Tips to surviving class enrollment week as a freshman

The week before Thanksgiving break marks the beginning of class enrollment at Syracuse from the spring semester. For freshmen, it is the first time they will be experiencing having to try and craft their schedules to fit their needs and personal wants, along with fulfilling class requirements. So even though they never asked, I am giving these little baby freshmen advice about how to survive this stressful time of the year.

Be prepared to suffer

You will likely have a million other things to do this week in addition to making a schedule. You also will likely get blocked out of a class that you really want or need because somehow everyone had an earlier enrollment time than you. You will likely then be told to put your name on a waitlist, and then will likely be told to just wait until next semester to take it. You will likely end up with a schedule that gives you physical saltiness. Just know that this week is trying, but if you plan your breakdowns out well, it will be okay.

This will be you this week 

Get those forms you need signed and get advisor help

When I was a freshman I didn’t understand why it was necessary to get our schedules signed off on. You usually get a check sheet and can find all of the classes that will fulfill a requirement online, so why is it that hard to make a schedule? Turns out really hard because apparently half of you never had to also make a schedule in high school. So if you have no idea where to start, go talk to your advisor. If you have started but you have a question or need some help on deciding on a couple classes, ask your advisor. Their job literally is being there to advise students, so take advantage of it and ask for help when you need it. And get approval for your schedule so you don’t face the terror of realizing you have a hold on your MySlice account.

Ask friends/students who are similar to you academically for advice

Its easy to just ask 10 different people about 1 class and hear that half hated it and half thought it was pretty decent. If you’re an English major and your friend is a Neuro major on the pre-med track, you will likely have little in common with what you find interesting or easy. If all you care about in life is getting a 4.0 I first want you to take a deep breath and know that its super unnecessary, but know that you might do better in a challenging class because you’re prepared to work hard af for it, just as your other hardcore academic friend did. Just make sure you don’t get advice that isn’t relevant because you and your best friend might love each other, but you also are completely different academically.

Worry about having fun when you’re a senior (or when you’re dead)

You won’t get into the Beer and Wine class because you’re like, 12. You don’t need to take the Beatles music class even though you think every album speaks to you and your soul. Now is the time to get your requirements out of the way and have fun with electives when you’re a senior or if and when you go abroad. College is fun, but you’re here to get a degree, and to do that you need to get your core over and done so you can actually take classes that will be relevant to the rest of your life.

in the meantime, just worry about drinking beer at tailgates, not class

Don’t actually freak out

Even if you don’t get the classes you wanted, its only one semester of them. You’ll change everything again for the fall. But if you really want to make sure you get the best schedule possible, (Monday-Thursday, 11:00-3:35) try to find a way to get early enrollment for the future. This can be done by being an RA, being an athlete, or enrolling in the honors college. Syracuse still has me registered as an athlete even though I am 100% not, so basically if you just play a sport for a few seconds you should be good for the rest of your academic career.