Class registration can seem like a never-ending cycle of stress, panic and frantically rushing to a computer at inconvenient times. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By planning carefully and asking the right questions, class registration this year will be a cinch.
The first step: check your Pass 1 and 2 appointment times. Both online registration system sisweb.ucdavis.edu and my.ucdavis.edu display appointment times one week before the first Pass 1 appointments. Pass times last four hours and you can register anytime during that window.
During Pass 1, students can register for up to 17 units. During Pass 2 students can register for up to 19 units, as well as place themselves on class wait lists.
The winter 2011 Pass 1 appointments began on Nov. 8 and end tomorrow. Pass 2 appointments will begin on Nov. 29 and end on Dec. 10.
If you miss your pass time, you can still register during open hours. Students can register from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends during Pass 1 and Pass 2, after their individual appointment times have passed.
Open registration is another option for students who miss their pass times or want to make changes to their schedules after Pass 1 and Pass 2. Winter 2011 Pass 1 open registration runs from Nov. 20 to 28 from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Pass 2 open registration runs from Dec. 11 to 28 during the same hours.
Teresa Olson, enrollment and special programs unit manager of the Office of the University Registrar, said students sometimes make mistakes when selecting the correct registration term on SISweb.
“The current term is the default, so some students try to register but the system tells them that it’s for the current term,” Olson said. “You need to select the appropriate term from the drop down menu.”
There is no way to change your appointment time if you can’t make it or want to register earlier. Olson said pass times are determined entirely by students’ number of completed units (not including units for the current term), so the only way to improve your pass time is to take more classes.
“It was designed to be as fair as possible to the largest amount of students. The students with more units are closer to graduation,” Olson said. “Freshmen sometimes have difficulty with impacted courses, but with 30,000 students, this is the best way.”
Students will be dropped from their classes if they have not paid all outstanding university fees. Financial aid students must register for at least 12 units, though students must register for at least 13 units per quarter on average to meet the minimum progress requirement. Students should also beware that SISweb does not allow enrollment in two courses that meet at the same time.
To make the registration process go smoothly, the registrar recommends checking the open course list at registrar.ucdavis.edu/ocl/opencourses.html to verify which classes are still available. On SISweb, you can either enter the course registration numbers (CRNs) or search for classes using the drop down menu.
Registrar student assistant Marisol Reyes said some students have trouble registering for classes with labs.
“There are course registration numbers (CRNs) for both the class and the lab, and the system won’t let you register without both CRNs,” Reyes said.
Some classes are restricted to upper division students or students in the corresponding major during Pass 1. Sociology, communication, art studio and design are just a few of the majors that restrict Pass 1 registration. Sociology peer advisor April Andrade said that the practice is designed to help majors get into required classes that are popular with non-majors.
“It really does help because classes go extremely quickly. We don’t want sociology minors to get access before graduating seniors,” Andrade said. “But we really try to work with students on an individual basis if they come in, and sometimes give them a permission to add (PTA) number as long as they’re not just taking it for the heck of it.”
Olson said students should be aware that if they do not register for winter quarter, they will not be able to register for spring quarter. Similarly, students who have filed to graduate in the fall will not be allowed to register for winter quarter.
Most registration information can be found on the registrar’s website at registrar.ucdavis.edu/index.cfm and in the registration guide and course catalogue, both available at the UC Davis Bookstore.
ERIN MIGDOL can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
It seems to me as though this article would have been much more timely a week or two ago.