 a.m. is worth it
Rate My Professor
Even though it's not entirely reliable, Rate My Professor is a tool utilized by almost every student. It can make or break someone's decision to take a certain class. It's always difficult when a professor has both rave reviews as well as ones from students that would probably key his car if they had the chance.
Registering
When it's finally time to actually register, your life becomes very serious for a short period of time. As soon as the clock hits your registration time, your finger hits that register button so fast it's actually kind of impressive. However, there is always a chance that a class will begin to fill up right before your eyes. You can try to snag that lost spot but you have to be quick
Begging
If you weren't fast enough, there's always the option of emailing your advisor or the professor of the class and begging them to give you a spot. Sometimes it actually works while other times you're basically told to religiously watch the class openings until just maybe a place opens up.
In the end, registering for classes can be a difficult task. There are so many options and so many ways to mess up. However, once you finish your schedule and everything is as it should be, the feeling of relief is amazing. Good luck to everyone who still needs to register, you've got this.
