El McCabe
Writer

Registering for classes brings up a mix of emotions for most students. There is of course the overall excitement for a fresh start and a new set of professors. Yet, this excitement is combated with the overall anxiety of starting a new routine. Then there is always the fear that despite hours of painstakingly selecting the perfect classes or schedule for your sleeping preferences, that all the spots will be taken before your time slot. This fear is a valid one for many underclassmen, especially first-years, but everything indeed works out in the end.

As a first-year it is important to expect that you will not get into all, if any, of your first choices. If a class is your first choice, there is a high chance that the class is also the first choice of many other students. Having a lot of backups is essential for this very reason. It can be frustrating, dismaying and upsetting to watch the classes that stood out to you lose spots every registration period. The good news is that in the future those classes will be offered again, and it only gets better in terms of registration.

Personally, I did not get into any of the classes I first selected two weeks before my registration period. The key to being satisfied with my classes was finding backups that were not simply fillers to match with my wait-listed choices, but finding classes that truly piqued my interest or explored subjects I had never considered. Part of the college experience is exploring classes/subject areas that you would not have had access to in high school and are outside of your defined interests. You never know when a class is going to speak to you or when you will find a professor with whom you really connect.

If you are still really concerned about your current schedule and dissatisfied with the backups you have chosen, putting yourself on the wait-list for one or more classes is an option. The wait-list is on a first-come, first-serve basis and if you are in the position of numbers one through four, there is a good chance that you will get into the class or classes that you want. The benefits of putting yourself on the wait-list might not come immediately; a lot of people change their minds about classes within the first week of the new semester. By that point you may even be satisfied with your new class and not even desire the old class anymore.

The registration process always finds a way of working itself out. For some students, this means memorizing course codes and practicing typing them really fast into the browser while others carefully select classes and backups that they will be satisfied with despite the outcome. No matter how you cope with registration woes, it is assuring to know that it will only get easier as time goes on.