I’ve returned to a cruel reality, and that reality is I actually have to go back to classes in the fall.
Actually, I’m excited to go back to classes. I think a perk of the coop program is that by the end of coop, you are ready for classes, and by the end of classes you are SO ready for coop.
Plus, guys, after working 8 hour days every day, who wouldn’t be ready for this schedule??
I’m basically a professional at registering for classes, so here’s a helpful FAQ for class registration season~
How does Registration at Northeastern University Work?
First semester freshmen: I know you are so excited to start picking your classes and having this magical concept called “guided flexibility”, but for your first semester, your schedule will be built for you. Unless you are going to use credits to get out of a class, you don’t have much of a say in what you’re taking and when you take it. However, you usually do have an elective to play around with. When you come in for orientation in the summer, you will meet with an academic adviser and like 10 other students and you guys will search through a massive book of classes and pick what looks ~fun~
Literally everyone else: A few weeks before registration, you will get an email from the university to let you know that your time ticket is posted online. A few weeks before that, the schedule of classes for the coming semester goes live, but there’s no email blast to tell you that. When you get the time ticket email, you can figure out what your ideal schedule would be. Myself and many Northeastern students like using https://neu.courseoff.com/workspace . Courseoff has a schedule of all our classes inputted and you can create an account and save different possible schedule configurations. It’s usually pretty accurate but sometimes wont tell you a room or prof. Oh well.
What if I can’t get a Class I Need/Want?
Need: Email your academic adviser ASAP. If you need a class, they will make sure you get in that class. Either they will expand the class size (this could mean changing the room but its usually no biggie), or if enough people have problems they might just make a whole new section. TBH one time there was a class I needed but it wasn’t free at the time I wanted, so I waited for them all to fill up and then emailed my academic adviser saying, “Oh noooo I need this...at 10:30am pls” and it was done.
Want: If it’s a want and not really a need, you can either try to get into the class the next semester OR wait until right after “I am Here” registration ends. Many people forget this and will be dropped out of classes. That’s when you strike. You can also email your academic adviser to keep an eye on it for you, but I like picturing NEU students as vultures striking.
Why does it say “Registration Status: Junior” when I’m Not a Junior?
Registration time tickets are done by your credits! So if you came in with 32 AP credits, you probably have sophomore standing after fall of your freshman year. And some people take summer classes which bumps up their registration times, everyone is just doing different things. A weird thing is that the older you get, the better time tickets you get, but the less competitive it is to get into your classes? That math definitely makes sense.
What do I do when my Time Ticket Activates?
REGISTER! People rush to do it, but honestly it’s not terribly time sensitive unless you really want a certain time for a class. Before your time ticket activates, write all your CRN numbers down on a word document, and then when your time ticket activates, copy and paste those suckers on the quick reg bottom portion of the registration window.
What if I Second Guess It?
Don’t worry, you can drop classes online up until somewhere in the first week of classes without any repercussions. Of course it’s better to do this sooner rather than later so you can fill that slot in your schedule (4 classes is a normal course load, by the way). but hey, we all make mistakes. And when in doubt, take Jazz class.
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Best of luck with registration, and now that you all know when I have classes....come find me in the fall!
Have any questions about vulture students, college, or life in general? Message me on this blog or email me at
Until next time, stay pawsome!