Registration 101

It’s that time of the semester again: registering for classes. This is a time that some students love and others fear. I know my roommate reacts to the release of next semester’s classes like it’s Christmas morning. Personally, it’s a love-hate relationship. I can’t get too excited about my classes until registration has come and gone and my classes are solid.

As a senior who is double majoring and minoring, I feel like I’ve mastered the art of mixing and matching my classes. I didn’t want to spend my time at Christopher Newport taking classes that wouldn’t advance me for post-grad life. I’ve made sure that each class I take has a purpose. With a liberal learning core you may feel that some classes you’re taking are pointless, but they really help to round you out and prepare you for the basics of any job. Once you’re a junior and senior you’re pretty much in your major classes and loving life.

Here are a few tips I have for registration:

  • Have plenty of back ups, nothing is worse than having a perfect list of classes to find half of them have been filled and you’re left scrambling at seven in the morning
  • Talk to your professors, really talk to them. You might find a new interest or a professor that has a teaching style that works for you
  • If you’re interested, try it! Especially as a freshman or sophomore try out classes, you might find a new passion, major or minor
  • Save your Creative Expression, you’re senior self will thank you
  • Aim for subject over class time, if there is a class you really want to take, take it regardless of time. You might not get out of class on Friday before Four but you’ll enjoy your classes so much more
  • Don’t anticipate override forms. Sometimes you might get lucky, but most of the time override forms are limited and hard to get, try your best to make your classes work without having to rely on them
  • SET MULTIPLE ALARMS! It’s not the end of the world if you oversleep but waking up on time will make your life much easier
  • Test your PIN ahead of time and verify when your time to register is
  • Some students suggest going off campus because Wi-Fi gets iffy with so many people jumping on at the same time, save yourself the hassle and use your smart phone for 10 minutes as a hot spot. It might spike your data for a few minutes but a few minutes off your data plan is better than the hassle of not getting the classes you want

Have fun, Captains and may the academic odds be ever in your favor….

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