After the long and relaxing winter break, registration can sneak up on students getting back into the flow of their classes. Students must research their future classes, review the course guide and obtain recommendations and signatures.

From Jan. 26 to Jan. 29, counselors will visit each English class, offering presentations and answering any questions about registration along with papers to write down all the classes you want to take. As the main guides and handlers for registration, counselors often see common mistakes and questions.

“The most common mistakes I see as a counselor are [students] not registering for both semesters of a year-long course in IC, not checking course prerequisites or reading course descriptions in the course guide before selecting a class and forgetting to select alternates,” counselor Mackenzie Carson said.

Registration officially opens Jan. 30. Counselors will be available every lunch and access for any final questions or help from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5. Registration will completely close Feb. 6.

Here are some tips for making registration a seamless process:

1. Take time to go through the course guide

Each student is given access to the Course Guide at the beginning of registration. The guide consists of all the courses offered at the school, separated by each prospective grade. In the Course  guide it highlights what credits can be earned from the class, a short summary of what the class entails and if there are any prerequisites needed. This can be helpful to students wondering which classes will be the right fit for them based on their grades and interests.

“A class that I would recommend for upcoming sophomores is Honors Chemistry, because you get to do a lot of cool labs and it’s a lot of fun,” Morgan Cennamo ‘28 said.

2. Keep track of your credits and learn which ones still need to be filled

In order to graduate, each student needs a total of 24 credits for different areas such as Electives, Math, English, etc. Different core classes and electives can be taken to fulfill these credits. Knowing what credits are needed can help narrow down what classes to take.

English – 4 credits

Social Studies – 3 credits

Math – 3 credits

Science – 3 credits

Practical Arts- 3 credits

Fine Arts – 1 credits

Physical Education – 1 credits

Core Credits Total: 16 credits

Elective Credits Total: 8 credits

Minimum total credits: 24 credits

3. Get signatures and recommendations early

Aim to get your signatures and recommendations earlier rather than later so you will have time to make the best decision for you. This can help you make decisions quicker for your classes next year. This also will give you ideas where to place yourself for classes for example being in an AP or Honors class.

“I would recommend taking Human Anatomy/Physiology as an incoming junior because the labs we do in that class are really interesting and I loved learning about the different systems of our body,” Maanvi Madupu ‘27 said.

4. Utilize counselors and teachers for help

Utilizing your teachers and counselors can really help you when you’re going through registration. If you have any questions about what classes you can take, you can ask your counselors or teachers to go more into depth about that class, or they can give you a recommendation based on the type of career path you’re aiming to go into.

5. Meet with teachers to ask questions about their classes

If unsure about taking a certain class, the best source is the teacher. They know how certain students handle the course, the amount of work given and the pros and cons of taking it. Going to ask a teacher questions during access is a quick and easy way to learn more about the course and if it is right for you. Special courses such as EMT pathways, CTE classes and the Biotech program are offered.

“There are four courses in the Biotech pathway to meet different interests of students. All students begin an introduction class, which  you can take as either a sophomore, junior or senior. If you enjoy the class, there’s different other options of classes to take after that work,” Susanne Petri said.

6. Familiarize yourself with Infinite Campus and handouts

Registration happens both in Infinite Campus and on a handout sheet. Students input their course numbers and alternatives into Infinite Campus and mark and receive signatures for courses on a handout sheet specific to their grade. From there, counselors will double check your handout, and work with you to fulfill your requests as best as possible.