Incoming UW-Madison students often perceive registration to be somewhat overwhelming, but many who are familiar with the system said they think registration does not have to be this way if students adhere to a few simple tips.
Wren Singer, director of orientation and new student programs, said she believes the majority of students want to take classes late in the day, but this is not a very realistic goal.
\Be flexible on what time of day you are willing to take classes. Tell your advisor what you're interested in and be open to classes that you might not have thought of,"" she advised to registering students.
Singer added that when talking to advisors at Student Orientation, Advising and Registration Program, students should voice career interests and academic strengths and weaknesses instead of solely focusing on desired courses. She said she thinks incoming students should be flexible when making their schedules to simplify the registration process.
However, some students have experienced problems during registration at SOAR. UW-Madison sophomore Dan Saavedra recalled advisors misinforming him about classes that were applicable to his intended major.
""The person that was helping me didn't know everything. A lot of the advice was skewed and wrong,"" he said.
Saavedra said he thinks incoming freshmen should read the undergraduate catalog, which can be accessed through UW-Madison's Web site, before attending SOAR because it specifies coursework for each major. Such specifications will help students determine the requirements they need for their intended major.
Since many incoming freshmen are undecided about their major, they should make their advisors aware of different possible majors they are considering, according to Dave Leszczynski, former UW-Madison admissions advisor.
""[It is important] when students are up front with their advisor on all the options they want to keep open here at the university,"" he said.
Leszczynski said incoming students should realize that, when choosing classes, they do not have to adhere to the intended major they chose when they applied UW-Madison if they have since changed their minds.
Incoming students registering at SOAR will enroll in classes online. Though Web enrollment only replaced the touch-tone registration system last year, Brian Rust, spokesperson for DoIT, said he believes the new system is working well.
According to Rust, there have been few complaints and students seem to like it better than the touch-tone system.
""Once you get used to it, it seems even more convenient than touch-tone,"" he said.
