We’ve All Been There: Class Registration

By Lauren

We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like blue book exams, the dreaded muffin top or, everyone’s favorite activity, procrastinating. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

Your registration appointment isn’t for another three days, but after hours poring over the course catalog, you’ve finally created the perfect schedule for next semester. It took a lot of finagling, shuffling and about 27 pieces of paper, but you’ve done it. It’s the perfect blend of required courses, interesting courses and that fun class that everyone says you MUST take, all with ample time for lunch (read: naps), no classes before 11am and Fridays completely free!

Staring at your masterpiece, you pat yourself on the back for a job well done, then excitedly share the news with everyone you know. (“WHAT UP, PERFECT SCHEDULE?! #sogoodatcollege”)

But your work is not done yet.

Knowing that some of your desired courses fill up fast, you play a little offense, looking for friends (or classmates, or acquaintances, or that weird kid on your hall who always smells like bologna) with earlier registration dates to “save” you a spot.

“OMG, you register tomorrow?! Can you sign up for History and Culture of the 1960s for me? And the Tuesday, 4pm discussion section? And if that one’s already full, maybe the Wednesday 12 pm? I’ll totally buy you a $5 foot long.”

Over the next three days, you obsessively log in to check the course guide, praying your classes are still open and re-working your now not-so-perfect schedule as they fill up.

More poring over the schedule. More scribbles on scratch paper. More finagling.

“It’s OK,” you tell yourself as the more desirable discussion sections fill up. “I guess having a few 9:30 am classes isn’t so bad. I still have Friday off.”

More logging in.

“OK, so a 1pm Friday class isn’t terrible. I can still sleep in.”

More checkin.

“What?! There is no way in hell I’m taking an 8am class. I pay all this money to go here and THOSE ARE MY ONLY OPTIONS?!”

Finally, your registration day comes.

Your appointment is at the ungodly hour of 8am, but you’re up and at your computer at 7, watching the clock count down. You’ve got your schedule ready and you’re only a few minutes and a few clicks away from solidifying your fate.

The clock clicks to 8 and you frantically click, click and click again. Only – oh no! – that Psych lecture is full! You put yourself on the waiting list and hurriedly scour the course catalog for a back up plan. You need a class that will fit your schedule, fill a graduation requirement and not totally suck. You’re on the verge of tears when, finally, you find one. It’s not the most interesting topic (Psychology 351: Monkey and Man), but it doesn’t require a total overhaul on your current sched.

And, phew, it’s still open.

You sign up for that class (knowing full well you’ll be stalking the course guide until the semester starts in hopes of getting into your first choice) and, save for the class your neighbor’s boyfriend’s frat brother is holding for you that you’ll grab later in a strategic “you drop it and I’ll register at the same time so no one else can steal it” maneuver, your schedule is complete.

Feeling a mixture of victory and defeat, you take a breath, wipe the sweat off of your forehead (“god, that was a lot of work”) and go back to sleep. Having had better luck last semester, your first class of the day isn’t until noon.

Yup, we’ve all been there and we too have worked harder getting into the classes than passing them.