Registration is pitched at orientation as the most important event of the weekend, and vital to kickstarting your college career. The Pipe Dream Editorial Board wanted to share some wisdom on how to maneuver the process. While we’re not experts, we all seemed to get through it relatively unscathed.
First, prepare, prepare, prepare. Before you register, come with a list of classes you want to take and alternates if you don’t get into those. Watch the videos you were sent about how to use the system. If you plan to transfer between schools within Binghamton, know the requirements early on so you don’t miss your deadlines.
That being said, here is a big secret: your schedule is not set in stone. The majority of students never stick with the classes they initially sign up for in any given semester, let alone when preparing for freshman year. If you don’t like a class, you can change it once the semester starts. The add/drop period begins on August 19 and lasts until September 7. If you don’t get a spot in a class, one might become available during that time, too.
As you learn about scheduling, don’t be intimidated by general education requirements. While those ambiguous letters might seem to be there just to make it harder to for you to get a degree, they’re actually a good excuse to explore new and existing interests. Often, they will already be incorporated into classes you are taking anyway. Know which ones you need to graduate but don’t bend over backwards to try to accommodate for them, and don’t let them rule over your first semester decisions.
Orientations are fairly large, so you probably won’t have time to sit down with a professional advisor and talk in-depth about your individual schedule. However, you can find a lot of information online about classes and requirements. Also, take advantage of your orientation advisors. They know a lot about BU and might be able to connect you with someone who knows more about your intended areas of study.
If you intend on graduating, Degree Works, an additional scheduling resource, is your friend. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a tool on the Binghamton website that will show you all the classes you can and must take based on your major and intended major. Learn to use it; it can be very helpful in determining your future schedules.
You should use your freshman year to explore different interests. College isn’t a race; there is no need to sprint through all your major requirements right away. Take a semester of Japanese even if you never plan on leaving Long Island. Not because you think you should — but because never again will you be so enabled to grow into the well-rounded individual that you are here to become.
We wish you the best of luck with orientation. While registration may feel like a twisted digital version of the Hunger Games, it’s important to remember that everyone else is in the same boat. Take a deep breath. Breathe out. This is just the beginning of eight semesters (give or take) in which you get to design and control your learning. High school is over. No more sixth period English. This new freedom should be exciting.