College advising and registration are two important processes in the early stages of enrolment. In this stage, a professor guides a student in preparation for the upcoming semester. Advising gives the student a clearer view of what subjects to take and what subjects he or she is going to deal with. It also helps the student see what problems may arise during his or her studies. Registration brings the student one step closer to becoming a recognized student of a university, college, or any other learning institution.
The first step that a student undergoes is preparing a subject list that he or she is planning to take in the upcoming semester. Being a working student, for example, not all of the subjects can be taken because of time constraints. So, the time and day are noted, together with the combination of subjects that fits the available time. If there are conflicts in the pre-written timetable, the student looks for another alternative schedule. The availability of the class and the number of students are also looked at.
After picking the subjects to take, he or she then talks with a professor in charge of advising. In this step, the grades are presented to the teacher for assessment. The teacher takes another look at the list of subjects that the student has prepared to make sure that problems will be minimized as possible. The student may not be aware but sometimes, because of the timetable, the overall health could be greatly affected.
Also, the teacher compares the present subject list to the subjects that the student has taken so far. If that student will take English 103 without taking Math 101 or Math 102, the teacher points this problem to him or her. A student should not jump to a higher level subject so a prerequisite should be taken first, most especially if it is a major subject.
The next thing that a teacher looks for is the number of units. If the student plans to exceed the recommended number of units, for example, 30 units out of the recommended 24 units, the teacher decides whether the student can or cannot add more to the subject list. Using the grades that the student got in the previous semester as the basis for making the decision, the teacher gives a green signal. If he or she does find a problem with the performance, the teacher recommends not taking any further subjects or suggests alternatives to help the student.
After that, the professor looks at the schedule that the student has prepared. There are questions like why the schedules are too far apart from each other, can you deal with a tight-knitted timetable. Once the schedule has been arranged between the professor and the student, approval to go to the next step in advising is granted.
He or she then proceeds to the encoding section to get a printed copy of the subject listing. Before printing, the operator looks at the list and the subject code, the subject description, the time and day, the room, the number of units, and the remaining number of available slots. The operator looks at the list and finds problems like the availability of the subject, the subject is already closed because it is already full, or the subject code doesn’t match the description. The problems are then referred to the student so that changes will be made. At worst, the student has to return to square one to fix everything.
If there are no more problems, the student finally receives a printed copy of the subject list, together with the subject description, the time and day, the room number, the number of units, and the professor. Also included in the printed copy is the cost per unit, the miscellaneous fees, the laboratory fees (if any), and the total amount that is needed to be paid.
Advising and registration are important in the enrolment process because it includes several steps that the student undergoes to make studying as convenient as possible. If for example, the student decides to take too many subjects without thinking of his or her capability, failing or poor performance will be the result. The result spells a big difference in the end, especially in the working and business world where performance is one primary basis for success.
Although there are students who already have an idea of what to take and there are even some who are confident that they won’t be experiencing any problems in the future, seeking professional advice is important since the professor may see what a student doesn’t.