Story by Haley Penrod
Staff writer
hpenrod1@murraystate.edu
Students can register for the fall 2019 semester starting on April 8.
Registration will open via MyGate April 8-12, depending on students’ status. Some students forget to properly prepare with their academic adviser, which leads them to register late. If students register late, they may be unable to pick classes that they need for their major or to graduate on time.
Barbara Cobb, coordinator of academic advising, said students are required to meet with their advisers. Until students meet with their advisers, they will have a hold placed on their account.
To prepare, Cobb said students should visit their MyGate to find out who their adviser is. Students can also check their MyGate to find dates and times for pre-registration.
Preparing for registration is important because not only does it help decide what classes to take, but it also ensures students do not take something that is not required for their major or field of study. Students can do this by looking at their RACR degree audit via MyGate.
“If you are not prepared — with a tentative schedule, with a plan for future semesters, with a review of your RACR — you may end up having to schedule a second session with your adviser,” Cobb said. “If you don’t meet with your adviser before advanced scheduling, the week of April 8, lots of other students will register before you and the courses you want or need may not be available. That can cost you an extra semester or year.”
Jordan Moore, sophomore from Madisonville, Kentucky, said it is important for students to use their RACR degree audit to their advantage.
“Make sure you use your RACR degree audit,” Moore said. “It is a really great tool that gives you green checks and red X’s and helps lay out what you need exactly to graduate. You can even reference that with your adviser. I would also recommend having a pre-schedule worked out to make your advising appointment very quick, easy and efficient.”
Every major has certain classes that are mandatory but are only available during specific semesters.
“Some courses are only offered in fall or spring, or even every other year,” Cobb said. [The Murray State advising website] has planning tools that help you to plan for future semesters; your adviser can help with this as well.”
Cobb said registering for classes can be competitive, so students should register as soon as possible.
“Register as soon as you can,” Cobb said. “If you register at that date and time you will have more choices than someone who waits hours or days after that registration window opens. Many programs offer very limited seats in their classes – you want to get into your classes as soon as possible.”
Moore offered advice on how to register for competitive classes from her personal experience.
“My secret is that if you have a course, one course in particular that you are dying to get into, type the CRN into a word document or post it on your laptop and copy and paste,” Moore said. “Use your quick keys to paste into the slots and submit – copy, paste and submit. You have a larger chance if the system crashes that it will still process for you.”
Students have many resources to understand class registration.
Cobb said your academic adviser is your first advocate, in addition to your department chair or program coordinator. Students can also reach out to the dean or associate dean of their college if necessary.
If a student does not get into a class they need, there are resources to help them. Cobb said students should reach out to their advise to see if they can be put into the class.
However, Linda Johnsonius, director of the center for undergraduate business advising, said professors are not always able to exceed their classroom limit.
“Well, and I say this with great caution, a student can always ask the professor about a course closed override,” Johnsonius said. “When that happens, be aware you’re asking that instructor to do extra work. Be humble, be polite, and be appreciative regardless of the answer. There may be physical limitations that make oversized classes impossible, classroom size, instruments or computers available, for example.”
Students who fail to prepare for registration have had bad experiences. Johnsonius said that some even had to come back for another semester to meet degree requirements.
“There are many horror stories I can tell,” Johnsonius said. “I’ve seen students walk through the Graduation Ceremony ‘for their family’ knowing they have to return to finish requirements. I have seen students who had to return for one course. And even a situation where a student, required to be full-time to be here, had to take nine unnecessary hours in order to finish the one required course.”
Moore also said students concerned about registering should seek advice from older students who have experience in their major.
“They have a lot of great advice from which professors to take, what times and ways to do it,” Moore said. “They might have had scheduling nightmares in the past, so you could learn from their mistakes and gather that advice.”
For more information on advising, students should contact their advisers or visit the Murray State website.