Tips for Course Registration

I know it might seem like the start of the school year is awhile away still (and it is), but course registration is upon us! Here are the dates specifically:

Year 4: June 15th, 9AM
Year 3: June 17th, 9AM
Year 2: June 19th, 9AM
Year 1: June 22nd, 9AM

Registering for courses can be a little bit daunting, especially when you have conflicting courses, electives, or little-to-no prescribed courses you have to take. I’ll be the first to admit that I cried the first time I registered for courses; because I was in Nursing there was a mixture of lectures, labs, and clinical. Here are a few of my tips to make the process a little bit easier:

• Plan ahead of time. Course Calendar and Course Timetable are up already (I’ll post the links and bit more information at the end), so I highly suggest trying to plan out your schedule prior to the day of registration. This is because it can get a bit stressful, especially if you have classes that are conflicting.
• When planning your timetable, write down the course synonym. This is the 5-number under the course code on the Course Timetable. When planning your timetable, write these down. It will make registration a lot easier – all you’ll need to do is input those numbers and register.
• Pick electives carefully. Try to choose classes that you will enjoy or that seem interesting. Electives are your chance to explore outside of your major, so try to diversify a lot! I highly suggest Law & Politics of The Family, which I took in my first year. If you are doing Chemistry for 4 classes a semester, it might be nice to do something like English or Anthropology for an elective!
• Check if your class has a lab or tutorial. If it does, there will usually be an option on Course Timetable right under the lecture. You can tell it’s a Lab if there is “L” at the end of the course code (ie. BIO-2030L). You will need to register for this class separate from your lecture, so make sure you double check! Courses like the sciences, nursing, engineering, and computers often have lab components.
• Pay attention to year levels and prerequisites. The first digit in the course code indicates the year level (ie. BIO-2030 is a second year course). You don’t have to take courses in your year level, but just keep this in mind when you are registering. Obviously, second year classes are harder than first year, third harder than second, and so on. Also remember some classes have prerequisites, which you can find out by clicking on the course name on Course Timetable. If you don’t have the qualification, you won’t be able to take the class.
• Try to register the first few days after registration opens for your year level. Classes do fill up (some faster than others), so try to get in as soon as you can to pick the classes and times you prefer.
• Don’t panic when the website is super slow the day of registration. The hardest part of registration is getting through on my MyInfo that day. Probably 2,000 students are trying to get through to the same system that day. Don’t panic. You’ll get through!
• This is just the beginning of your journey! Don’t stress about how overloaded your timetable might be, or that you have no time for lunch. You’ll get used to your schedule quickly, find times to relax and eat, and get used to the course load. Every semester is always an adjustment, but it’s fun starting new classes!

Some quick notes before I leave you to planning out your timetable:

Course Timetable is where you can find a listing of all classes offered at Lakehead in the 2015-2016 school year. Many classes are open to all students, while others (such as Nursing, some Business, and Engineering) are specific to certain programs.
Here is the Thunder Bay Course Timetable: http://timetable.lakeheadu.ca/index_tbay.html

Course Calendar is where you can find the requirements for your program: http://navigator.lakeheadu.ca/~/Catalog/ViewCatalog.aspx?pageid=viewcatalog&catalogid=20&topicgroupid=9896

If you are having trouble, I highly suggest looking under the MyInfo help. Log in to MyInfo, click on “Student” tab, and under the “Registration” tab it will say “How To Register”. This should give you a step-by-step direction on how to go about registering for your courses. Of course, if you have any problems, you can always contact the University or other students (like myself) for some help!

Good luck!

Lakehead in Bloom

Lakehead and Thunder Bay are beautiful places – especially in the late spring time. Our leaves and blossoms bloom a little bit later than say areas like Southern Ontario, but it doesn’t make the scenery any less beautiful. And after 4 months of -40 degree weather (it’s not as bad as it sounds), it’s nice to be able to walk outside, smell the flowers, and enjoy the sun.
If you are a student coming to Thunder Bay just for school, I highly recommend staying for at least one summer – even if it’s just coming back early in August. The weather is gorgeous, and there is so much to do! When exams are wrapping up in April, we usually still have quite a bit of snow here, so it’s hard to appreciate the summertime Thunder Bay!

I was on campus today for a doctor’s appointment (yup, we have on-campus doctors and counselors) and fell in love with the view. This area is always full of students come September, and is right between University Centre and the Nursing/Braun building. That building you see at the end is the Chancellor Paterson Library. Right now, the flowers are in bloom, and it smells amazing.

Come fall, this is my favourite hangout spot. The weather is still absolutely beautiful for the first month of school, and in between classes it’s always nice to sit out at the picnic tables in the sun. There is also often a table set up that is selling hot dogs and drinks for a quick grab between classes!

I had to share this with you guys because the scenery at Lakehead University is one of the best parts about it! I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of Lake Tamblyn, too – and you see that we have such a beautiful, outdoorsy atmosphere here. We aren’t nestled in between concrete and sky-scrapers. Trees, fields of green grass, a lake and a river… I can’t rave enough about the beauty of Thunder Bay and campus! I hope you will come and see it for yourself!