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Students already looking forward to the rapidly approaching end of the semester now have to register for their next round of classes.
"It is important to register early because classes close and students, especially juniors and seniors, must go find waivers or may have their graduation prolonged," David Villalba, student support specialist in the Registration and Records Office, said.
Priority early registration begins today and continues through April 29. Each classification is assigned different registration dates. Graduate and doctoral students can continue to register throughout the month, while seniors have until April 8. Juniors have from April 7-15, sophomores April 15-22 and freshmen April 22-29.
Registration for all classifications starts May 5 and runs through Aug. 20. The final day for late registration Aug. 28.
Students may register online through Goldmine at my.utep.edu, by telephone by calling 545-1145 or through walk-in registration at the Academic Services Building.
Students who wait until the last minute to register often have trouble finding classes they need at the most convenient times for them. Upper-division classes typically have less space than basic freshmen and sophomore classes and fill quickly.
"Science and engineering students have an especially hard time with all the labs they have to take," Villalba said. "Lab schedules don't mix or are already closed."
Registration for summer 2008 begins today and runs until June 2 for the first four-week summer semester, as well as the full eight-week term, which begins June 9. Registration for the second four-week summer semester continues through July 7. Although many students would like to get ahead, summer classes do not typically get as filled as fall and spring classes, Villalba said.
Before registering, some students must also see their advisor before registering for classes.
Depending on the major, students must either seek academic advising from their college or from advisors at the Academic Advising Center.
"Our goal is to assist and serve the students in taking the appropriate classes for their degree plan ,and if the student is prepared, perhaps register them early," Pat Caro, director at the Academic Advising Center, said.
The center advises freshmen and sophomores in the College of Education majoring in elementary and middle school, as well as freshman and sophomore students majoring in the College of Liberal Arts in humanities or social sciences. They also advise students in general studies, the START Program, Programa Interamericano Estudiantil (for students from Mexico and other Latin American countries), pre-nursing, pre-physical therapy, Junior Scholars, the German Abitur Program (for children of the German NATO forces stationed at Fort Bliss), TSI students and the UT Austin Coordinated Admissions Program.
Once students enter their junior years, they must be advised by their specific college.
Starting today, students may schedule an appointment with advisors by calling 747-5290 or requesting one in person. Caro said students have up to 30 minutes to speak with their advisor and recommendeds they review their degree plan to check if the classes they have chosen are being offered before speaking with an advisor. If students feel they need further instruction, a follow-up appointment can be made, Caro said.
"Students should seek their advisors out early in case there are other things they need to do to prepare," Caro said. "If they want to investigate a major or be aware of prerequisites or just not wait in line, getting advised soon is a good idea."
This year, instead of requiring an appointment, the center began academic advising on a walk-in basis and have already seen a few hundred students. Students are split on their preference between walk-ins and appointments. Walk-ins are preferable for those who do not need much time with their advisor Caro said. However, the process still seems inconvenient to some students.
"I wish we could get classes on our own without being advised," said Aaran Quincey, sophomore multidisciplinary studies major. "Advising can be helpful, but if I already know which classes I need, but need to wait for an advising appointment. It makes the process longer and the classes I want could be full."
Walk-in advising will be unavailable during April, but will be available again beginning May 1 and continue throughout late registration. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Catherine Cromer can be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
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