DeKALB | For NIU students looking forward to a smooth spring semester, next week marks an important event.

Spring semester registration begins Monday for all students with disabilities, intercollegiate athletes and university honors students. Graduate students begin registration on Tuesday, with undergraduate registration beginning on Wednesday.

Undergraduate registration is staggered based on accumulated credit hours. Students with the most semester hours are allowed to register before students with less.

Registration is done using students’ MyNIU accounts.

Part of designing the best schedule includes a dialogue with an academic adviser.

“Adviser meetings are important because they let students know what requirements they have met or need to meet,” said Jill Boersma, director of advising for the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. “They help create a relationship between the student and the adviser, and that helps the student feel more confident in the schedule.”

Brittany Terrana, a sophomore speech pathology major, meets with her adviser before registering for classes every semester.

“The red registration books are kind of confusing,” she said. “I meet with my adviser and she helps me set up my schedule.”

Boersma said that the Liberal Arts and Science advising office is booked for the next two weeks and is not taking walk-ins. Students in other colleges are encouraged to check adviser availability if they seek advice. Boersma encourages students who have questions while making their schedule.

“It’s important to run an audit and try to figure out the best courses you need to take,” she said.

“Register for the classes anyway, and then set up an advising meeting to discuss the issues.”

Boersma added that it is important to register for the classes because they may be filled by the time the meeting happens.

Students can add classes to their MyNIU Wish List to make the registration process easier.

They can look at the course offerings for next semester and pick the sections they want. When the students register, they can just take the courses off the wish list and add it to the schedule.

Boersma acknowledged that not all students see counselors before registering, but recommends that a segment of the student body see an adviser.

“Students who hope to graduate in the spring really need to schedule a meeting,” she said. “If they make a mistake on their schedule and miss a requirement, May won’t happen for them.”

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