By Bobby Klatt Contributing writer
You have survived the first couple months of college and by now you finally have gotten into a rhythm of how things work at Susquehanna.
Today marks the start of an important but daunting process: registration.
Registering for classes can be very important, even early on in your college career, to solidify the path you want to lead toward your degree.
There are a number of tips that can make this stressful process a lot easier for you and ensure that you get the classes you want.
The first important thing to do before picking any classes is to know how to read your degree audit. It will spell out exactly what classes you will need to take over the course of your time in college.
Under each requirement there are specific classes in many different topics that fulfill that expectation.
You can find your degree audit in your MySU account.
It is on the right hand side under “current student” and then “academic profile.”
One smart technique is to find classes that cover more than one requirement, so as you get into your junior and senior years you can focus on taking classes that are for your major or just classes that you find interesting.
There is a video that Susquehanna provides for students on MySU to teach you how to read your degree audit.
That can be found on the Academic Advising page under Topic 2a.
“The most important thing for any first-year student is to use their degree audit as a road map,” said David Kaszuba, professor of communications at Susquehanna.
“If they are using their degree audit, they won’t get lost. It spells out how many credits they have earned, how many they need to graduate and it shows them every part of the central curriculum and major requirement they need to graduate,” he added.
Right before the registration period opens, students receive a large newspaper in their mailboxes that lists every class offered in the next semester under each requirement and subject.
This will be your biggest asset to getting the classes that you want.
Try your best to even out your schedule as best as possible so you don’t have to take all your classes in one day.
For example, try to schedule an even course load for the Monday, Wednesday, Friday circuit of class as well as for the Tuesday, Thursday cycle.
The easiest way to attack the newspaper filled with classes is to take it like you’re studying for a test.
You may not get the right combination the first, second or even third time around.
There may be a lot of crossing out on your notepad and maneuvering before you get the right combination.
A good way to get an understanding of what to apply for is to meet up with some of your classmates in the same major to get a feel for what they might be thinking.
Especially in your first year, it’s good to look for guidance from upperclassmen who have been through the ranks and know what the pressure of picking the right schedule for yourself feels like.
They know almost all the professors you may come across, the work load each class brings and what to jump into right away and what to maybe hold off until you get deeper into your department.
Once you have everything picked out, there is one last step you have to do before hitting submit for picking your classes: talk to your advisor.
Before finalizing the classes that you apply for, your advisor must lift the hold off of your account.
Usually your advisor is a teacher or staff member from your specific major.
Your advisor will also be a great asset to figuring out how you want to fill your Global Opportunities requirement.
Don’t be afraid to talk to them to get an idea if you want to study abroad for a semester or join a GO Short program.
To make things easier, know what questions you want to ask before going to your meeting. It will make your meeting go more smoothly.
Do not be afraid to ask any questions regarding your major or minor, what courses may be better to take in the fall or spring semester and anything in between.
“I would tell them to meet with their advisors as early as they can,” said James Black, dean of academic engagement at Susquehanna.
“Try to prepare themselves for their meeting by knowing what classes they may want to take so they aren’t going into the meeting cold,” he added.
The way classes are scheduled is not first come, first serve. You have the entire registration window to get your classes into the system.
The classes are then distributed according to year and major. So, early on in your college career, you may not get every class you apply for.
Your classes won’t be finalized until the latter weeks of the semester.
You may not get every class that you want so have a few backup plans because there will be other classes that won’t fill to capacity.
It is also a good idea to contact the professors of the classes you did not get into to see if there is room for you.
A lot of the time professors will take a couple more students in a class and you may end up getting into some of those classes you originally thought were full.
It is always a good idea to at least try to get into a class you did not get into the first time.
The worst that can happen is the professor says no and then you pick a different class.
Once the add/drop process starts, try to get into those classes that still may be available because they may not be for long.
The most important thing throughout the entire process is to stay ahead of the game. If you wait until the last minute, you may not get the classes you need or want.
You may not think that picking classes for the first time will have a great impact on your future college career, but it makes an impact more than you think.