I rolled up my sleeves as I sat down at the table, flexing my fingers with determination, ready to charge into battle. It was every man for himself, and I knew I had to do everything in my power to come out of this struggle victorious. What was the conflict? Something every college student has grappled with: registration. 

We have all heard the horror stories surrounding registration. Some people don’t get the classes they need to graduate, and others are left with undesirable schedules that would make even the hardiest student cry. 

While trying to change registration times and expanding class sizes would be a logistical nightmare, there are still certain steps that UT can take to make the process less stressful and more pleasant for the student body. 

In an effort to make registration a “simple” process, UT should allow students to pre-save the courses they want before their registration times, and then register for these classes at their designated time slots. 

As soon as the course schedule for the upcoming semester was released, students would navigate to the registration portal and save classes. After saving these classes, they would wait for their registration period and click the “add” button to add all their saved classes at once. If the classes that they want to register for are waitlisted, they would have the opportunity to individually add those course numbers to join the waitlist. 

Universities such as Cornell and Penn State have implemented similar procedures for their students, giving them the option of either adding courses to a pre-saved “shopping cart” or registering for each class individually. 

Business freshman Aarushi Gupta said that besides the stress associated with getting classes you need during registration, the scheduled time period for registration often coincides with classes, making it difficult to register on time. 

“One of my friends had her registration during an econ midterm. So obviously, she prioritized her midterm, but she had a tough time getting one of the classes she wanted,” Gupta said. “My registration time was during one of my classes, so I had to talk with my professor ahead of time and she was able to let me step out of the classroom in order to register, but I feel like other students weren’t as fortunate.”

Gupta also provided her thoughts on the proposed registration procedure. 

“I think (pre-saving classes) is a great idea,” Gupta said.  “Actually, I think that it makes it easier and less stressful (than) to manually copy and paste each thing individually, and it’s just nice to be able to click one button, and it’s all done for you.” 

Although this doesn’t take the stress away from being on a waitlist for a class you really want or not being able to register for closed classes, it does make registration less complicated. You wouldn’t have to worry about copying and pasting course numbers, but instead ease through the process by pre-selecting classes. 

Associate registrar Bethany Bell provided some insight on the feasibility of this endeavor. 

“In the registrar’s office, we have worked on things like that,” Bell said. “We have researched that. It does have to be a University priority to support new systems and system improvement. The folks involved would need to have the bandwidth and University resources available (to make that change).”

Although it may be difficult, this new proposal can make a difference in students’ lives. It is up to the University to provide students with the resources they need to not only succeed in registration, but also to make it a less stressful experience.

Quadri is a business and Plan II freshman from Austin, Texas.