Class Registration: A No-Nonsense Guide
The weeks leading up to registration for classes can be a hectic and frustrating time for many students; what classes should I take? What requirements must I fulfill? What pre-requisites do I need? These are a few of the plethora of questions that plague our minds as we try and decide what our schedule for the upcoming term will look like.
Many end up going to advisors on the day of their registration date only to find out that the only section available was full and they have to wait another term to register for the class; sometimes leading to delays in graduation.
Instead of settling for classes that you don’t want, or selecting classes that may not be necessary for your major there are a few simple things you can do that will make sure that you get all the credits you need to graduate on time.
#1 Understanding what courses you are required to complete for graduation
The (Degree Audit Reporting System) DARS is a great way to see what requirements you must fulfill: including gen-eds, major classes and general college classes.
The following steps will show you how to get to the DARS page:
#2 When should you be taking those courses
Now that you are aware of what classes you will need, the next step is to figure out your academic plan https://bulletin.temple.edu/ is a great resource to use. This website complies together every single college and major available at Temple. Once you find the right Major, you can get the details on: What the major is about, important contact details, Major course requirements, course descriptions and a suggested academic plan.
#3 Customizing your academic plan to suit your needs
Every student is different, some may want to take electives throughout their time at Temple, some may want to complete all their Gen-eds first, and some may take their Gen-eds during their senior year. One easy way to make sure you get the classes you want and complete the classes you need is to make a simple diagram. The following diagram (figure 1) was created on Gliffy and is based on the MIS Bulletin page. From this diagram you can see what classes have prerequisites and what classes are stand-alone classes. Creating a diagram allows you to clearly visualize your academic plan; furthermore it allows you to move around classes without delaying graduation time.
#4 Selecting the actual course sections
Now that you have a general idea of your overall academic plan the next step is to find the classes and section numbers you will be selecting for the upcoming term. The following steps will show you how to get to pages that have detailed information on timings and days for classes:
#5 Make an appointment with an Advisor
It’s always beneficial to have a second opinion, in this particular case, a good idea would be to make an appointment with your advisor, if you have any questions, concerns, or problems registering for classes they are the people you should meet and talk to.
Registering for classes can be quite tricky but if you follow these simple steps it will allow you to maximize your time at Temple, hopefully, allowing you to choose exactly what class and section you want, what electives you want and when you want to take what classes. The opportunity to get a good education is often taken for granted, instead of taking classes that you have no desire to take, choose those that you want; without damaging your prospects for graduating on time. A final piece of advice I can leave you with is to make sure you know your registration date!
