It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Time for advising and registration for the spring 2022 semester. Advising and registration can be a daunting process for new students. The scary part is not knowing what step comes next. 

First, get advised. Although it might feel like we are not very deep into the fall 2021 semester, it is already time to schedule advising meetings. For some colleges, advisors will reach out via email with information about how to schedule an advising meeting. Although advising can be a year-round process, the weeks leading up to registration are the most rigorous. With everyone trying to get advised at the same time, it is important to check your email frequently so you never miss advising emails and registration dates. 

“Make an appointment with your advisor and be early for that advising appointment.  We have a lot of advising to do during a short time so being late causes problems.  For me, I just move to the next student and hopefully the student that missed can get worked in somewhere else.  Just know that it won’t be at the expense of another students scheduled time,” associate professor, Dr. David Frazier said.

Next, mark your calendars. Once you have crossed the advising hurdle, it is time to get ready for registration. This year, priority registration will begin on Oct. 25, senior registration is Oct. 27, junior registration is Oct. 29, sophomore registration is Nov. 1 and freshman registration is Nov. 3. Registration for all classifications starts at 6 a.m. on the scheduled day and lasts until 11:59 p.m. Registration locks after each student’s allotted time has expired. In order to remove holds, students must meet with their advisor. 

“Be adaptable when talking about classes.  Just because you want a specific schedule (because it is what works best for YOUR personal agenda) doesn’t mean that the courses will line up the way you want.  When this happens, change your personal agenda and prioritize your class schedule,” Frazier said.

Then, place your classes in a scheduled planner. In order to register students must first login to MyGateway and click on the “student” tab. Next, click on the DuckTrax link and search “registration” in the search engine. Go to the “select term” tab and choose the desired semester. Proceed to the “schedule planner” tab and begin locating the classes you desire to take.

Finally, hit the “register” button at 6 a.m. One of the most relieving feelings is when you can successfully hit “register” and go back to sleep. At this point, the hard part is over and you can get back to prioritizing final exams! Remember, take your time and take the classes that best suit your four year plan. Happy Registration Day Texans!

Be proactive and engaged in your advising.  You should come to your advising meeting with a “plan” for the upcoming semester.  My pet peeve is students who come into the meeting with a “I have no idea what I need to do so just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it” mentality.

Bring your plan from previous meetings so you don’t have to do it all over again. I give a sheet that shows what needs to be taken and if I have to redo it every time, it just takes away from other things that we could be discussing.

 After advising, talk to other students prior to signing up for classes and ask their advice on classes and professors.

BE HONEST with your advisor but realize that we are not magic and we can’t make certain classes just “appear” when they are not being offered or make them “disappear” when you “don’t want to take that class.”