Registration for classes, traditionally a time of confusion and frustration for many college students, is rapidly approaching with the Spring 2003 timetable release today. The timetable’s release allows University of Wisconsin students to begin the process of planning which classes to register for next semester.

UW academic adviser Becky Ryan stressed the importance of scheduling an appointment with an adviser to discuss class preferences, degree requirements and other pertinent issues.

Ryan also suggested making the appointment early, warning that students who try to get an appointment only a week in advance will not likely get in.

UW academic adviser Claire Peters advised students to pay attention to the requirements of their school or college, because some, such as the School of Engineering, will not let students register until they have completed a group advising session.

The date of registration for each student is based on the amount of credits the student has. The registrar will send e-mails to all UW students Nov. 4 containing the first possible time they can register online. From that time until the first week of classes, students can add and drop courses.

Many students, particularly those with the latest registration dates, may see that all the classes they hoped to take are full. Peters said not to worry because “people add and drop up to the last drop date.”

Ryan also cautioned students about registering for the same classes as friends.

“Taking courses because your friends are taking them or because your friends think you should take them is something many people later regret,” Ryan said.

She recommends considering other sources to obtain course information, such as talking to other students who have taken the classes and reading professor evaluations. At the website www.wisc.edu/evals/ students can access evaluations sorted by department, because, as sophomore Jessica Hamm says, “a professor can make or break the class.”

Ryan encouraged students to take classes that interest them.

“Interests should trump everything else,” she said.

However, some students continue to place high importance on their time. Sophomore Jessica Hamm said students should factor their natural habits into their schedules.

“Think about what times you eat or what times you get hungry,” Hamm said.

Both Hamm and Ryan noted, however, that there are ways to make any schedule work, whether it’s through snacks or caffeine.