Tips on Registering and Wait Lists

Registration Procedures

Registration for the Spring 2007 semester begins Friday, November 10, 2006. The timetable can now be viewed at: http://www.uleth.ca/ross/timetable.html and paper copies should be available in early November.

For continuing students:

You may access your registration dates by logging onto the Bridge and clicking on Registration. To register, log onto the Bridge, click on the Registrar’s Office and Student Services link, then Registration, and then the Add/Drop Classes link. After your classes have been successfully added you may print off your class schedule by clicking on Student Schedule by Day and Time, and printing. For more information on registration visit: http://www.uleth.ca/ross/registration/continuing_web.html

Note: All outstanding fees must be paid in full before you will be granted permission to register for the Spring 2007 semester. You can check the status of your fees by logging onto the Bridge, clicking on the Registrar’s Office & Student Services, clicking on Student Records, and then on View Holds. If any holds exist they will appear on the screen and if you have none it will say so.

Tips for registering:

ּ Register as early as you can on the first date assigned to you. This will give you a better chance of gaining access to your desired classes. My registration has started at 5:00 A.M. before, but I got up anyway and got into all of my classes.

ּ If you are planning on taking five classes and can’t decide on which to choose, remember you can add a sixth course on the first day of classes. This way you can go to all of them, and then drop whichever one you don’t want BEFORE the add/drop period ends (January 10, 2007).

ּ If you are taking classes with labs/tutorials make sure that you enter their course registration numbers AND ALSO the registration numbers for the lecture when registering.

ּ If you can’t get into a class right away, keep trying; persistency is key for accessing your courses.

ּ Pay attention to room numbers when registering in courses, if you have a course at 10:00 in E690, and then one at 11:00 in PE275, you may want to choose a different time. I have done this many times and I find it stressful to have to run up and down the hill to get to class on time!

ּ When you are taking a full course load, remember that it is a big responsibility, and you are not going to want to work too many hours a week. I work around ten hours a week with five classes, and for me that is best.

Wait List Information

If you are not able to able to access a course that is a requirement for your major you have the option to be put on a wait list. To do this you will have to see an academic advisor in your faculty (Arts & Science, Management, Education, or Fine Arts). Each faculty will set aside certain times in which you can drop in and see an advisor to be put on a wait list. The wait listing period usually consists of five days, and finding out when these are is crucial, as this is your only opportunity to be placed on a wait list. These times will be available in the paper copy of the Spring 2007 timetable, as well as on the notice board and also in your faculty’s office. Each faculty has different criteria, which they use to assess your need to be put on a wait list, so check with your faculty as to what these criteria are.

In most cases, you will not be put on a wait list if:

ּ You missed your initial registration window, (the specific times assigned to you that could be viewed on the Bridge)

ּ You want to take courses which are in excess of the minimum required to complete the major (if you are required to have twenty Psychology classes as a requirement for your major, and you want to take your twenty-first course, you will not be wait-listed, as you can only have twenty).

ּThe course you want is an elective (not required for your major)

ּThe course you want is for your minor (If your major is Education with a minor in Social Studies, you will not be wait listed for a Sociology course).

ּ The course you want is a senior-level requirement outside of your major

ּ You want to take a course to fulfill the General Liberal Education Requirement (GLER).

ּ You have a course or section preference. This means that if a course is available which would fulfill your requirement, you should register in it. If you want to take the same course at a different time, however, you won’t be put on a wait list if there is still room in the other class.

**** Remember: keep trying to access your courses on your own, even if you are on a wait list!!****

So, you are completing your degree in December...

Are you completing your degree at the end of the semester? If you are then here is what you need to do now!

1.) Perform a program check and make sure that you are actually going to graduate! You can do this on your own or you can meet with an Academic Advisor. You will need to contact the advising office for your faculty to arrange an appointment for a program check.

To perform the check yourself you will need a program planning guide and a copy of your transcript. You can pick up program planning guides from the Arts and Science Advising Office (SU060) or you can get one online at http://www.uleth.ca/ross/ppgs/index.html. You can get a copy of your transcript from the Registrars Office (SU 140) or you can access it through your U of L Bridge account. To do so simply log into your account, click the link for the Registrars Office and Student Services, then Student Records, then Working Copy Transcript.

2.) Apply to Graduate. That’s right, you have to apply to graduate! In order to attend convocation in the spring you must complete an Application for Graduation. These can be picked up at the Registrars Office (SU140) and at the Arts & Science Student Advising Office (SU060). If you are completing your degree at the end of this semester your convocation will be in spring. However, if you would like your transcript to indicate that you have graduated in January you must submit your application by November 1, 2006. If you do not submit your application in November you must do so by the final deadline, which is March 1, 2007 to graduate in the spring.

3.) Get a Job? This is it… you are about to graduate and will soon have to face the ‘real world’ – time to get a haircut and get a real job! If you don’t know where to begin your job search check out the Career and Employment Services Office (B625) which will continue to assist you with your job search for up to two years after you graduate! If you have any job related questions you are encouraged to phone Career and Employment Services at 403-329-2187, or check out there website at http://www.uleth.ca/ross/ces/index.html.

4.) Grad Studies? If you are interested in furthering your education then grad studies might be for you. There are plenty of opportunities for graduate studies here on campus and you can find out more about these by visiting the U of L School of Graduate Studies website, http://www.uleth.ca/sgs/. If you know you would like to perform your grad studies with a specific professor begin discussing possible research opportunities and building your relationship with him/her now.

5.) Travel? There are plenty of ways to travel but if you would like a job while doing it perhaps teaching English overseas is a good fit. There are plenty of organizations that can help you with this and you can find out more by searching the Internet.

6.) Do nothing and move back in with your parents. If you have absolutely no ambition or motivation I would recommend moving back in with your parents, where you can spend your time playing video games, watching t.v., and eating your parents food, all from the comfort of a couch. If you are like me you never left your parents house, and this will make the transition from student to loafer very easy.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to leave a comment on our blog or email us at prc@uleth.ca

Budgeting 101

Alright, this week's topic is Budgeting 101. Now, if I can give any advice it would be to be a stickler all your years of university and not just your first two. Once I realized (after my first two years) that I would have enough money with bursaries, help from my parents, and money made during the summer, I began to spend way too much money and then would have no idea where it was all going. So I decided to set up an excel spreadsheet where I could keep track of all my spendings. This is by far by favorite budgeting tip. I hate making budgets and limiting myself to certain things so I decided that if I just kept track, I wouldn't spend my money on stupid little things like a Chai tea everyday, and could put that toward more important things like clothes and going to New Zealand :) But saving has taken a backseat for me these days which is not good. Also another good tip is to listen to your parents and put money away in a savings account! If you are smart with your money it can add up fast and you will have a down payment for something before you know it. I wish I would have listened better. Oh well, gotta start sometime. ALright, enough of me, here are week 4's Bugeting Tips 101:

If you are worried about how you are going to make it through the school year without having to phone you parents begging for money, or worry about eating Kraft Dinner for the entirety of the semester, here are some budgeting tips you need to look at:

1) Live in residence. For your first year, at least, it is usually the cheapest way to go. Otherwise, if you prefer to live beyond “the dungeon,” make sure you have a few roommates. This is an easy way to minimize costs if you want to live off-campus.

2) Don’t forget that your first month in school will be the most costly. Installation fees for phone and internet, paying rent and damage deposits, tuition, and books will all add up faster than you think. So make sure to set some extra money aside from your summer job to make the first month’s costs not so overwhelming.

3) Instead of buying a car that you have to pay insurance on and costs to up-keep it, buy a bus pass and go for public transportation.

4) Once you are settled in and know your costs, make a list of your monthly expenses (rent, food, bus pass, car payment, tuition, books, etc) and figure out how much needs to go towards the essentials.

5) Next, you can figure out how much you can afford to put towards socializing and going out. Make this a reasonable amount and stick to it. Remember, first year students don’t always have the luxury of living the high life!

6) You don’t need to drink every time you go out. Be the designated driver once in a while and you will be surprised how much money you will save when you do not drink all the time.

7) Try not to eat out at restaurants all the time. This will take a lot of your money if you are not careful and don’t keep track of how much you are spending on eating out. A few dollars here and there, even for a coffee and a muffin, can make a big difference later on.

8) Use an excel spreadsheet or document to track your expenses. Some people prefer not to budget but instead like to keep track of where their money is going. If you write down every penny you spend and where it’s going, you will be able to judge what you are spending too much on.

9) Get a part-time job. If you only have three or four classes and the workload is not too bad, find a part-time on-campus job. If you are taking five classes, though, I would not recommend working as that may only add unnecessary stress.

Websites to check out:

Money Probelms?

Student Budgeting

Tips for university students

Make $50 last 10 days

Services Available at the U of L

This blog is especially for first year students! We are here to help. I bet you didn't know that the Registar's office offers free confidential counselling for all students or that the Security Office funds a SAFEWALK program to walk you safely after a long night of studying. These are just a few of the many services offered here at the University that could really help in times of need. There are so many other services available to students that I have not mentioned. However, if you are thinking to yourself I wish they offered the 'most random thing' here at the U of L (I dont know....maybe a canoe lesson) write me and you may be surprised at what services are offered here at discounted prices for students. By the way.. the university does offer canoe lessons for a fee. Its not so random after all!!!!!! Let me know if there are any services you are wondering about or have a query of whether there are any departments here to assist you with some problem you are facing. Or just let me know what you wish they offered here..

Registrar’s Office and Student Services in SU140 can help with:
- FREE counselling
- registering in courses
- applying for graduation
- advising native students
- scholarships and finance
- issuing transcripts

At the Health Centre in SU020 can help by providing:
- free doctor’s visits
- chiropractic services
- massage therapy
- physiotherapy
- dietician services
- nurse services
- and basic health insurance information

Security Office in L911 is the only 24/7 service on campus and provides the following services:
- lost and found
- SAFEWALK
- parking passes
- and an emergency number: 2345 for rapid security response

Information Technology Department provides computer labs in UHALL, Anderson Hall, B5 Computer labs and B7 labs, which are equipped with Macintosh computers.

Career and Employment Services in B610 provides the following options
- applied studies
- cooperative education and internship programs
- and provides information bulletins and applications forms for students interested in writing professional exams (MCAT,GRE, LSAT)

Service Centre in Level 2 provides students with
- a microwave to heat up lunches
- fax machine
- photocopying services

Writing Services in L1012 can help students with
- term papers
- and paper format (either APA or MLA)

International Centre for Students Office in SU047
- provides students with general advising services to international students
- advising with Immigration matters

Scholarships and Finance in SU068 Provides students with
- financial aid
- and understanding the scholarships available to students

For more information on services offered at the University of Lethbridge visit this website: http://www.uleth.ca/ross/student_services.html