Registration process painful for some, rewarding for others

Last Monday morning at 4:30 a.m., a student waited outside of Thackeray Hall for the… Last Monday morning at 4:30 a.m., a student waited outside of Thackeray Hall for the registration office to open, even though he knew the office wouldn’t open for several hours.

During the first mornings of class registration, Linda Vega, registration specialist, often asks students what time they arrived at Thackeray Hall. While most students arrive at the office after sunrise, others just can’t rest until they have it done.

“The student couldn’t sleep so he thought he’d come and wait,” she said with a smile. “I guess he wanted a particular class and I’m sure he got it.”

According to Dave Carmen, assistant university registrar, waiting in line “forever” is a common misconception among students when it comes to registering for their classes.

“There is a group of people who desperately want to get into classes,” he said. “They are here early and want to get into certain classes.”

Dan Mandell, who began the registration process with Vega yesterday morning, said that he had to “run around campus” collecting special permission forms before he could officially register for his classes.

“It’s a lot of red tape,” he said, referring to the rules and regulations for completing registration.

Pitt student Keith Schoenfeld ran into the same problems as Mandell did when registering for his classes. He said that his experience was “a little disappointing” because he came in with six classes on his schedule and only got three of them.

He could not register for the other three because of restrictions and cancellations that required him to get permission slips or choose alternate classes.

“I had to go back to the basics,” he said.

Carmen said although some students complain about problems such as Schoenfeld’s and Mandell’s, the complaints are never about the registration process itself. He said that he believes it is a combination of the staff and students behind the registration process that make it run smoothly.

“I think students are more conscientious about what they need to do,” he said.

Carmen said the registration process usually runs smoothly for a combination of reasons, including a decentralized process, a hardworking staff and informed students.

Vega said that decentralization helps to spread out registration.

Students now have the option of registering for classes with their academic advisers or at Thackeray Hall. Different departments and schools also have access to their own registrations, very much unlike the past when the staff at Thackeray Hall controlled registration for every school in the University.

Vega said that before these departments and schools took on their own registration, the lines of students never stopped.

“The process has improved through the years,” she said, recalling the old system of physically “pulling cards” to distinguish open classes. “I don’t know how they ever did it then.”

Now students in different schools within Pitt, like the College of General Studies and the School of Law, have the ability to complete registration forms online and send them to their advisers through e-mail.

One difference in the registration process between Pitt’s different departments and schools lies in the advising procedure, according to Carmen. He said that some programs, such as Pitt’s School of Engineering, often have what he called pre-programmed courses.

“Those differences obviously exist and effect how you register,” he said. “But the act of registering is the same.”

While students cannot fully register for their classes online yet, Pitt has been making changes to make more registration processes Internet accessible.

Carmen said that Pitt is “actively pursuing” implementing online class registration. He said that although most students will like being able to register online, some will prefer personal interaction.

Pitt student Nicole Borelli said that she thought the Internet would provide a convenient way for students to register for classes, and she believes it is only a matter of time before students can register for classes online.

Borelli, who works in the School of Arts and Sciences Advising Office, said that observing on-call advisers giving advice to students has helped her with preparing and registering for her classes. She said that being prepared and knowing what classes you need are important when registering for classes.