You made it! You are finally on your own in college. Now all you have to do is learn how to sign up for classes in order to get that piece of paper they call your degree. Registering in college can be very confusing and stressful the first time around especially if you have no help. This is why it is best to relax and ask for help the first few times around.

There are a few ways to help make registration less painful which you can really benefit from. Usually students speak with their academic advisors about which classes to take and how to register. Now this part is easy because all you have to do is ask questions and follow directions. The harder part about registration is knowing how to create a schedule of classes to take at exactly the right time. You may think you can just take as many classes as you want and get your degree quickly, but you also have to consider what you have time for or how many classes colleges limit per semester. Questions like what days are these classes offered, how many of these classes overlap or happen at the same time, how much time do you have in between classes, and if you have something planned during these classes are all questions you should try to figure out. Now I know all this can be really complicated, but that's why you have your academic advisor to help you through it all and I apologize if I made it seem overwhelming.

Also, while you rely on your advisor for most of your answers, the main piece of reference for the typical college student should be your undergraduate course catalog. This book lists all the requirements for your degree, every class at your college, a description of the classes, the types of minors you can get, and everything else that pertains to your academic career. This should be your bible for the next four years because it is your roadmap to graduation. If you have any extra time it would be a good idea to open it up and start flipping through it to get familiar with the content or check out any minors or classes you might want to add.

Just remember, do not hesitate to ask questions if you don't know about your classes. Whether it be your advisor, roommate, or upperclassmen just ask and find out because it will save you a lot of trouble down the road when you're scrambling to fulfill your degree requirements. Good luck!