Pre-Registration Checklist

You are required to discuss your proposed registration with your academic adviser prior to registration. Consequently, you must confirm that you met with your Adviser prior to registering in Workday. See our guide Confirm My Advising Meeting for more information. You can (and should) complete this step before your priority time so that you can focus on registering for your courses.

• You should meet with your adviser during Advising Days, which are held during the 7th and 8th weeks of each term.
• Many advisers will reach out to their advisees to schedule meetings, but it’s your responsibility to make sure that this happens. Come prepared to your advising meeting.

Here’s a list of questions to consider when choosing:

• What am I interested in?
• What requirements do I still need to meet?
• When do these classes meet? (i.e., Do any of my classes conflict with each other?) This daily schedule plan is a great way to visualize what your week will look like.
• How frequently are these classes offered?
  • If a class is only offered once a year, it makes sense to prioritize taking it over classes that are offered each term.
  • If you need to fulfill a language requirement, be aware that you can only start the sequence during certain terms.
• Is this a course load I can handle?
• How much work will each of these classes be? Am I familiar with the subject material already?
• Is this a balanced schedule?
• Am I fully exploring the options available to me at a Liberal Arts college?
• Am I taking something just because I find it interesting?

Remember that Carleton’s graduation requirements are built to give you space to try new things just because you’d like to!

You can explore the course catalog using Course Section Search in Workday. For more information see the video below or our guide on finding academic course sections.

Be sure to have a few backup plans up your sleeve as well, in case some classes fill up early. As you look for courses in Workday, you can save courses of interest to a saved schedule that can be used later for registration. For more information see our guide on creating a saved schedule.

Review Your Academics and Registration app in Workday for actions that you need to take prior to registration.

• Review the Registration Requirements box for any actions or holds that need to be addressed before you register.
• Several of the actions listed on your dashboard are also mentioned in the following list. The dashboard is a quick view of all of the actions you need to take prior to registration.
• For more information see our guide on the Academics and Registration Dashboard Overview.

From the dashboard, you can:

• Update Your Emergency Contact Information
  • College policy dictates that you must enter, update or confirm your emergency contact information within 100 days of registration.
  • Prior to registration, a task will be assigned to you through Workday to confirm your Emergency Contacts. From the Academics and Registration app, check the Registration Requirements box. If you have Actions To Do, click on the number and select the Emergency Contact Confirmation task.
  • If you have not already entered an Emergency Contact, see our guide Add an Emergency Contact.
• Review any Registration Holds you may have (such as unpaid tuition, etc.)
  • A hold is something that will prevent a student from registering for courses. Holds can be applied from different offices on campus, and require your follow up and action before the hold can be resolved. Please contact whichever office has applied your registration hold to determine what you must do to resolve your hold. 
  • Holds do not automatically resolve when you submit your payment online — the Business Office still needs to review your account before lifting your hold.
  • Be sure to resolve these at least a day in advance or you may not be able to register at your priority time.
  • Registration times are typically in the evening when campus offices are closed, so there will likely be no one to help you if you don’t plan ahead.
  • Holds are listed in the My Holds box on the Academics and Registration app. See our guide View Active Holds on Your Account for more information.
• Confirm Your Advising Meeting. 
  • You are required to discuss your proposed registration with a faculty adviser prior to registration.
  • Once you have met with your adviser you must confirm that you have done this through Workday. You can and should complete this step before your priority time so that you know you’re ready for your registration time opens.
  • Note that this can only be done AFTER your meeting. To do so beforehand constitutes a student conduct violation (i.e., knowingly furnishing false information to the College with intent to deceive).
  • From the Academics and Registration app, click on the Actions To Do in the Registration Requirements box. See our guide Confirm My Advising Meeting for more information.
• Verify Your Registration Appointment.
  • This is the window of time you may register for courses through Workday, and make add/drop changes. Most students register as soon as their registration time begins, but that’s not a requirement. Students must be registered in at least 12 credits by the time their registration time ends.
  • You will not be able to register before your priority time, nor until the above constraints are cleared. 
  • From the Academics and Registration app in Workday, My Registration Appointments box lists your priority time for registration. See our guide View My Registration Appointment for more information.