The sky is darkening. Rain drops that may soon turn into snow drops are pouring down on us from the sky and second semester registration time is upon us. While some may see this as a cause of stress and/or befuddlement, I see this as a time of immense excitement. It’s like that time in middle school right before school started when your parents took you to Staples and you got to run through every aisle grabbing color coded folders and pens and stickers… the pure magic of possibility. We can have all of that magical possibility once again! It is all within our reach. But wait, you unfortunately ended up in an 8:10 lecture style class on the ins and outs of accounting. Everything is ruined now. Don’t let this happen to you! You can absolutely get into all of the classes that you want*, just follow these simple steps.

• Spend a little bit of time with the searchable schedule: The searchable schedule is a delightful thing. Take advantage of it! Don’t just go to the departments that you know you like. Take a chance. Go out on a limb. Insert any other risk taking cliche here. Sometimes, there is a gem of a class hiding in a strange department that you wouldn’t have expected. It is worth it to fully peruse the schedule without pigeon-holing yourself. You may wind up in a class that changes absolutely everything that you think about everything.
• Email The Professor: This is absolutely paramount! Even if it is a class you are on the fence about, it is worth it to email the professor. Ask about what the class is going to be like. Tell them why you are interested. Engage in some online philosophical discussions. It is completely worth it to put yourself out there and get some more details.
• Go to Office Hours: I know I just said to email your professors and that is all well and good but what you really should do is go to their office hours. They want to see your face and hear your lovely thoughts and it can’t hurt to show your face to a professor whose class you really, really want to be in but may be kind of, a little bit full.
• Talk to your advisor: Your advisors are a great resource. They know things. They have relationships with other professors and those relationships may carry weight. They have great opinions. Talk to them.

*Obviously I can’t guarantee this. I feel like that might actually be illegal. Shit happens sometimes, ya know?