Change is something that is usually good for everyone. In regards to registering for classes at Suffolk, change is heading in the right direction for its students.

Recently, the advising model has been modified by the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center to alleviate the stressors involved with communication between faculty and students. In the past, students have had to sign up to meet with their advisors in stressful, high-strung 15-minute intervals. This then prompted the professor to approve the student’s registration for their next semester classes.

Now, upperclassmen are not required to meet with their advisor and can easily sign up for classes and meet at preferable times for both the student and faculty member throughout the year. This new model allows for more meaningful conversations between both individuals that instill smooth communication between each member.

Although communication has been enhanced positively, how easy is it for a student to get through the registration process properly?

It seems that many students wait until the last minute to sign up for their classes or meet with their advisor. Moreover, students may not put the necessary time into finding out which classes they need to take for the upcoming semester or in the future at all.

This allows for errors within the registering process due to available classes and future planning. More often than not, students review their program evaluation to determine which classes to take for the upcoming semester. What could be more beneficial would be an advisor helping a student create a undergraduate plan for their classes. This would include every class they would need to take for all of their four years.

Unfortunately, not all students have declared a major and some change their majors during their undergraduate program. That being said, an undergraduate plan for each student would be unique to him or her. An advisor could spend time with a student throughout their first semester to communicate and establish a plan for their undergraduate career.

Although timely, this could enhance the way a student approaches registering for classes each semester and would give them a solid initiative. But, an advisor is not fully in charge of creating this plan. The student would need to equally review their program evaluation and come to meetings with their professor prepared to establish this helpful proposal.

This divisive plan seems to be the solution to some of the advising issues, complementing their new model. However, not every class is given in both the Fall and Spring semesters which causes issues when students have not taken certain classes in a timely manner. Because of this, students cannot accurately plan ahead because it is not known what classes will be taught in the future.

Even so, the frustrations of registering for classes are endless, especially when a class is full before you can register. Though these issues seem unable to be fixed, what can Suffolk do more to help prevent stressors involving registration? An undergraduate plan might solve some issues within advising and registering for classes but it does not solve all.

So far, the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center has made positive strides toward making the registration process easier but there is still room for improvement.