Registration update - Summer 2010

posted: march 2. 2010

Hi everyone,

As we are moving into the middle of the Spring semester, it is time for you to start thinking about courses for the upcoming Summer 2010 semester (registration starts on March 15th) or course planning for the Fall 2010 semester. To help you avoid potential headaches, SIAT advising has compiled some common issues that students may come across during registration. We have outlined some steps you can take to minimize issues that may arise and hopefully allow for an easier time during your registration period. Please read through this email carefully; many of the issues you may come across are addressed below.



Unsure what courses you need to take? Come talk to an advisor - we're here to help!
If you are not sure what you need to take for the upcoming semester (or if you want to plan out the next few semesters), come see one of the advisors now before registration opens. We can help you plan out your next few semesters, carry out a grad check or provide you with some general advice, specific to your situation. Come by during our drop-in advising hours; our dates, times and offices are found online at www.siat.sfu.ca/undergrad/hours/


Have a few minutes? Get started on dealing with course prerequisites now.
If students start dealing with prerequisites after registration opens, there may be a possibility that we won't get to your email until after the class section(s) you want are filled. The best thing for you to do is to talk with the instructor for a specific course and see if they are willing to waive the prerequisite for a course. Dealing with prerequisites now as opposed to after registration opening on November 9th is ideal for you as well as the advising team because once registration opens, SIAT advising will be inundated with emails and drop-in advising. The advising team tries its best to stay on top of everything. However, due to the volume at this time of the semester, it can be difficult for us to provide a timely response.  Please do not ask SIAT advisors to waive prerequisites; we do not have the authority to do so.


Process to get Prerequisites waived (or changed to a co-requisite)
If there is a course (or courses) you want to take but you do not meet prerequisites, contact the instructor directly. Outline your reasons as to why you think you should have the prerequisites waived (or changed to a co-requisite) to the instructor - what courses or work have you done that would be applicable to what the course material will cover? How will these experiences allow you to be successful in the course without the prerequisites? Simply asking them to waive prerequisites will not be sufficient.

If the instructor grants you permission, forward the instructor's email response to the SIAT advisors (siat_advising@sfu.ca) and we will add the permissions in go.sfu.ca for you to register for the course when your registration date opens. Please do not ask SIAT advisors to waive prerequisites; we do not have the authority to do so.

NOTE: Please use your judgement in this matter. If a course prerequisite is 48 credit hours and you only have 24, it is very unlikely you will get the prerequisites waived.


Sending an email to SIAT Advising? Don't forget your student number!
By adding your student number to your email, it will allow the advisors to pull up your transcript, add permission numbers and get to a lot of other advising-related tasks completed all that much faster. Although we can search for your student number through the system, it does take time and in some cases we might not be able to due to a large number of students with similar names.


Questions about courses in other departments
If you have questions or inquiries about courses in other departments, you will need to contact the undergraduate advisor in that particular department. The SIAT advising team has no information about courses outside of the SIAT department or the ability to access these non-IAT courses in the student information system. Here are email addresses for advisors in other departments:

Business: Jennifer Ashton (ugrec@sfu.ca)
Communication: Neena Shahani (cmnsad@sfu.ca)
Computing Science: csadvise@sfu.ca


Ensure your Account Balance is $0.00
As SFU is no longer requiring students pay a deposit to register, students need to make sure that their account is in good order otherwise they will not get access to the registration system. Please plan ahead to ensure your account is balance is $0.00 prior to your registration date and time otherwise you may lose out on your getting into the courses and sections you want for the summer.


Waitlisting for a class - information you need to know
If during the registration process you cannot get into your class because it is full, you might put yourself on a waitlist to try to get in. Please note that the go.sfu.ca system will only allow you to put yourself on two (2) waitlists at most. If you get to the point of wanting to add yourself to a third waitlist, you will have to drop yourself from one of the other two waitlists otherwise the system will give you an error message.


Concentrations and Majors
If you want to switch over from a Bachelor of Arts to a Bachelor of Science (or vice versa) or to change/add/delete a concentration, please fill out the websurvey form found at http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/38311935 and SIAT Advising will make the changes in the system as soon as we can. If you have not declared your concentration, please fill out the form as it will help SIAT in scheduling classes in rooms to better accommodate student demand.


Seats for lectures and labs are linked
If you register for a course (lecture and lab) but you are hoping to change lab sections, please note that the lecture and lab seats are linked. You cannot be registered in the lecture without a seat in a lab; this means that if you drop your lab seat in hopes of getting into another section, the system automatically drops you from the lecture seat as well. If the course is one that you need to take but the lab time is not ideal, try to figure a way to work around it otherwise you may not be able to register for the course again if it is in high demand (and if there is a waitlist in place, it will make it all that more difficult to get back into the class).

If you drop yourself from the course, please do not ask SIAT Advising to bypass the waitlist engines; it would not be fair for those already on the waitlist.
 

Please do not send emails to the advising team's personal email accounts.
SIAT Advising wants to help students with advising concerns and classes. However, sending emails to the advisors' personal email accounts will not get you a quicker response; any emails sent to personal email accounts related to SIAT advising will not be responded to. At best, they will be forwarded back to siat_advising@sfu.ca and the earliest emails are responded to first. This will just mean that it will take advisors a longer time to get back to your questions.


Deadlines, Fees + other miscellaneous items
Calendar: http://students.sfu.ca/calendar
Deadlines: http://students.sfu.ca/deadlines
Fees: http://students.sfu.ca/fees


Good luck with the rest of the semester and with registration!



Best,

Shanna & Andrew N.
SIAT Advising team


//

SIAT Undergraduate Advising team
School of Interactive Arts + Technology
Simon Fraser University Surrey

SUR 2563/2565
e: siat_advising@sfu.ca
www.siat.sfu.ca

Please include your student number in all correspondence with an advisor.


Each student is responsible for ensuring that his or her academic choices meet the requirements for graduation.  All requirements are outlined in the SFU Calendar, which is available at the Registrar's Office or online (see www.students.sfu.ca/calendar).  Please note that the SFU Calendar is considered the authority for official information, therefore students should refer to the calendar for information pertaining to Program Requirements, including course prerequisites.  SIAT advisors and staff are available to give advice and guidance.  However, the student has ultimate responsibility for completeness and correctness of course selection, for compliance with and completion of the program and degree requirements and for observance of regulations and deadlines.