The Add/Drop period is half over...

The spring Add/Drop period ends Monday, February 3rd at 10pm. Just because you have another week to play with your schedule doesn't mean you should be making drastic changes at this point. Adding a course after more than a week may require you to play catch-up. Adding a course at the tail end of Add/Drop may also mean you don't have a chance to attend all components of the course (lecture, discussion, lab) before the Add/Drop deadline. That's not a great way to start your semester!

So, what if you still want to make changes to your schedule? It's not impossible to edit your schedule at this point, but you'll want to be very cautious. If possible try sitting in on a class you want to add before changing your schedule to accommodate it. This will give you a chance to collect the syllabus, get a sense of the professor's teaching style, and evaluate how much work you might have already missed. After sitting in, if it seems manageable, go ahead and add it on SPIRE! It's a good idea to meet with the professor and/or TA of any class you add at this point. They can help you sort out make-up/catch-up work that you are responsible for.

Whenever changing your schedule, keep in mind two handy SPIRE functions: swap and edit. In order to add a class at this point you may need to get rid of another class first. Never drop a course until you are absolutely sure you can get into another to replace it. Many departments will restrict courses to "Department Consent Only" after the first meeting or two of a class. This means you cannot enroll in the course via SPIRE without specific permissions. If you drop something else assuming you will get the new class, then get denied access by the department, you will be down credits. Instead, use the swap function on SPIRE. This function will simultaneously drop one class and replace it with a new one. If there is some sort of error that prevents you from adding the new class, you will remain enrolled in the original class and will not have risked falling below full-time status (12 credits).

Just want to alter a discussion or lab time? This probably isn't a big deal if you've been attending the class all along at this point, and you can easily make the change on SPIRE without having to drop anything! Edit should be used to change the discussion or lab time for a class you are already enrolled in. Editing does NOT affect the lecture time of a class.

Finally, when you think your schedule is good to go, check it on SPIRE to make sure everything looks correct. Then check it AGAIN! You are accountable for any course you are registered for on SPIRE.

Got questions? See your advising office or visit a Peer Advisor at the Academic Advising Link in the Learning Commons.