Course registration for spring 2025 is upon us. 

Whether you’re a first-year tackling course registration for the first time or a senior capping off your last course registration cycle, the buzz of nervous anticipation is in the air. 

I’m a junior and consider myself a well-seasoned course selector, so here are some little pieces of advice about course registration. Hopefully, I can alleviate some of the stress caused by the intimidating course selection process.  

Double-check the basics. 

The primary component in executing a successful course selection is preparation. 

First, check the day of your course registration on the registration schedule. You can also find the date on myUVM in the “My Courses” tab under “Check Registration Status (View Holds).” 

You can find the Course Registration Numbers, also known as CRNs, in the schedule of courses, which is also available in my preferred version—the classic version. 

Ensure that you’ve taken care of any registration holds you may have. Have a list of your preferred and backup classes’ CRNs handy to copy and paste. Ensure that the class times don’t overlap. 

If a class that you want to enroll in fills up before your time of course registration, it can’t hurt to email the professor for an override. The UVM faculty is here to help you.  

It’s important to be aware of the app Coursicle as well. It’s very user-friendly and creates a mock schedule that provides a visual of your future courses. 

Pro tip: if you have a lab for one of your classes, enter the lecture CRN and the lab CRN together. 

Engage in a little pre-course selection nighttime self-care ritual. Take some deep breaths. 

Know this: the alarm will go off, your computer will turn on and all those CRNs are correct. Deep breath in, long exhale out. 

I’m so guilty of double-checking my alarms and succumbing to my racing thoughts telling me to get up out of bed just to ensure I had the correct codes. 

Last fall, I spent the night before course selection willing the night of sleep to just be over so the dread that I felt towards it could be over too. 

Obvious as it may seem, stressing doesn’t guarantee you a spot in a class. 

Keep your fingers crossed as you send each CRN off with a little blessing. You’ve prepared in every way you could. Despite this preparation, part of course registration is just luck. 

Don’t lose a night of sleep over what you can’t control. Even if you don’t get into every class you want for this semester, you’ll make it work. 

Don’t worry, I don’t charge for the affirmations, nor for the free therapy session. 

From my computer at 7 a.m. to yours: you got this. 

It’s always stressful, but it does get better.  

First-years: this course selection is, honestly, the most stressful one you’ll go through. After selecting courses for the spring of your first year, it only gets easier. The classes get more specific to your major so there is much less competition. 

And to everyone, know that when next semester rolls around, you will adapt to your schedule just fine. Even if the schedule is not Plan A, you’ll make it work.  

You will get all your requirements fulfilled even if registration doesn’t go the way you expected. Say it with me: however my schedule turns out, I can and I will make it work. 

Keep an eye out for spaces that may open up during the Add/Drop period next spring. The week of course registration does not set your schedule in stone. 

Another pro tip: you can register for more classes than you plan to actually take during the semester. You can always test out four or five classes during the first week and drop a few before the end of the Add/Drop period. 

I wish you all the best during this week of course registration. Maybe treat yourself to a special coffee—you’ll be up before 7 a.m. anyway.