Registration season is almost over, and here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way!
- Figure out what classes you need to take. This might involve going to your academic adviser, looking up your major requirements, or in some severe cases, making a detailed four year plan. Do whatever works for you, and know what classes have to be on your schedule for next semester.
- Work on your schedule beforehand. Google “course schedule planner,” click your classes, and save a couple schedules that have harmonious sections. This will give you a good idea of what your schedule will look like next semester and save you stress.
- Find out which courses fill up easily. This might be bio lab or public speaking. After that, get someone to hold that class for you. (Side note: find people with more credits than you that are willing to hold your spot in a class. This could be a Big from an organization or any friend with a lot of AP credits.)
- Know what time you register. To do this, google “Rutgers undergraduate registration schedule,” and find the time that corresponds with your credits.
- Set up camp before WebReg opens. Use a Ethernet cable if you have one, open up course schedule planner and WebReg, and copy all your course index numbers (the 6 digit number for the section and class) into an Excel sheet. Have the index number of the class you ABSOLUTELY need copied to your clipboard and ready to paste into WebReg. Also, try to be on campus when your register as the servers work faster.
- DO NOT try to register for all five or six of your classes at the same time. Make a schedule with that one class you REALLY need, and start clicking register a minute before registration opens. (Another side note: pull up a world clock to have a countdown before WebReg opens.)
- If you can’t get into the class, use ‘schedru.me.’ This website checks every minute if a class is open.
- If all else fails, e-mail the professor for an SPN. Just make sure you outline why you need to take the class now, your interest in your class, and what section you want to take. And, make sure you thank them.
Best of luck!
-JC
Hi Christopher! Let me give you some context about how scheduling works at Rutgers before I answer your question. During registration period, the more credits you have, the earlier you start to register. Therefore, if you have a lot of credits, it’s easier to get in to popular classes because less people will be able to register at that time. In the future, if you don’t have enough credits, other people can hold a spot in the class for you and drop it later. Therefore, point #3 is just find friends with more credits than you so they can register earlier and potentially hold any courses for you. I hope this answers your question!
So they can drop the class easy and then, once dropped, u register quickly? I saw the Registration screen that showed dates for doing registration… with those with low credits at the very end.
Thanks, I just didn’t know u could drop classes so easy!
What exactly do u mean in #3 above, specifically: ‘…Side note: find people with more credits than you that are
willing to hold your spot in a class.’?
I will be a Freshman in the Fall 2018 (I think APA Day handles my first semester scheduling) but I want to be prepared for the semesters that will follow and you note some great suggestions!