The Registrar’s Office recently announced that the J-Term and Spring Registration Bulletin will only be available online. This allows students to have access to their course options for next semester earlier than ever before. An email was sent to students on Oct. 1 notifying them of this change. Students were also reminded in the email to check WebAdvisor for their personal registration dates and to print their Academic Evaluation Report.

Dorothy Lauria of the Registrar’s Office explained that for the past few years, the registration process has been slowly transitioning to an online format, as students’ specific registration dates and Academic Evaluation Reports have been put on WebAdvisor.

Registration for the J-Term and the spring semester will begin Oct. 22 for graduate students and Oct. 29 for undergraduate students.

Last year, the Registrar’s Office stopped mailing the bulletin to students. Instead, distribution centers were made available for students to pick up the packet, but few did.

“The bulletin was a little confusing and overwhelming,” freshman Elizabeth Donovan said, explaining why many may have chosen to not use the printed course listings.

However, the registrar was hesitant to eliminate the bulletin entirely.

“We didn’t want to go completely without this publication because there is lots of good information in the bulletin,” Lauria said “The decision was made to make this an electronic document for students to print at will.”

Some students were willing to accept this change.

“I have to use the online bulletin,” health science major Jenn Vonick said. “Because there are a lot of options for classes.”

The online bulletin contains the same information as in the past, and registration still starts at the end of October, Lauria said.

Lauria hopes this will give advisors more time to meet with students.

“One of the objectives was to see if more time could be given for students and advisors to meet,” Lauria said. “And not just meet about what courses they should take next semester, but to discuss future plans, career goals and academic goals.”

As students approach their registration dates, Lauria said that students should always have a backup plan for their schedules.

“If you don’t have a Plan B, you are going to start losing precious time,” Lauria said. “Look at your Academic Evaluation Report and realize that you have your own roadmap to advising.”