The Registrations Woes

It's that time of year again! All students who will be returning to UT in the fall have started to register for fall classes. Some students find this to be the most aggravating process and do not want to deal with scheduling. I, on the other hand, always found this time of year to be exciting! I used to love looking through the course catalog and finding out what classes I needed to take, who was teaching them that semester, and how I could figure out a way to not have Friday classes. This may sound completely ludicrous and you may think I'm a total nerd for enjoying this process, but I will tell you that my enjoyment for scheduling has helped out a number of my friends when it has come to picking classes.

Just a couple years ago, University of Tampa introduced an electronic process for registering for classes. Traditionally, everyone would have to stand in line and wait their turn to pick classes in one of the big venues, such as the Music Room in Plant Hall, and fill out mindless paperwork that you were sure would be lost the next day. An annoying day filled with lines and last minute choices of electives because the class you had planned on already filled out was what was in store for students at UT and most other campuses for years. Luckily, UT has become technologically savvy and upgraded the system so that students could register from any computer.

Picking classes can be exciting but also a little nerve racking. Trying to figure out what classes you need to take so that you will be on time to graduate is a little overwhelming, especially if you do not like scheduling things to begin with. UT has provided an awesome tool on SpartanWeb, our student access website, that allows for an easier selection process for classes each semester. The Degree Guide portion of SpartanWed has an in-depth look into what courses are required for specific majors and what electives have been taken or still need to be taken to fulfill the Baccalaureate Experiences portion of UT's liberal arts curriculum.


Although you can't see too clearly, this is what the Degree Guide looks like. You can see how it has my name and major listed with all the classes that I need to take. They are listed at "Complete" once you have taken the courses and been given credit towards graduation.

Even though this tool is great to help students figure out what they need to take, many students still do not want to deal with it. I, for example, helped tons of my friends figure out their schedules. I went through their degree guide, foudn the classes they still needed for graduation, and then asked them what days and times they would like to have their classes. I would take their requests and look through all the available class times and arranges schedules for them. It was kind of funny how I was so into making schedules that the word leaked throughout all of my friends and I ended up scheduling times for my friends to come and meet with me to figure it out. I felt like a counselor! I enjoyed it, however, and would help anyone who needed it!

Hopefully everyone gets to register for the classes they want and are happy with their schedules for the fall! I was disappointed when I realized I wouldn't be scheduling classes for myself this semester...but then realized I was graduating and wasn't too sad anymore!