The end of the school year is always rough, but with some early planning and thinking, you can survive it! Here are some reminders and tips to help you transition smoothly into the Fall semester.
Course Selection
Only register for what you really want to take. Due to the new academic policy, students are only allowed to register for up to 19 credits. Additional credits, up to a maximum of 24, can be added during the add/drop period at the beginning of the Fall semester. The rationale behind this new process is to make registration fairer for the students who register later on, such as first-years and sophomores. Students will be able to sign up for more credits during the first week of classes in the fall, when everyone has had a chance to request a normal load.
Five College Registration: If you’re planning on taking courses at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College or the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, submit your requests online through BannerWeb. Information on the courses is available online through the Five College course guide or at the individual websites of the other four institutions. The request will be reviewed by the registrar’s office and forwarded to the host campus for approval. It might take a while, but once the registrar office receives a notification from the host campus that your registration was accepted, the course will be added to your online course schedule. If not accepted, students will be notified by email.
Effective Fall of 2017, students may repeat a course for credit if they’ve earned a grade of C or below in it. A maximum of two courses may be repeated during the student’s period of enrollment. IMPORTANT: All grades earned in courses, including any repeated courses, will appear and remain on the student’s transcript. However, only the higher grade of a repeated course will be calculated into the term and cumulative GPA.
BannerWeb registration for the fall will open at 7:30 a.m. on each registration day. Be sure you have a new REG code from your adviser. Here’s the schedule of registration:
Monday, April 3 to Friday, April 14
Class of 2018J
Class of 2018
Ada Comstock Scholars with 96 or more total credits
All continuing Graduate students
Tuesday, April 4 to Friday, April 14
Class of 2019J
Class of 2019
Ada Comstock Scholars with 64-95 total credits
Thursday, April 6 to Friday, April 14
Class of 2020J
Class of 2020
Ada Comstock Scholars with 63 or fewer total credits
Room Draw
Make sure you have Internet access. This is hands-down the most important advice. Students only have four minutes to complete the room draw process before the next person is able to select a room. You can only view available rooms during your draw time.
Look at the floor plan and think about the long-term implications. Do you want a view or be near the bathroom or stairs? After receiving your lottery times and/or new house assignments, make sure to check the floor plan which can be found on the Smith Housing page. This is the easiest way for you to check which room you want without having to go room to room.
Seek help if you need to. ResLife knows how stressful the process can be and they know that many students have specific questions. Drop by Clark Hall and use their test system to practice selecting rooms. You can also check out the Residence Life webpage for more information, guides, instructions and cheat sheets.
