Just as my semester was under way, I was passing by the Registrar’s Office and realized that it was distributing the Course Offering Booklets for the Spring 2001 semester. I immediately got flashbacks of the trials of registration, having to use Redphone, having to stand on line at the deans office to get advised and having to fight through angry mobs of students to get my Priority Registration Number. I can’t believe it’s that time again. The joys of registration!
The first step toward registration lies in the hands of the students. We have to obtain the course booklets and determine what classes we must take, whether it is to fulfill our requirements or whether we’re interested in an elective. Students must then take their proposed schedules to their respective deans for advisement. Once the dean approves the schedule, the student must take it to the Dean’s Office located on the first floor of St. John’s Hall to receive a Priority Registration Number. This number is needed because it determines the day and time that you will ultimately register. At the front of the Course Bulletin is a list of days and times of registration that corresponds with different Priority numbers. This all sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! Registration is a long, tiresome process that has many glitches.
Going to the Dean’s Office can be arduous all in itself. The days prior to registration, students swarm to their respective deans, seeking advisement. Often times you will have to make an appointment days in advance just for five minutes of the deans time. To prevent this rush, be sure and plan your appointment ahead of time.
The biggest problem with registration lies in actually using Redphone. This high-tech automated service offers students only 15 minutes in which to complete their registration call. This system does not cater for students who try to register for a class only to find that it is filled, they must then find a working alternative in a matter of minutes. Students are also not allowed to call from more than one telephone at a time; if this is done, the system will lock your record and prevent you from completing the registration process. Then you would have to go to the dean’s office to ask them to either drop or add classes to your schedule. After listing your courses on Redphone, you must press the number “3” key on your touch tone phone to confirm your classes. Please, remember to do this, if not, all your classes will be lost. After this, the registration process is still not complete.
Registration is not complete until payment for the semester is made. Payment for the Spring 2001 semester will be due mid-December. If payment is not met on time, the university reserves the right to drop students from individual classes or from their entire academic programs. The university grants limited leeway when it comes to tuition payments. Once it receives your payment, it will then send a copy of your schedule stating buildings and classroom numbers where your classes will be held.
Recently, the university has also started allowing registration via the World Wide Web. Could this be the efficient means of registration that we’ve been waiting for? It is the mode of registration that I highly recommend. It’s a much simpler process. Here students are allotted 30, rather than 15 minutes to complete their registration process. It does not consist of all the technicalities involved with Redphone. To register online, students simply have to log on to the St. John’s web site and click on “A Guide For SJU Students.” Following the directions from there is simple.
Registration for the Spring 2001 semester began on Oct. 30 and ends on Nov. 21 for all undergraduate students. I wish you all, good luck!
