Freshmen adjust to registration

For the typical freshman who is adjusting to life as a college student, registration for the spring 2012 semester at the University of Miami has presented an unexpected hurdle.

Registration priority, which runs from Nov. 7 to 18, is based on the total number of credits a student has earned, leaving freshmen at the bottom of the registration totem pole.

Students coming in to the university with few or no credits must register for classes on Nov. 17 or 18. These late registration dates worry freshmen, who may have a difficult time getting the classes they need.

“I’m just nervous that I won’t get the classes I need for my major,” freshman Jeffrey Forman said.

Freshman Victoria Nutting feels the seniority factor complicates the process unnecessarily.

“Seniority should only exist if upperclassmen need to have certain classes at certain times to get their degree,” she said.

Other freshmen are content with the registration process because they will enjoy the privilege when they are upperclassmen.

“This way, people who need to graduate on time can get the credits they need,” freshman Cassandra Sanabria said.

Some, like freshman Emica Diep, think that the registration should be changed to avoid the stress.

“We should sign up when we know what we want instead of at a certain time and date,” Diep said.

In addition to registering at a certain date and time, students must plan out a schedule beforehand with an adviser, making sure to have backup options if their first choices are unavailable. Forman said he has been “confused” by the entire process.

There are, however, students who feel comfortable with the registration experience.

“My adviser gave us a lot of prior information, so by the time I saw her to get the registration pin, there were no conflicts,” freshman Maura Lapoff said.

The University of Florida and Florida International University also grant registration priority to students based on credit hours.

On the contrary, some private institutions with fewer undergraduate students, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have only one day for registration, with certain exceptions, on which students are simultaneously advised and registered for classes.