It is now late October, which means registration is on a lot of GC students’ minds. Registration is presumably a stressful time for many students. They have trouble scheduling appointments with assigned advisors in time for registration, desired class breaks not being granted, 7 a.m. wake-up times, being waitlisted for classes and more.
A lot goes into the registration process at GC. To ensure that the registration process goes smoothly, the GC website provides a foundation of what to expect going into registering for classes. The website explains to all students how and where you register. Incoming freshmen use POUNCE, new transfer students register through INTRO, which was provided in their admission letter, and current students register through Unify, or PAWS.
It is also important for students to know when to register. This information is provided by their advisor via email. No matter what year students are in, their registration date and time are based on the number of credit hours they have earned.
The website also encourages students to know how registration holds work. A main issue students run into is getting an advising appointment on-time. Once a student has attended a meeting with an advisor , their hold will be lifted. Another factor that warrants a hold is an unpaid parking ticket. Students must ensure that any parking tickets issued by the school are paid before their registration period. If the ticket goes unpaid, the student will not be able to register until the ticket is paid off.
Many GC students have spoken out about the registration issues that they have encountered.
“My registration experience has been less than good,” said Zach Fletcher, a junior Management Information Systems, or MIS, major. “I have not once gotten more than two classes at my initial registration date. I typically remain on waitlists through the first week of the semester, which makes it stressful, especially with my financial aid.”
Although there is a system in place for students to register for classes, clearly, the process is still stressful.
“I never know if I am going to get all five classes, or only one class,” Fletcher said.
He noted that this is the most stressful part of his registration process.
The 7 a.m. registration time is another topic worth noting.
“7 a.m. registration time was an interesting experience,” said Perico Cisneros, an undeclared freshman. “I did not enjoy waking up during that time, and I honestly wish it were later rather than at 7 a.m.”
Other students do not mind getting up early for registration.
“The 7 a.m. registration time is fine,” said Jared Carter, a junior accounting major. “It makes the student face responsibility for getting their classes. I think that the registration time is the least of the problems during registration.”
Relationships between students and their advisors is another aspect of the registration process that may be worth looking into when trying to find out some of the problems that arise during this time.
“The communication between advisors and students does not seem personal,” Fletcher said. “Advisors give students the same advice, which I think results in waitlists and possibly not being able to get into desired classes.”
Despite students facing these issues when registering for classes, the school urges students to be prepared for fallback options and does its best to make sure students are prepared for all situations.
