Why is registration so early?

Sebastion C. Lury
Special to the Critic

Possibly so students don't have to stress about it when finals week rolls around.

Lyndon State College is amid the process of registering students for Spring 2009 classes.

Registration at LSC for classes in the Spring 2009 semester began on Oct. 27, 2008. It will be suspended on December 1. The process is scheduled early as it helps to relieve some stress for students.

“[Students] can get it done before finals,” says Deb Hale, LSC’s registrar. “It relieves some stress,” Hale says that if a student no longer has to worry about registering for classes, they have more time to study for finals.

Another issue that this registration avoids is a potential lack of communication between students and their advisers. Hale says that between semesters, advisers—like students—have time off. This occasionally causes issues when students realize during the break that they need to register, but they cannot access their advisers.

John Kascenska, associate dean of academic affairs, says that registering by Dec. 1 is beneficial for everyone involved. Kascenska says that this provides an opportunity for any issues—ranging from accounts on hold to canceled classes—to be addressed and corrected before classes begin in the spring. He also says that the goal is that students, advisers, and faculty alike can go home between semesters knowing what classes will run and what they need to do to further prepare themselves.

Kascenska says that this is the first year that LSC has established a date, specifically December 1, as an end date. Other Vermont State Colleges have similar registration periods.

Castleton State College’s registration process is November 10 to the 21. Johnson State College has a more complicated system: their primary registration process is November 10 through the 14 and is credit driven, meaning that seniors can register first, followed by juniors, and eventually working toward freshmen. This allows for seniors to be ensured of classes that they need for graduation.

LSC’s registration process ends on December 1 and it is widely recommended that students meet with their advisers to register.