This week marks the beginning of registration week, one of the most hectic in the semester for students and faculty.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Da Silva
It is that time of year again, where students have to fight one another so they can secure their spots in the classes they want for the upcoming 2016 Spring semester. With schedules prepared, permits granted, and campus Wi-Fi put to the ultimate test, both students and staff members at Montclair State University make no secret as to how arduous they feel the registration process truly is.
Janet Wilson, the Administrative Assistant for the School of Communication and Media, said that on certain registration days, she receives over 200 emails in a matter of moments. Nervous and upset students email her about how their schedules have turned out and some even ask their parents to call her to complain.
“It’s a zoo. Four days of Bedlam, essentially,” Wilson said. “The best part about registration week is when it ends on Friday. Friday is a welcome day for me.”
Janet Wilson says she can receive over 200 emails in only a few minutes during registration week.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Da Silva
University Registrar Leslie Sutton-Smith said students are often nervous that they will be closed out of classes. She feels there is a lot of anxiety around that issue.
In spite of this anxiety, she still has high hopes for what the upcoming registration week will bring for students. “My hope is that everyone gets a schedule he or she is happy about,” Smith said. “I hope the process is seamless and that it is not stressful for them.”
Kayla Corales, a freshman accounting major, is registering for the first time on her own this week and feels nervous about not getting into the classes she wants. Corales said that she does not have back-up classes lined up in case she does not get into her top picks. But working to her advantage are her several friends on campus, who may be able to help her.
“I know a few people at this school who have already [been through registration before], but I haven’t even discussed it with them,” Corales said. “Maybe I should talk to them about it.”
During registration week, students often complain that getting the classes they want is impossible because they fill up too quickly.
Luisa Villa, an undeclared sophomore, is registering for general education classes in the Spring 2016 semester. She is stressed over registration because these classes are classes that everyone at Montclair State needs to take. She has previously had to settle with taking some classes that went on from 5:30 to 8 p.m., which, as a commuter, meant driving back home late in the evening a couple of days a week. However, Villa feels that there is a way to make registration easier for students, if the university were to adopt a method that her previous college used.
“When I was at Bergen Community College, we had a waitlist for class registration,” Villa said. “Essentially, if someone backed out of a class that they previously registered for, the first student on the waitlist for that class would get slotted in.”
Students log onto WESS to plan and create their schedules, hoping the secure that spot in the class they need for the spring.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Da Silva
Other students blame the timing of registration on whether or not they get the classes they want.
Joey Valdez, a Communication and Media Arts major, has not looked at course sections yet, as he has been busy with midterms, but he is desperate to avoid the disappointment he faced at the beginning of his sophomore year, when he lost out on taking a class he was interested in due to the scheduling of his registration.
“[Registration week] always been The Hunger Games of scheduling,” Valdez said. “You ultimately get in based on timing and luck.”
However, some students do not really care about the issues that may come with registering and are just excited to move forward in their journey through college.
Danielle Phillips, a Sociology major, is eager to register for her last semester, as she is registering on the first day and only needs to take two classes next semester. More than anything, though, this last registration means that Danielle is just one step closer to the end of her college career.
“Registering will be a thrill for me this year,” Phillips said. “Being able to see the finish line is exciting.”
