Monday, April 7, 2014

Registering for your first college classes


Registering for your first college classes
You were admitted to college, already took the placement test, and submitted your tuition deposit. What about registering for your courses?
  • Some colleges register you for your first courses based on your placement test results and your major, so you need do nothing in terms of registration, except, of course, pay your tuition bill. 
  • If you are a student in a "Bridge" program or one that begins in the Summer, you may also be registered for your first courses for the summer, without any effort on your end. For example, students admitted into Kean University's EEO/EOF Program will have their courses registered for them already before they attend the required EEO/EOF Orientation on June 26, 4:00-8:00 p.m., to begin those courses during the Pre-Freshman Summer Academy, which will run Monday-Thursday, July 1-August 12th, 2014. 
  • You will receive an invitation to register for your Fall classes at college. At some colleges, this is before a required Orientation and at others, it is after Orientation or perhaps even during Orientation. No matter the method, you will either be invited to register for your courses online or in-person. At Kean university, our students register in-person before Orientation. 
  • For the best selection of courses, try to register as early as you can. Even so, you will be registering after current students have registered, so the availability of courses will already be somewhat limited.
  • During registration advisement. you will be assisted by a professional or a peer student in selecting your classes and schedule. 
  • Be aware that the first courses for which you will register will be either developmental courses that count as a credit during the semester you are taking them, or college-level classes that do count towards your degree requirements, or a combination of both. It all depends on how well you did on the placement test or if you were waived from placement testing due to your SAT/ACT scores. 
  • Just like that old saying, "too many cooks spoil the broth", it is in your best interest to be without parents when you register for your courses. Your parents have good intentions in advising you to take certain courses, but probably do not know all the ins and outs of course registration and degree requirements. Sometimes there are family meetings or orientations that your parents can attend instead. 
  • Plan to attend classes Monday through Friday. Most freshman, and in fact most students, find it difficult, if not impossible, to try to register for class sections that would allow one or more days off during the week. 
  • Try to have down time in between classes so that you have time for studying, researching, eating meals, or just relaxing in between your classes. Unlike high school, your days will be intense and some break in between classes will help you limit your stress. 
  • If you will be living on campus, consider taking one or two classes at night. This may allow you to block some studying, researching, mealtimes, or just time for a breather into your daily schedule. You are on campus anyway, so make good use of your time. 
  • If you are not alert in the morning, try not to register for classes with the earliest morning start time (usually 8:00 or 8:30 a.m.). Why set your self up for trouble? Of course, if your get tired in the evening, try to avoid evening classes for the same reasons. 
  • Be aware that you may have no choice and may be forced to take courses during a time that is not ideal for you. You will have the summer to train yourself to wake up earlier or stay up later (although the latter is usually not a problem for most teenagers). You can set your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier each day during the summer until you reach the time you will need to wake up to get to your classes on time; then wake up every morning at that time. Some people find that drinking a glass of orange juice in the morning can help you be more alert.
  • After registration, make sure that you pay your tuition bill on time and have all your paperwork straight with the Financial Aid office so that your courses are not deleted. 
  • Check with your college to see which books you will need for your classes. At Kean University, you can do this through the Kean Wise system. You can then order your books from an online source where you might find that they are less costly than those you can order through the campus bookstore. However, take note that purchasing books online will probably not allow for them to be paid with financial aid monies.