Registration help

I know that the registration process can be confusing, and even daunting at times, so I'm going to be answering your questions on this blog. If you have a question, just post a comment, and I'll blog the answer, because many others are often asking the same thing! Today's question is:

I have my classes picked out, but there are so many different sections of each, I don't know where to start. How am I supposed to construct a schedule?!

The Students' Union offers a handy tool to help you envision and choose your schedule. It's called Bear Scat (not to be confused with Bear Tracks). On Bear Scat, you can pick out all of your courses with a colour-coated scheduler tool, and then you can play around with where your courses sit.

Don't forget to think about lifestyle. Are you a morning person? A night person? Do you want to consider doing a night course to free up some of your weekdays? When I was a student, I lucked out most semesters, not starting any of my courses until after 11 am. It worked for me. Figure out what works for you, and then design your schedule are that!

One thing to remember about Bear Scat - it doesn't actually register you in the courses you pick out, so when you're done with it, head over to Bear Tracks to make everything official!

Facebook group for class of 2012 (that's you!)

Are you looking to meet some of your fellow upcoming freshman classmates? I was browsing through a few U of A Facebook groups, and found this one - U of A Class of 2012 - which was started by some students a few weeks ago.

I would join it myself, except that I am no longer a freshman (or a student for that matter). "Back in my day" (it seems like not long ago, but it has been eight years since I've graduated high school!) we didn't have social networking as an option to "pre-meet" our classmates. Take advantage of it!

There are also hundreds of other U of A student interest groups, so do some surfing and you may find a unique community you want to join! Ciao!

Registering for classes - it gets easier!

Although it may seem like a daunting task at first, just think of registering for classes as an adventure - a choose-your-own-adventure! It may take a bit of time figuring things out this year, but by the time second year registration roles around, you'll feel like a pro!

The first time I registered for university classes, I changed my mind so many times that I had to resubmit paper forms more than 10 times! Luckily, the registration process has improved since then - now you can search for, add, and delete classes as many times as you would like online, before the add/drop deadline in the fall!

You've probably already heard about the online system, Bear Tracks, used by the U of A for just about everything. This is how you'll sign up for classes. Bear Tracks is pretty intuitive, but check out the user guide anytime you're unsure about a certain process.

Registration Tip #1: Get to know Bear Tracks! If you haven't yet received your CCID (campus computing I.D.), you can log in as a guest to get familiar with the system before you choose your classes.

I will see some of you at the Registration 101 Workshop on campus tonight!