a lot of classes have already been filled up. English has been filled too! Any know know good/somewhat easy electives i can take freshman year? preferably a technical one or related to engineering.
If you are talking about registering at the NSC, they do tend open more classes during each NSC.
My son registered for classes this afternoon (Engineering major). Yes, a lot of classes were filling up. Fortunately, he used AP credit for English, but we heard those classes were closed and none were added today, which seems odd since it’s a core required class. This morning, we asked the advisor why 0 seats were showing for Honors Math 151. We were told seats would open up at 2:00 when the students registered. None did, so he chose a non-Honors course. He did get an elective that is hugely popular – Enviro Design 101 – with just 25 seats remaining when he went to register. Didn’t get the Physics prof/time he wanted, so will have class til 7 p.m. T/Th. We have heard that they open new sections at the start of each NSC, but we did not see that today.
Yikes. My S doesn’t go until July 7th…I hope there is something left!! We had him registered this week initially but had to punt it due to his yearbook work.
Talked to someone who’s student went to the very last NSC a couple years back. Said the flood gates opened and they had had a wide choice of class sections. So who knows?
When classes start all sections should be open unless they decide these aren’t enough students or instructors to justify it. Lots of kids will be swapping classes during open registration. Keep your eye on that section you want and it may open up. Worked for son last year. A seat opened up in the class he wanted and he ended up with a good schedule both by time and professor. He had to move around a couple of classes but it worked.
Can anyone explain how the process works? Like how it all goes down when you make your schedule? All I heard was that it was very stressful.
At my sons NSC last year he was taken to a large room with other Engineering majors. They are each put in front of a computer station and wait until the registration session opens. Once theycall open, then everyone scrambles to type in their classes trying to get the schedules they want.
It is stressful, but you can prepare for the day. I recommend using myedu.com to build several schedule options. You can also look at the open classes (including number of seats) on the TAMU system the night before. When my son registered his final AP scores had not posted yet so TAMU would not let him register for classes he didn’t have the AP pre-requisites. He had to wait until his AP classes posted and then he called his advisor who forced him into the classes he needed.
As @whciv01 said, be prepared. We also used myedu.com to build several different schedules the night before and cross referenced to the tamu open seats. It literally took my son less than 1 minute to register. He had the CRNs memorized and keyed them and hit enter. He got what he wanted. It was stressful up until that point. As long as you are prepared that should ease your stress level and things should go smoothly.
How far in advance of your NSC can you look at myedu.com and how do you access it? We looked for it through Howdy but couldn’t see where to access it. I assumed (hopefully inaccurately!) it wasn’t visible until the student is at the NSC.
We had the same issues last year as @whciv01, in that TAMU somehow did not have my son’s AP scores. (I had sent them myself.) We were OOS, so we went to the last NSC to avoid paying for an extra trip to College Station. Because they did not have his AP scores, he could not register for anything but freshman calculus and he had to register for freshman core classes. Then, after receiving the AP scores again, TAMU rejected his HS transcript because it did not show his graduation date. Long story short, it all worked out. He was able to drop the classes he did not want and add the classes he wanted. But it was pretty stressful for a while.
Myedu.com is a third party system that has access to the TAMU course schedule. You can start working schedule right now by signing up for access. We started about a week out from my sons NSC and built about 4 variations. If nothing else, it helps give you some practice before the actual NSC signup. My son had to change a few classes the day of the NSC, but he was more comfortable with the process after working with myedu.
To see the TAMU system schedules, log into your HOWDY portal and click on the My Record tab. Look under the Registration heading and you will see Search Class Schedule. Remember, they open new classes with each NSC so don’t fret if your classes show full.
Do they open these classes the night before the NSC? What I’m asking is if they open new classes AT the time you’re allowed to register, or if you can see these open slots the night before and plan. That way I can have the codes ready the night before and not right on the spot.
zwardeh — yes, you definitely can get ready the night before (or a few days before) and have multiple schedules and all the codes written down as you walk into the room at your NSC. So, if one section fills up while you are inputting your codes, you will have an alternative scheduled time and that code ready to go. It definitely relieves a lot of the stress to be prepared. Good luck and have a great time at your NSC!
NETarrantMom is spot on. Write down your CRN codes for the classes you want and have some backup options available. You will be able to see what’s open but it may be right as your registering that some classes open. I know this sounds confusing, but you will understand more when you get to the NSC. Don’t sweat it too much. You may not get every class at the time you want, but there are lots of options. My son said it feels a bit intense, but everything does work out in the end. If you cannot get a particular class, just email your advisor later. They can enroll you outside of the registration times. Good luck and have fun.
I think the biggest misconception is that you’re going to get a lot more help with registration choices from an advisor. Basically you have lists of credits you need to graduate and list of courses that fulfill those requirements. You’re on your own to make your schedule & choose your courses. Be prepared to stay up creating lists after Day 1, many students also brought laptops/ipads to Day 2 lectures to squeeze in more list making if needed. Don’t skip the end of Day 1 just to do scheduling - we actually really liked the yell leaders performance, it was a great reprieve from all the information and a great introduction to the fun part of A&M.
During the sign up period on Day 2, you are also on your own to fix the problem if your desired class is full. When you’re making a schedule do look at the map to see if you actually can get from one class to another in time… it’s a big campus. We did go through NSC without pre-prep, we waited for classes to be announced before beginning the process of hunting for a schedule/professor. Two laptops, one with myedu, the other with TAMU schedule up made it easier to rank the course selections. Bring paper to ‘map out’ your choices, and alternates. Fast typing is the key, also if you make a mistake ( like enter art instead of economics #) you can correct it - you’re not stuck with the classes you enter initially. My D wasn’t clear on that, she reread her list for accuracy which was a mistake as every second counts towards gaining spots in classes. She had to rework her classes several times, my S was done in a minute.
You also have add/drop week to get/change courses. Lots of classes open up at that point, many students come to NSC with parents then add/drop week they’re on their own & end up changing schedules ( it’s funny how that works ). Also a minimum of 12 units is required for eligibility for scholarships/FA so upper classmen who have to qualify for certain courses sign up for backups then drop them when they get into the desired course. Often those are ‘freshman eligible’ courses, since they just need a place-holder until they qualify for their actual course and leaving it open creates more problems ( we’ve encountered this ).