Course Registration 101

1. Course Registration 101 Presented by Madison Advising Peers

2. Enrollment Appointment Date • Every student has a different enrollment date, depending on the number of credit hours she/he has accumulated, disabilities, and honors standing. • Registration appointments can be found on e-campus • Students may register or adjust their schedule from the beginning of their registration appointment through the end of open enrollment (January 18th).

3. Add/Drop/Swap • Adding a class: Enrolling in another class to add to your schedule. • Dropping a class: Un-enrolling in a class to delete it from your schedule. • Swapping classes: Dropping one of your classes while simultaneously adding one in its place. You do NOT have to swap for a class in the same time slot or for a different section of the same class, it can be ANY class! Swapping simplifies the dropping/adding process.

4. Open/Closed Classes • Number of seats available • Squares represent sections that are filled, while circles represent sections with open seats. • Clicking on the section number reveals: • Total number of seats • Total number of seats available

5. Specific Requirements • Who can register (pre-requisites) • Clicking on the section number reveals: • Specific prerequisites for the class • “Economics majors and minors only. Others by override.” • Math 235 must be taken before Math 236 • Specific class topics • Topic reveals the section’s particular focus. • Clicking on the section number has description of the topic.

6. Searching By Cluster • To search by cluster go to the GenEd website (http://www.jmu.edu/gened/) and click on the search by cluster code link.  This will give you the codes you need to type into e-campus. • When you go to search for classes in e-campus click on the additional information tab and then enter the code for the cluster you would like to search in. • By searching by cluster you can more easily identify the possible classes you need to take to fulfill your GenEd requirements.

7. Rate My Professor • We don’t recommend using Rate My Professor to determine which professor’s class you want to take. • The site is extremely biased. • If a student has a bad experience with a professor they are much more likely to post about it than if they have a good experience.

8. Repeat Credit/Repeat Forgive Repeat Credit Repeat Forgive • This option allows you to repeat the previously taken course and AVERAGE the grade you received the first time around WITH the grade you received the second time. This means that BOTH grades will be included on transcripts and in GPA calculations. You can take a course for repeat credit as often as you need to. • All JMU students have TWO opportunities to take classes as repeat-forgive. This allows you to take a class over again and replace the grade you got the first time around with the grade you get the next time. BOTH grades will show up on your TRANSCRIPT but only the SECOND grade will be factored into your GPA. If you do worse the second time around, that grade will still replace the previous grade and will be factored into the GPA.

9. Repeat Credit/Repeat Forgive contd. • When scheduling your class as repeat credit or repeat forgive, click the appropriate option under the dropdown menu under “Repeat Code”.

10. Repeat Credit/Repeat Forgive contd. • While you do have these options for repeating classes, TAKE CLASSES SERIOUSLY THE FIRST TIME AROUND! All of your grades WILL show up on your transcript, regardless of whether you took them as repeat credit or repeat forgive.

11. Overrides • All classes at JMU have enrollment limits based on the number of seats available • Sometimes a department is willing to grant a student an override into a class that is already full • The decision to grant an override is solely at the discretion of the academic department – CONTACT THEM! • If you are granted an override into a course, you must REGISTER for the class via e-campus!

12. Holds on Record • Outstanding obligations or debts to university offices may result in a “hold” or reduction in services available to you, such as registration • Holds on your record and instructions for clearing them are viewable on e-campus

13. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Meet with your advisor • Set up an appointment with your advisor AT LEAST a week before registration (your advisor will be very busy during this week, so the earlier you contact him/her, the better!). • Come prepared: devise a list of classes you’re interested in taking, know which classes you’ve already taken, and write down any questions you need answered. • Not quite sure just what to ask? Stop by the Madison Advising Peers office in Wilson 102 M-Th 10:00-5:00, Fri 10:00-3:30 and have a peer advisor point you in the right direction.

14. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Options, options, options • The fact of the matter is that hardly anyone gets the exact schedule that they want, so start planning EARLY! • To be prepared, go to class search under e-campus and list the days/times offered for any classes you are interested in taking. • From these days and times, make 2-3 possible schedules (it’s helpful to put them in a calendar set up, so you know everything fits). • Make sure you give yourself lots of class options and prioritize which ones you NEED this semester! • When you have multiple possibilities for scheduling, you will not need to panic when one (or even ALL!) of the classes you wanted fill up.

15. Creating the Perfect Schedule: The Big Day • Make sure you know the exact date and time of your enrollment appointment (on the right hand side of the e-campus Student Center). • Be prepared with your schedule possibilities the minute your enrollment appointment opens; classes go FAST so make sure you’re ready! • Don’t stress if a class you wanted is full! Use another class from one of your schedule possibilities and wait until open enrollment to see if anyone has dropped the class you wanted.

16. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Tips and Tricks • Make sure that you actually ENROLL in a class. Step one of the process is to put the class in your shopping cart. Click “Proceed to Step 2 of 3”. THEN…

17. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Tips and Tricks • …Click “Finish Enrolling” to officially register for the class!

18. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Tips and Tricks • Make sure you have enough time to make it from one class to another. • If you have scheduled two classes with only 15 minutes in between, visit “Can I Get There On Time”. • Remember that your class may run a little late, and you need the 15 minutes not only to get to your next building but to actually be sitting down in your classroom before class begins!

19. Creating the Perfect Schedule: Tips and Tricks • Planning a schedule can be overwhelming; you might be confused about which classes you need to take and when you need to take them. • This is why the new program Madison Advising Peers (MAP) was created! Stop by our office in Wilson 102 to map out a schedule with a peer advisor!

20. FAQ’s: Frequently Asked Questions • Look online on the MAP website for step-by-step answers to the following questions: • When am I allowed to register for a class? • How do I ADD a class? • How do I SWAP a class? • How do I DROP a class? • How do I find an open class? • How can I find ALL AVAILABLE classes (not only open ones)? • How do I do a more specific class search (by professor, day, time, etc)? • How do I see how many seats are available in a class? • How do I know who can register for a course? • How do I find out what a course covers? • How do I search by Gen-Ed cluster?

21. You made it! • Scheduling is a sometimes frustrating process, but the more you prepare for it, the less stressful it will be. • Look to this PowerPoint and the online resource over the next few weeks to help you in scheduling for next semester. • Also, use the following link from the registrar’s office for help with navigating e-campus. • As always, if you have any questions, visit us in the MAP office in Wilson 102!