I Have Some Reservations About that Class...

Over the course of the last couple weeks, the CAS Advisors have been sifting through registration difficulties to help you get the most ideal schedule possible.  However, if you received the "reserve closed" error during registration, there wasn't very much we could do to help you...until today!!

What does it mean if I receive the "reserve closed" message?

Many majors offered at the University of Scranton require specific courses to be taken at specific times during a student's academic career.  Not getting these classes by a certain point could place a student in peril of not graduating on time.  Therefore, to ensure that this does not happen and that all University of Scranton students have a fair opportunity to graduate in four years, departments temporarily reserve seats in required classes for their declared majors and minors.  Students are generally granted one week after Freshmen Registration to claim their reserved seats. 

The Reservations Have Been Removed!

For most classes, reservations are being removed today.  The process officially began at 8:30am but may not be completed until later in the day.  If you think the reservation should have been removed from a class but you are still unable to register for it, you can call our Assistant Dean, Mrs. Butler at 570-941-7562 or email her at gina.butler@scranton.edu to seek additional information.  

Not all reserves get removed.  Some sections have seats reserved for incoming freshman.  Others are reserved for seniors only.  These seats will continue to be reserved. 

I Have a Problem You Didn't Mention!

If you have any other issues, please let us know!  We are aware of certain concerns, such as the fact that organic chemistry is closed, and we are working with department chairs to address them, but you should email me so I am aware of your situation.  If you are holding out for a particular professor or time in any class, grab a seat in a less ideal section and email the advising center to get your name added to the wish list.  We check course enrollments each day and if we see an open seat and you are next on the list, we will add you to the course.  It's a long summer and people change majors, leave the university or realize that they no longer are permitted to continue in certain classes.  Seats may open up!

Katie Robinson
CAS Academic Advisor
katherine.robinson@scranton.edu

Spring and Intersession Registration

Freshman Registration begins today, Friday, November 30 at 3PM.  By now, you should have met with an advisor in the CAS Advising Center to ask questions, review your schedule and receive your term PIN.  When your PIN becomes activated, you will follow these instructions to register for your spring and intersession courses. Wondering what to do if you have problems? 

Common Spring/Intersession Registration Woes

• The Course I wanted is closed!  Can I be written in?  Ordinarily, it is not possible to be written into a closed course, even with the professor’s permission.  However, the CAS Advisors maintain a wish list.  If the course you truly want is closed, stay calm!  Register for the next best thing and then send one of us an email with your R# and the name and CRN of the course you are trying to get into.  Course enrollment fluctuates after final grades come out as people change their minds or determine that they can no longer take the courses they have planned.  If you are on the wish list, both you and your advisor can check during the summer for openings.  Additionally, getting your name on the wish list is beneficial because, if there are a lot of people waiting for a course, departments will occasionally open new sections but we need to know that you are waiting for a seat!

·         The computer says “cross registration only”!  What does that mean?  For some science courses such as BIOL 141/142, BIOL 110/111, CHEM 112/113, CHEM 232/233 and their corresponding labs, as well as for the WRTG 105/106 sequence, you are required to register for the same section of the course as you were registered for in the fall semester.  If you wish to make a change to your section, you may do so on Monday, December 3. 

• The course I wanted says “major restriction” but I am declaring that major! Many courses are restricted to specific majors.  If you are currently in the process of declaring a major and are unable to register for an open section of a course for that major, call the CAS Advising Center immediately!  We can add you to the course!  In contacting us please remember:

1.  Call us--don't try to come in!!  By the time you make it in to see us and we get off the phone with students who are calling for help, all of your classes might close!  It's always best to call!!

 2.  Completely sign out of your myscranton account!  Only one person can be logged into your registration at a time!  If you are logged in, we can't help you!  It can take a long time for the computer to log you out and the longer it takes, the less likely it is you'll get the classes you want!

3.  Be prepared!  Have your R# and the CRN of the course(s) you want on hand so we can help you faster!

• The course I want is “reserve closed”!  What does that mean?  Many courses reserve a certain number of seats for students in particular majors.  Once the non-reserved seats are taken, students who are not in those majors are not able to register for the class.  Reserves come off on December 3.  Email your advisor to tell them you didn’t get a seat.  If the course is open when the reserve is removed, your advisor can add you to the course. 

•   My Account is On Hold!! Login to your myscranton account to make sure you are not on hold before registration begins.  When you have a hold on your account, neither you nor your academic advisor will be able to register you for the classes.  Most holds are financial.  You will need to talk to the Bursar’s Office to resolve the problem.  They are located in St. Thomas Hall room 201 and you can call them at 570-941-4062.

• I never came in for registration!  If you haven't kept an initial advising appointment for fall preregistration, and you are not currently scheduled for an appointment, the CAS Advisors will not be able to help you until Monday, November 30.  We are solidly booked up until registration now.  Until you have your initial appointment, you can't get your PIN and therefore can't register or be registered for fall classes.  If you call during registration, we can't help you! We open at 8:30am...be here as early as possible to improve your chances of getting into the courses you want!

Other things to chew on...

• Your PIN becomes activated today but it stays activated until the end of the first week of the spring semester.  There is a lot of time for courses to open up!  Be patient and don't panic!

• When you completed your preregistration, you and your advisor both signed off on the schedule you planned.  Your advisor certified that the courses you chose were consistent with your academic goals and would help you progress toward timely graduation in your major.  If you make changes to your schedule besides switching sections or adding a PHED course, you should check in with your advisor to make sure you will still be on track!

Katie Robinson
CAS Academic Advisor
katherine.robinson@scranton.edu