This past week, the class registration process for the Spring 2023 semester began.
Starting on Wednesday, October 19, the first registration groups were opened, starting at 8:30 a.m. for honors students and athletes.
Students were able to plan out the courses they wished to take prior to their registration date. However, planning out the course is not a guarantee that the course will be available to them once their time slot to register for classes approaches.
Students expressed interest in having more classes available to them, for not only general education requirements, but also major and minor requirements as well.
Jena Said, a senior majoring in Psychology and triple minoring in African American studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Criminal Justice, stated that, “I would like more classes available for minor requirements. It was difficult to fulfill certain necessities and I’ve had to email professors, advisors, and heads of certain departments. More classes that would fill up one’s Anthropology, Middle Eastern Studies, African-American Studies, Film Studies, etc. minors would be spectacular.”
Similarly, students are also concerned about whether or not they will be able to get spots in classes that are required for their major.
Mia Padilla, a first year Exercise Science major, stated, “I’m worried about some of the classes I have to register for next semester that have to be taken by the end of freshman year. Some of those classes for my major only have one class section with only 25 or less spots and over 100 students who need to take it. Half of the students in the exercise science major are athletes so with my date, I most likely won’t get to take those classes. And some of the prerequisites overlap with these classes, so I really only have one option, and if that one class fills, there’s no way I can have it all done by the end of my freshman year.”
Some students have voiced issues with the process as a whole.
Kayla Thomas, a senior Business Management and Digital Marketing major, stated that, “I feel that seniors should have a chance to register first, because they are trying to take all the required classes to graduate. For example, I am a senior now but I registered days after it opened, so when I went in to register for the last set of classes I needed, there were less than three seats available. Luckily, I was able to get a seat, but seniors who were unable to probably would have to take it during the January or summer term.”
However, problems with the registration process as a whole is not something that all students are facing.
Said added that, “The registration process is easy. I haven’t had any difficulties with it. However, this has been my personal experience, so someone else might have had an issue here or there.”
The question then lies with whether or not some of these issues lay with the guidance of academic advisors. Although they cannot change the availability of classes, they are able to help students decide which classes to take to meet the necessary requirements for their major.
Some students, such as Ellie Andersen, a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice, feels that their advisors have been very helpful with this process, stating that her advisor has “been really helpful throughout the process”.
Martin Murray, a junior double majoring in Finance and Computer Information Systems, stated that “I have been through many advisors during my time at SXU. My advisors have always been super helpful and set me on a path to succeed and fulfill my academic requirements early on in my freshman year. As a result, I don’t really check in with them too often because they showed me the easiest way to sign up for classes as well as set up my track in a way that allows me to double major and graduate on time.”
To find more information on the class registration process, go to the my.sxu.edu webpage and click on the “Academic Planning” tab under the Students section.