<p>So my school has separate orientation dates due to a large number of students. This means that students going to a June or July orientation have an advantage when registering for classes and outlining their schedule. I won't be at my orientation (or in the US, at that) until one of the very last conferences (in August), and I'm worried that many classes will be filled.</p>
<p>Should I even bother outlining my course schedule for next year? I do have some idea of what I want to do, and I have been looking at what classes I need for my graduation track. I heard that many advisers are not very good at accommodating students and their wants, so I wanted a heads-up on what I should do.</p>
<p>Choose classes with the professor (most important) and time slots that you want. Also choose a backup section (maybe 2) for each class in case it is filled already. If there is a class you really wanna get into ask the professor to let you sit in and immediately sign up probably around the time student tuition is due (there may be a couple of students who drop). HTH</p>
<p>Yes, outline your schedule. Course catalogs can be very overwhelming, and they take some time to look through. You don't want to be caught like a deer in headlights when it's your turn to pick classes. Be sure to have backups. As a freshman, you'll have plenty of requirements to fill, so lots of backup-friendly courses.</p>
<p>Does your school have a website that lets you track registration? My school has the course schedule online, and I can see how many slots are in each class, and how many are currently taken. It's updated frequently, so it can be checked throughout the registration periods for a realistic idea of what's filling up and where space is available. If you can't find this, you might email the registrar's office to see if it exists.</p>
<p>Try to get your registration done as soon as possible if it's likely that there will be a squeeze. Our son took a late orientation in his first year and he was able to place out of a course due to a summer course that he took. The grade didn't arrive until just before the start of the semester and he was scheduled to take the same course. So they gave him credit for that course and we had to find something else quickly. We couldn't find anything until someone cancelled from a class and he took that. But it was after the first class met.</p>
<p>If you can log into the registration, you may be able to get an idea as to how crowded prospective classes are. If you find a lot of classes nearly filled at this time, then there could be a problem in August. One other thing: sometimes you will see multiple sections of a course with one or two filled up while many others are empty. This is probably the ratemyprofessor.com effect where students read the comments and pick the section accordingly. So registering for classes can result in less choice in professors.</p>
<p>"Staff" just means that a professor hasn't been secured yet. In that case, get in touch with the department chair (you should be able to find that person on the school's website).</p>
<p>If there's a registration database on the website, it seems safe to assume the numbers are more or less accurate. Why wouldn't you? Keep your eye on it as summer progresses and see whether anything changes...that should let you know.</p>
<p>If there's really a class you want or need, feel free to check in with the professor, but don't go overboard. Some professors may let you add a course once the year begins, but they probably won't have any say in whether or not a spot stays open for you during regular registration. It's your first semester...you probably won't get your ideal schedule, and that will be normal and fine.</p>
<p>call the schools because at my university we have seven orientations and classes are divided evenly amongst sessions. for example, for the 14 person freshman seminar, has two availiable spots at each orientation. you have a SLIGHT disadvantage going to later sessions in some cases, but what really matters is what time of the day you register. </p>
<p>but on the other hand, i figured out all my courses before i went to orientation. my advisor convinced me to switch from spanish to german, but every other class i had already decided to take. and i also had to declare myself as a political science major in order to take introduction to politics, which he helped me with</p>
<p>I showed up with a list of the classes I wanted to take. We were then divided by majors so we could pick classes. Once we picked them, we got to go to that major's office and enroll in them. Since I already had my classes picked, I was at a huge advantage. I was one of the first few people of my major to go register. Towards the end, students didn't get the classes they wanted.</p>
<p>I don't know if it's that way at your school, but def. have a few back up classes planned. Sometimes they will overenroll a class because they expect people will drop, so even if it is full, ask if you can get in.</p>