Spring 2012 is looming closer and B-Line is filling my inbox with information about registration dates and deadlines. Time to get down to business.
Registration for this spring is going to hold a certain bittersweet quality for me; it will be my final class registration at Binghamton University. The stress of making sure I take classes that fulfill requirements is now compounded by the stress of making sure I’ll be able to graduate.
But it’s also the last time I’ll get to log into BU Brain and amuse myself by pretending I’m interested in taking a pottery class or horseback riding. Is that basket weaving class still offered? My dad always said that should be my major.
With graduation impending or not, registration is always the same: preparedness is key, and assume the worst. I know you came in freshman year with 36 extra credits, but so did your roommate, and her sorority sister, and her boyfriend and … well, you catch my drift. Don’t assume that you’re going to register before all of your fellow bio majors. They need to take ecology just as much as you do, and they’re just as happy about it.
When facing the chore of registering, make your efforts foolproof. There are a few ways to make sure you don’t have to take that 8:30 a.m. seminar:
Consider more than just four classes. Give yourself at least five or six options; it allows you more flexibility, just in case your first choice is closed.
Write down the name of the classes and the CRN that corresponds to each one.
Typing in a few digits is a whole hell of a lot easier than navigating your way through the class list. You want to send in your request as soon as possible. Oh, and don’t forget discussion sections.
Think about taking that 8:30 a.m. seminar.
Will it really kill you to get up that early? It would kill me, but sometimes the early bird catches the worm; that could mean a professor who grades more easily or a teaching assistant who gives you the answers vs. that nasty TA who doesn’t give out As.
Use Schedulizer and make multiple potential schedules.
Schedulizer will give you a visual of what your week could look like, and also knows all of the different sections offered for each class. It will let you make different schedules from different pools of classes, making it easy to know what will or won’t overlap.
Use Rate My Professor.
Do I need to explain this one? Take advantage. Make it your friend. It’s not always right, and not every professor is listed, but referencing this site’s reviews or asking friends their opinions about a professor they had in the past could make or break your whole semester.
It’s often the professor who truly makes the class. Even though Medieval Church Studies may sound terrible, the most innovative and beloved person at the University might teach it. Don’t overlook that.
Register immediately.
If you have an 8 a.m. registration slot on Friday morning — and it seems to happen to me every semester — set your alarm and get your hungover self on the damn computer.
Trust me, you’ll thank me for making you do your research beforehand.