Editorial: Tips for a stress-free class registration

On Monday, the University registrar’s office will release the official listing of classes for the upcoming fall semester on ConnectCarolina. This comes in preparation for class registration, which will begin on June 1. For those of us who love planning for classes more than we enjoy actually taking them, this period of time each semester is usually devoted to the creation of the perfect schedule.

And for many, the day we register for classes can lead to a lot of stress. 

Every semester, some students find themselves looking at their shopping cart on ConnectCarolina and seeing that every class they wanted to take now has a blue square next to it rather than a green circle. Or that, somehow, every single class they need or want to take is at the exact same time. 

There is a lot of pressure surrounding class registration, and almost everyone has a registration-related horror story. International students and students studying abroad sometimes have to register in the middle of the night due to time differences, and students find camaraderie in complaining about their registration times.

In order to ease the pressure of registration this year, the Editorial Board has compiled some tips for a peaceful registration appointment:

Don’t stress too much about your registration time.

Your assigned registration date and time are determined by how many terms you have been in residence at UNC. The later you register, the less time you’ve spent at UNC — and, consequently, the more time you still have left. 

So if you don’t get that class you really wanted this semester, it will almost certainly be offered again later, and you can take it then!

If you don’t get your preferred schedule on registration day, wait it out.

People drop and add classes starting on registration day all the way into the first week of classes. So, chances are that even if you don’t get all the classes you want on the day you register, you will get most (if not all) of those classes by FDOC. Be patient!

Have a backup plan.

If the classes you really want close, there is a pretty good chance they will open up again. But you should have a contingency plan in case they don’t. 

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; utilize planning tools like Coursicle or the Schedule Planner on Connect Carolina to make a few backup schedules so you’re fully prepared. 

Choose at least one class that is easy, has a nice professor and/or discusses a subject you are genuinely interested in.

College is hard. In the midst of keeping up with the seemingly endless problem sets, essays and exams the professors in your required classes assign, having one actually interesting class with a lenient professor or no exams can feel like a breath of fresh air. You deserve it!

@dthopinion

opinion@dailytarheel.com