Shaylene's Tip of the Week: Prepping for Enrollment Period

As the semester begins to wind down, enrollment is just around the corner! It can be very hectic, but it doesn't have to be if you prepare ahead of time! Here a few tips to help during the enrollment period!

1. Meet with an advisor! I can't stress this one enough! No matter what your major, talk to your advisor! The sooner you talk to them, the better! Make an appointment to sit down with your advisor and go over which classes you might be interested in taking and which classes keep you on track for your major or potential major. They'll be able to talk to you about major requirements, gen eds, and give general academic advice. Take at least ten minutes out of your day and talk to an advisor before enrollment. It's worth it, believe me. 
2. Search Through Classes on SPIRE Ahead of Time! The spring course schedule has been released, so begin to browse through classes and see what's available! This is the perfect time to begin looking for gen eds. and potential majors classes that might be interesting. Be sure to read the descriptions and see if the class may be a good fit for you!
3. Fill Up Your Shopping Cart! The shopping cart on SPIRE is where your classes go before
   you actually enroll in them. If you see a course that you're interested in taking, add it to your shopping cart! Be sure to add more classes than will actually be on your schedule. It's always good to have plenty of backup courses in case a class closes or you decide to swap.
4. Check for Holds! Always check for holds on SPIRE and take care of them as soon as possible! Make sure to take care of them before the start of your enrollment appointment. It may take a couple of days for the hold to clear, so it's better to take care of it earlier rather than later as it can sometimes interfere with enrolling in classes.
5. Check for your Enrollment Appointment! When you log into SPIRE on the right hand side there will be a box that says Enrollment Appointment. Listed in that box will be a specific date and time. This is your enrollment appointment. When that time rolls around, you can start to
   
   enroll in classes. This is why it is a good idea to have your shopping cart full, because then you can just check off the classes you want and enroll in them right then and there!
6. Stop by the Academic Advising Link! If you're not sure how SPIRE works or have some general advising questions, then stop by the Academic Advising Link. The peers there are more than happy to help you navigate SPIRE and give you advice on finding Gen. Eds. We all have enrollment experience under our belt and are more than happy to help make the process smoother for you! The Link is in the Learning Commons in the library and is open from 4-8pm Sun-Thurs.