The most dreaded time of the entire semester is almost upon us. No, I am not talking about midterms or even finals, I am talking even worse. Registration. Your entire semester rests in the hands of your registration time and how quickly you are able to select your courses. With a university as large as Villanova, I understand that they do their best to make things as fair for students as possible. However, with many oversights and a lack of communication in the system, students are left overwhelmed all the way up until Thanksgiving Break.
Registration, like any large scale event, will never fully go off without a hitch. There are simply too many moving variables from the technology to the amount of professors willing to teach certain courses, not every student is going to have their perfect schedule. So how can we make registration a more painless process here at Villanova?
The answer is, by accepting the things we cannot change and being more easygoing throughout the whole process. So many students are so rigid when it comes to a certain professor they would like because they want take-home exams or projects instead of finals. A majority of the stress surrounding registration is actually coming from minute details that are more to do with preference than with a requirement for a degree.
By obsessing over the reviews on Rate My Professor and refusing to take any classes in the morning, you are setting yourself up for a stressful registration period. Ever heard the phrase beggars cannot be choosers? If you need to take a class so badly then you should get into whatever section of that class is open, not refusing the open section because of the professor and then complaining that there are no seats open in the ones you find acceptable.
Not only can students shift their mindset to make registration less stressful, but advisors could make it more of a priority. On Villanova’s campus a majority of the academic advisors are also full-time professors who have hundreds of students and coursework to manage on top of the students they are advising. Most of the time, this leads to students who they are responsible for during periods like registration to slip through the cracks.
I have had friends receive incorrect passwords, false meeting times, and other small mistakes that led to major consequences in the mad dash to select their courses for the semester. Students already have enough odds stacked against them, our professors should be taking the time and care to make sure we are receiving the appropriate information and guidance so we can focus on worrying about the things that we can control. It is time we remind these advisors that they are professors first, but they do still have a lot of students relying on them for an event that will determine their entire semester.
“As a sophomore we have only had two past experiences with registration but in both it has been extremely stressful,” Faith Malki, a sophomore and Comprehensive Science major, said. “Having a major in the sciences also makes it more difficult because there are so many classes you have to take to be on track including labs and if you can’t get into those classes it can really mess up your four year plan. I have been mostly on my own for figuring out what to take and it can make it a lot more difficult. I just think if the advisors started the meetings about registration sooner they would have more time and be able to put more effort and care into helping each student.”
Ultimately, registration doesn’t have to feel like a battle against the system, it’s about preparation and perspective. Students who take the time to map out multiple course options, remain flexible with times and professors, and understand the limitations of the registration system are much more likely to come out unscathed. It’s also important to remember that your schedule is not the sole determinant of your success; motivation, engagement, and effort in any class can often outweigh the minor differences between sections or professors. Approaching registration as a challenge to navigate rather than a trap to avoid can alleviate a surprising amount of stress. The best defense is a strong mindset and a clear plan. Students who are prepared, adaptable, and patient will find that registration, while never perfect, can at least be survivable, and maybe even a little less intimidating. After all, it’s just one week out of an entire semester, and life, much like scheduling classes, is all about learning to roll with the unexpected.
