Advising Helpful Hints
1. CURRICULUM SHEET - First and foremost, get a copy of the curriculum for your major. Curriculum sheets can be found on each concentration's main webpage. This will serve as the roadmap to the courses you need to take in order to graduate.
2. PREREQUISITES - Looking at the curriculum sheet, notice what courses have prerequisites and factor that into your scheduling over your time on campus. There is no point worrying about course B when you need to complete course A first. Also, take your university core curriculum courses first because if you decide to change your major, courses in English, the sciences, math and such will transfer easier than specific courses necessary for a major. Also be aware that a grade of D in English Comp I & II and Algebra can potentially restrict enrollment in higher English and math classes.
3. NUMBERS - Classes that begin in 1 are typically for freshmen while classes that begin in 4 are likely to included seniors. For example, EN 1103 is an English Composition course that most students take during their freshman year.
4. MORE NUMBERS - The last number also has significance at it typically reflects the number of credit hours in that course. For example, EN 1103 is a three hour course.
5. COURSE OFFERINGS - What is being offered? Online Class Schedule. You can look at what is being offered or scheduled next semester. You can also see what has been offered in the past semesters. Hence, you will get a better idea of what might be offered during the summer or down the road. There is no guarantee a class will be offered one summer simply because it was offered last summer. Also, be sure to identify which of your required courses have only one section offered versus multiple sections being offered. If a class is only taught one time during a semester, you want to build around that class first in constructing your schedule. Do not forget to notice which classes have a lab component required. Many students have also found it helpful to examine the full course offering (print out the whole thing) and highlight courses that interest them (in addition to those required). You might also create a specific list of such classes. Then create a folder to store the courses offerings/list to remind yourself of what elective you might want to take in a year or further down the road. It makes it easier to remember if you have that filed away rather than memorizing it.
6. PRE-ADVISING - It is important to understand that pre-advising is the time where you visit your advisor to discuss which classes you want to take. Your advisor should have a sheet outside their door to sign up for an advising appointment. It is up to the student to utilize this opportunity.
7. WHAT TO BRING - When you meet with your advisor, you want to have your curriculum sheet and on the sheet note what courses you have already completed and the grade you earned in that course. Again, the curriculum sheet is your road map. You also, and this is most important, want to come prepared with your tentative schedule for next semester. Preliminary Schedule (PDF)
8. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE - You create a tentative schedule by looking at your curriculum sheet and determining what semester you plan on taking each of the required courses necessary to graduate in a timely fashion. That is why it is important to look at past semesters to see what courses are offered when. When looking at a specific semester that you registering for here is what you want to do.
- Write down all the courses you want to take. Write that down here! (PDF) For example, EN 1103. It is not enough to write English, Math, Science. What is the symbol and the number of the course you want to take? But you will not stop there as you will also need to know what section and what is the CRN number?
- Know that some courses have multiple sections meaning they are taught numerous times throughout the day and week. This flexibility helps you in scheduling relative to a course that has one section and is only taught at one specific time.
- Go to the course offering and create a schedule identifying the right section for each course you want to take. Be sure that each course you choose does not overlap with another course. For example, if one course you need to take (for example, CO 3803) is only offered at one time, pencil that in first, then build in those classes that offer multiple sections around that.
- What you will bring to the advisor should include each course's CRN number (found in the course offerings), the course symbol (PE), the course number (1103) and the day and time the courses are offered.
- If you have the tentative schedule laid out with all of this information on this form (PDF), your advisor can quickly look it over and get you on your way to getting the classes you want.
9. TROUBLESHOOTING
- If you do not come with a tentative schedule, you will be sent away to do it and will need to reschedule another advising appointment. This will cause a delay in your registering for the classes you want. And they might fill up.
- If your courses overlap, there is nothing your advisor can do as classes are offered when they are offered. Hence the importance of laying out out your gameplan for each semester in advance. You will have to play with your tentative schedule to try and sign up for all the courses that you want. And even then, you have to be aware that it is possible that a course may be filled up by the time you register.
- If you miss pre-advising completely, you will be at a signficant disadvantage in trying to register for the classes you want as you will be registering after everyone else already has and your classes might be filled.
10. ALTERNATE COURSES - If a road is blocked, you take a detour. The same is true with registering. If your class is filled, you will want to have alternative classes ready to plug in. Alternative courses that are beneficial towards meeting your graduation requirements on the curriculum sheet.
11. RAC NUMBER - Once your advisor has signed off on your tentative schedule they will give you a Registration Access Code which is the key to you going online to Banner and registering.
12. Happy Registering and good luck in your classes.