Many improvements have been made to the university’s registration system since 2019, but students are still having difficulty logging into myCap to register for classes on registration day.
Dustin Epperly from the Registrar’s Office said, “There used to be a process where students had 15 minutes priorities.” Each class was assigned a time with a 15-minute window to register, starting at 5 a.m. Students now are assigned a day to register depending on class standing and credits. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on these respective days.
Bella Hayward, a senior student who experienced the old registration system, said, “In 2020, we used to get up at 4:45 a.m. to open up our laptops and refresh over again. Classes were also harder to get into because we needed to get whole new approval if we didn’t get into one class so we needed to have alternatives ready.”
Conversations between the Provost, Registrar’s Office and faculty determine what classes will be offered to students in the coming semester. The faculty revises the previous semester’s classes and can add or remove classes depending on what professors want to teach. The Registrar posts the classes for students and advisors to see and add to schedules.
Priority registration exists for senior students, those who have accessibility needs and some on-campus employees such as resident assistants and members of the Bonner Leader program.
Epperly said, “Seniors should have first choice because they need to have the ability to schedule classes in a specific way. We don’t want to prevent them from graduating if a class filled up.”
Tanner Preston, a senior communications student, said, “I’ve been in the Bonner Leadership Program here at Capital, I’ve had the privilege to have priority scheduling so that’s been really really great. That has allowed me to get in the course I absolutely need to graduate ahead of other people.”
A common issue students have while registering for classes is myCap not loading due to the overwhelming number of students on the website at the same time. The assigned days to register are supposed to reduce the amount of students on myCap, yet almost all students login in at 8:30 a.m. or before to start registration, overwhelming the system. The Registrar’s Office and IT are working together to find a solution that will prevent this issue from happening again in the future.
The university has professors who have been with the university for more than a year as advisors to help plan schedules, a crucial process for students. Advisors may have around 30 advisees with relatable interests of study. Advisors have to create a tentative schedule for incoming students after having a conversation with them about their interests and where they are academically. For upperclass students, advisors review their schedules, give suggestions and approve for them to register.
Recently, students, especially in majors such as communications and biology, are often worried that specific classes needed to graduate won’t be available and fear having to pay for an extra semester.
Preston said, “Not all the communication courses are being offered all the time. A lot of them are on demand. So there were about two or three classes actually that weren’t being offered that I needed to graduate.”
Some students had class cancellations this year due to professors leaving for personal reasons or sabbatical—the department might lose track of what needs to be taught.
Biological and Environmental Science Professor Alan Stam said, “I think then there would be an option if the department really needs to essentially waive that student if this is not caused by the student making a mistake. If it’s advising or just the university not being able to offer the course, then the department has to waive that requirement unless the person could easily do it at Columbus State.”
Preston said, “A more effective way of doing it [registration] is to always have the option to offer the class no matter what. And even if it has to be like online, make it online because you don’t want to have someone to have to add another semester potentially, and spend more money than what they need to just because a course they need to graduate is not being offered.”
While student registration at the university has made changes to the previous system, the registrar is still open to changes for the future.
