wmaxwell@foghornnews.com
After having her classes dropped because of a server crash during spring 2017 registration, biology major Victoria Rios was in a state of distress.
“I felt extremely stressed out, very scared, and I started worrying about my future,” Rios said.
Fortunately for Rios and other students, Del Mar College has been making improvements to the registration process that should result in fewer lines, mishaps and headaches.
One of those changes is the addition of more IT personnel on hand to help students with issues.
Zach Spohn, a student computer specialist for IT, often finds himself helping students log into their student portals and retrieving their passwords.
“We try to help out students as much as we can around the registration time to ease out some of the tension,” Spohn said.
Aside from last-minute registration questions, students often have had difficulty navigating their online profiles and figuring out where to pay for their tuition.
“A lot of them didn’t know how to get their sign-ins or passwords, or how to get to the Viking Pay,” Spohn said. Students can avoid these complications by registering earlier to avoid long waits and to put less strain on the system servers.
There are also advantages for students who register early instead of at the last minute. Students can get first pick at teachers and class times whenever class registration opens up.
“A lot of students wait until the day that it opens at midnight so that they get first pick on the better teachers that way,” Spohn said.
Mary Moreno, office assistant for the Student Enrollment Center, is responsible for directing students to the correct departments so students can be properly advised. Before registering for classes students often have doubts or concerns about their degree plan.
“Personally, before registering I feel they should know exactly what they want to be,” Moreno said.
Advisers, as well as Career Development, can help students with those issues.
Students may have prior responsibilities that prohibit them from coming to the campus to register or inquire about what they need to have completed before so their file can be updated.
“Maybe they work all day and cannot get a couple of hours to come register,” Moreno said.
Students have the option to register online from their homes.
The Viking virtual line system also was recently installed on campus. Students are able to sign into the system and have their number called as opposed to waiting in long lines.
“It was very useful. I honestly didn’t feel like I was waiting in line,” said business major Julia Cruz.
By registering ahead of time students have the opportunity to solidify their class schedules and stay ahead of the curve. This also alleviates stress on the server network allowing for a smoother and more successful registration process.
