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It’s the best time of year! No, not Homecoming, class registration time! Call me a nerd but I LOVE schedule planning and picking out my classes for the upcoming semester. Sometimes, it makes it hard to focus on the semester at hand. Not everyone enjoys the class registration process as much as I do, but luckily Iowa State makes it really easy for everyone!

First, you have to log into Access Plus under “Current Student Info” to find your registration date and time. Registration time varies based on your class year, number of completed credits, and other factors. This year mine falls on a Thursday morning, usually I sleep in but I’ll have to get up early next week!

Iowa State University releases the tentative course catalog for next semester very early, so there is plenty of time to consider your options. The Course Catalog is a list of every single class offered in the current and upcoming semesters. You can search courses based on class times, majors, and the type of class. Not every class is offered every semester so it’s important to look closely at the list to make sure the classes you want are available. Go check it out at catalog.iastate.edu!
Iowa State also has a really great schedule planning tool students can use to practice registering and get a sneak peak of what their semester schedule will look like. Schedule Planner is a lot like the actual registration system on Access Plus. You find the class you’re looking for, pick your section, and then the program spits out what your class schedule should look like for the coming semester.
The last step to get ready for class registration is to meet with your academic adviser to get your Registration Access Number (RAN). This is also the best time to ask your adviser questions and have them double check that your are on the right track. Most majors have 4-year plans and checklists that you can use to make sure you are fulfilling all requirements and taking classes in the correct order. I have found that it’s best to bring my 4-year plan and my planned schedule with me so that my adviser can notice any mistakes. Make sure you call and schedule an appointment early because everyone is trying to get in to meet around registration time.

This might sound like a lot of work but I have learned that planning your schedule is important to making sure you stay on track in your major. All of the work is worth it though because next week at this time I’ll know exactly what next spring will look like!

Posted by: Sarah Curran