Do’s, don’ts of registration

By: Steve Maloney, Columnist, Senior

As registration for spring classes approaches, I thought it might be a good time to inform the youngins of some tips and the do’s and don’ts of deciding which classes, professors and course times to take.

First, remember time is of the essence. I consider myself to be a morning person, always up before 9 a.m. during the week. Therefore, I try to hone in on the earlier classes so that I can get them over with and move on with my day. But the overwhelming majority of students loves to sleep in, and I can’t blame them. So my number one suggestion is to focus on the time of your potential classes. This might seem obvious, but I know from personal experience that you might say, “oh, I’ll switch it up and take later classes this time around and do all my work in the mornings,” and then you get caught staying in bed or waiting until the last minute.

Second, keep an eye on the number of seats left in the classes as your time approaches. My first two years of registering were very frustrating because I thought I’d be able to go in and get the exact schedule that I anticipated. If you’re a freshman, sophomore, or even a junior, that is most likely not going to happen. Always have a backup schedule and be aware of adjustments you might have to make when you get into the system.

Along those lines, don’t expect to get into the registration system right away. If you get hung up, or if Porches crashes two minutes into registration, don’t freak out. I don’t agree with the policy of allowing more students to be able to log in than the system can handle, but it is the way it is, and if it happens, an effort will be made to correct it.

Of course, if you haven’t heard of www.ratemyprofessors.com, you’re missing out. Your peers in previous semesters/years have provided their reactions and ratings on most of the professors at UD, and not taking advantage of the resource is foolish. The ratings will provide teaching style, easiness, and even the hotness of the professor, though I’ve never chosen a professor based on the latter category. Sometimes one student will say that a professor was terrible because they taught a certain way, but you might like that type of teaching and use that complaint as a plus. Each professor, like each student, is different, and this website can help you choose the one that is most compatible with your learning style.

Using all of these resources, I set up a spreadsheet with all the classes I want to take with the times, professor, professor rating from www.ratemyprofessor.com, and the number of seats left in the class. I continuously update it as my registration time nears so that I can be realistic about which sections I’ll be able to take. Staying organized is the key to surviving the registration process, so get your registration code from your advisor, gather all the available information, and do your best to nail down that perfect schedule. Good luck, everybody.