It’s about that time again to decide what classes you are going to take for the coming semester. Registering in WINS might be a little confusing this time around, especially for newer students. WLU has returned to the alternate pin system; essentially, talking with your advisor is extremely important as they are the individuals who have access to each student’s unique pin. Alternate pins will only be given to a student once they have met with their advisors. In addition, the university has created new “codes” to help students navigate how each course will be taught.

The alternative pin system represents what type of education you will receive, whether it’s online or in person. If you see RT for signing up for a class, that means that it is only held in-person and there is no virtual option.

RTVO is for in-person classes but includes the option to switch to virtual if need be. RT3 stands for real-time virtual. It’s completely virtual with synchronicities. The content on Sakai will be more involved than other classes. HYB is for hybrid classes, which combine online with in-class. HYB is any class that has 50 percent or more, but not 100 percent, virtual content. DIST, W, or ONLIN is for fully online classes.

When talking to your advisor for your registration, it is important to know what to ask. Some important questions, according to Scott Cook, include: “Is a minor required with my major? Which classes in my major are only offered once a year or every other year? Is a practicum/internship experience required with my major? Can you review my degree audit with me? Are there any courses I can petition? What jobs would I be qualified to do with my degree?”

Emails go out for registration every semester. For those of you who might have missed it, the email with instructions was sent out by Scott Cook on March 26. If you did not get an email, times go by your year in college. For seniors April 5, April 9 for Juniors, April 15 for Sophomores, and April 21 for Freshmen.

If you are new at this, go into WINS under student services to check if there are any holds before registering. You can also check in WINS under student services and click DegreeWorks to find who is your advisor, and what courses you need to take. Although some required classes may have changed, so make sure to ask your advisor before going into a class you don’t particularly want to take. The minimum credit hours you should take to be considered a a full-time student is 12; however, it is suggested you take at leat 15 credit hours per semester to graduate on time. With that being said, it is important to only take the amount of credit hours you can handle.