Thoughts About Registration
In this Issue:
- Thoughts about Registration
- Message about housing selection times and selection office hours
Happy Tuesday, Daily Deacdom! Just two topics today, but the first is kind of lengthy, so wanted to get right to it.
Thoughts about Registration
I had gotten some questions from families about registration, so wanted to share some thoughts in today’s Daily Deac.
Fall course registration will begin today (March 31) through April 3, then runs through the last day to add/drop in the Fall semester. Students’ registration days are based on hours earned while at Wake (i.e., earned hours does not include AP, IB, BA, and any other hours earned prior to college).
There are instructions and practical registration tips on the Registrar’s website, and students should go through those thoroughly before their registration time and take any appropriate action.
But I also want to debunk the myth that a student should automatically be enrolled in 12-15 credits on the first day of their registration, or even in that first week. Registration is not a one-and-done, but an iterative process, and schedules for current students can be adjusted even through the first week or so of class. Why is that?
Some students sign up for a class when they first register and then change their mind, which opens up a seat. That then can bump students from the waitlist into an actual seat – and can create a domino effect (where the newly-added student needs to drop a class they no longer need); rinse and repeat. So there can be a lot of movement in classes between registration and the start of the semester.
Additionally, the academic side of the house looks at demand for classes and often makes adjustments to seating capacity or adds new sections during registration and even beyond. In fact, I got asked to teach a spring 2026 class in late November 2025, after the initial registration period had taken place.
So do not worry if you/your student doesn’t have 12-15 hours within the first day/week of registration. Registration is a marathon, not a sprint.
Registration strategies
Registration is a situation where diligence and follow through can be a student’s best friend:
- Check Workday often after your initial registration to see if new sections have opened up.
- Be willing to take classes at a time that might not be your first choice, or with a faculty member that is not your first choice. If you only want classes that meet between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., or with the sexiest course title, and/or are taught by a legendary professor, you are likely to be limited in your choices, because everyone else wants those too.
- Try not to put too much stock in reviews on rate-my-professor sites. Those sites may not accurately predict whether your student will like a class (those who bother to rate a class tend to have loved or hated it). Ratings about how they grade or their lecture style doesn’t necessarily tell a student whether that faculty member teaches in a way that would play to their strengths. One of my favorite undergrad professors had a bad reputation but was an amazing teacher. I am glad I didn’t let the whisper network convince me not to take his class.
- Be willing to take a class that doesn’t “tick a box.” So often, students feel tons of pressure to get all their Basic and Divisional requirements taken care of in their first year or so. If the classes you wanted are not open, branch out. Take an elective that interests you; all classes do not have to check a box on the Course Completion checklist. Any class with hours/credits moves the ball down the field towards graduation.
Hope that puts some perspective on the process. And just a personal note from my own student days. I remember a class I was dying to take with a very popular professor. It took me three semesters of trying before I made it into his class, but I got there eventually. All that to say sometimes it’s worth it to play the long game, other times it may make sense to choose from what’s available. We all have to prioritize and make those decisions for ourselves.
Message about housing selection times and selection office hours
Students received a message about the housing selection process, which read, in part:
“As we approach Housing Selection, selection times are now viewable in the Housing Portal. You will be able to view both your individual selection time and your roommate group selection time if applicable.”
For students that want to talk out their situation or need other assistance, there will be Housing Selection Open Office Hours tomorrow (April 1) from 1-5 p.m. in the Residence Life and Housing Office. If students can’t make tomorrow’s offering, there will also be a Special Edition of Housing Selection Open Office Hours from 1:30-3 p.m. on April 8 at Campus Grounds.
That’s all the news that’s fit to print today – see y’all again tomorrow!