Samantha Chaffin
News Editor
Spring class schedules for Idaho State University were viewable online as of Oct. 28 and spring registration is quickly approaching. There are a few steps students need to take in preparation for registration.
Director of Central Academic Advising JoAnn Hertz said that aside from looking through the schedule and deciding what classes they wish to sign up for, students need to check on and clear any holds preventing them from registering. They should also see an adviser and look through with the new degree audit program through Degree Works prior to registering for the spring semester.
Hertz said it is important for students to plan ahead in order to register as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary frustration of missing out on a popular or necessary course due to it being filled by other students.
“Mostly I think it’s a timing issue and a selection issue,” said Hertz. “[Students] have more opportunities to choose the courses and the times and the teachers they want and make a good semester schedule for themselves.”
Any type of hold on a student’s account can prevent registration. Some holds that may exist include a Freshman Fundamentals of Advising and Registration (F.A.R.) hold for academic freshmen, financial holds for students who owe any amount of money to the university, academic probation holds for students who need to complete their probationary advising session, student affairs holds and more.
Freshman specifically have to complete two F.A.R. sessions, one that was completed prior to fall registration and one that will need to be completed prior to spring registration. Students can complete this online or by seeing an adviser at Central Academic Advising and should allow for at least 24 hours for the hold to be removed.
Other departments or colleges may have their own advising holds or requirements and students need to check with their individual departments for those requirements prior to registration.
To check holds, students can go to BengalWeb and go to the Academic Tools tab. Once there, students need to click the “View Holds” link in the student records channel.
There, students will see a “no holds exist” message or a list of holds that need to be taken care of.
Hertz also said students should utilize the new Degree Works degree audit feature to see what courses they need for their degree prior to advising and registering for classes if it is available for that student’s department.
Students can see if their department is utilizing Degree Works at this time by clicking the Degree Works link on the left hand side of the Office of the Registrar’s website and clicking “Go Live Status” in the drop-down menu. Hertz said the university’s goal was to have Degree Works fully completed by December.
There was a discrepancy between the registrar’s website and information Hertz believes to be true.
The website lists 2010 and beyond as the catalog year for Degree Works functionality but Hertz believes that to mean the 2009 to 2010 catalog.
“This says 2010 or greater, but I would assume that to mean [2009 to 2010],” explained Hertz.
There is also a “What If” function in Degree Works where students can compare their degree requirements between catalogs and Hertz noted that students who had completed goals under the old catalog but whose major requirements were preferred in the new catalog can look into being “Core Certified” so they are not disadvantaged by recent changes.
Graduate students and seniors may begin registering at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, juniors at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, sophomores at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 and freshman at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18.
If students are unsure whom to contact regarding advising issues, they may call Central Academic Advising at (208) 282-3277 to be directed to the correct department. The Office of the Registrar’s website can be found at http://www.isu.edu/areg.
