Deciding what classes to register for can be one of the most intimidating choices that an incoming freshman has to make. For some, the choice is most difficult for one simple reason—students don’t know what to sign up for or who they should ask.

Piece of advice number one: Start Early. By searching for classes before you come in for orientation, you will be ahead of the game, or at least caught with the other several thousand incoming freshmen who will be thinking of the long lines, classes that may be filled, etc.

Piece of advice number two: Don’t be afraid to question your advisor or have your own personal input regarding class selections.

Assigned advisors are great for helping students to fill in their schedules, but many also feel like they are only doing their job and registering them for any class that is open. Personally, it wouldn’t be in an incoming freshman’s best interest to register for an economics class when they have had no previous experience in the field at all.

Piece of advice number three: Never be afraid to ask for help.

Everyone seems to know at least one person who has went to college and most likely the University of Illinois, so ask a friend, or at least a friend who knows a friend who is a student at the University. For this very simple reason, a student that has previously or currently attends the University, they understand the frustrations of registration and can give great advice based on personal experiences.

Piece of advice number four: When many of these ideas seems to get too frustrating, simply think of classes that you are interested in or classes that are related in your field.

Once you are a registered student of the University, you are free to access information regarding necessary classes for your particular major, course hours, etc. General education courses are required for all students and sometimes the most classes that sound the easiest are the hardest (ie. AFRO. 100 or FSHN 120).

Overall, your freshman year is very important and can be very difficult. The most important thing for you to do is not to overload your coursework and extracurricular activities. The first semester you will have at the University will be a time for observing and learning, so it would be best to take advantage of it. Slowly find your niche, observe your course load, manage time wisely and determine the additions or subtractions that you may have to add to your following semester in your college career. This is a fun experience, but you don’t want to get burned out before midterm exams.