As if schoolwork, club meetings, interviews and countless other obligations weren’t enough, students will face yet another request from Villanova in the coming weeks – plan enough of their lives to get them through the next semester. Spring ’08 course registration looms over students’ heads, and thoughts of core requirements, majors, schedules and class sizes are enough to make any Villanovan want to rip his or her hair out. To avoid a campus of bare scalps against the cold winter air, The Villanovan would like to offer some advice on how to get through the registration period:

•Do plan ahead. While long lists of course titles and section numbers may be daunting or even downright frightening to take in, you really will feel better come registration time if you have a general idea of what you would like to enroll in next semester. •Don’t forget to visit your adviser. The faculty member set up to help you is there to do just that – not to scare you, hassle you or cut into your busy schedule. An adviser may know something you do not about classes you’re interested in taking, and can point you in directions you may not have considered before. And even if you find your adviser to be an ignorant, blithering idiot, he or she does have your completed course sheet and pin number, both of which you definitely need to register.•Do talk to other faculty about which courses to take. Professors have the inside edge when it comes to the best classes in their departments. Consult CATS reports to see how teachers have been evaluated in past semesters. Novateachers.com also can have good insight into courses, although take these reviews with a grain of salt as it is hard to judge a professor by one or two reviews. Going right to faculty members and friends can be some of your best resources.•Do look up and remember your registration time. Missing your time could lead to missing a spot in classes you want. No one wants to be going crazy trying to throw together a schedule seconds before they have to register. •Don’t resign yourself to one schedule. The fact of the matter is that some courses have sections that fill up quickly. Keep track of your courses as the registration period goes on, and be prepared to have backups if yours fill up. Also for quickly registering once your time hits, make sure you have the CRN numbers ready to go.•Don’t get overly upset if the course you want fills up. If the professor you wanted to take is in high demand, be happy to at least get in another section; even if it is not ideal, you are still fulfilling your requirement. If you can’t get into a course you need or want at all, relax and remember that students will continue to add and drop courses through January. In specific cases, it may also be possible to get written into the course you need by visiting its department office. •Do have an open mind about course times. Sure, everyone would love to have class only four or even three days a week, but registering with this intent could leave you missing courses you may actually really like. Which is better – going to a class you love on a Friday or being done on Thursday hating everything you’ve signed up for?•Don’t forget to consult your requirements. Whether it be in the core curriculum or your major, you want to make sure you’re keeping up with the courses you need to take in a timely fashion. Some courses are only offered during one semester, so you’ll want to take notice of when that is. And you certainly don’t want to be a second-semester senior who still needs an intro course you should have taken as a freshman.•Do take note of holds on your account or restrictions in the classes you might want to take. Fix any problems before registration by talking to the appropriate office and make sure you have your prerequisites done first. Also make sure to take note of your class year; even if you are a freshman you may have enough credits for the registrar to consider you as a sophomore, for example. This may make it impossible for you to register yourself for courses that are restricted by class, and you may want to visit the Office of the Registrar if you foresee any big problems.•Don’t freak out! No one is asking you to plan out your entire life now. Take things one semester at a time while having a general idea of what you may want to do in the future. People change their minds all the time, and you will drive yourself crazy trying plan too far in advance.

Following this advice and talking to your professors and peers can help you sort out your thoughts and make registration a breeze rather than a nightmare.