The seven stages you go through when creating your uni timetable

If there’s a uni equivalent of trying to score the must-have Bruno Mars tix (or Harry Styles, for that matter), it’s getting a spot in your desired classes. Yes, game day is here. Cue all the students saying, “We have to think about next semester already?!” It can be an emotional ride – these are the seven stages.

Stage one: You create the world’s best timetable

The plan? To squeeze all your classes into two days, three at the most. Not only are you using a website to randomise your timetable, you’re manually creating one too. Ideally, you want to be in the same classes as your faves, so long as it counts towards your degree. That and avoiding Friday classes in favour of a longer weekend. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Stage two: You wonder why your enrolment time is on later than your faves

“I couldn’t help but wonder … why did I not get the same enrolment appointment as my A-team? What did I do to deserve this crime? How did the uni come to this date and time? Can they go by alphabetical order instead?” These are the thoughts that run through your head, namely because you fear your go-to classes will reach capacity when you enrol.

Stage three: You prepare for the lead up to this moment

You have your subject codes and tutorial times at the ready. Internet Explorer/Safari and its better cousins Chrome and Firefox are up, and so is your phone if worse comes to worse. By now you are clicking “Update enrolment” for the umpteenth time, closely followed by logging in and out of the page, thinking your opening time might start a tad early. However…

Stage four: The website crashes

Students around you made it through unscathed while your page says it’s experiencing traffic. While you have your two-day timetable on your mind, you spam the refresh button, hoping that things return to normal. Result? Nothing. You call and email IT and student admin for help. Result? Again, nothing. Thankfully, there’s your trusty phone. That is, if you can avoid another hiccup.

Stage five: You learn that your go-to classes are full

One of the browsers directs you to the enrolment page. A success! The bad news is your dreams of a two-day timetable are shattered – you’re left with the crappy tutes, or even worse, they are full house. This calls for a long, dramatic email to your course convenor to let you in your core subjects. Otherwise, your graduation date is delayed. Another year on campus? No thanks.

Stage six: You pray that someone drops out of your desired classes

OK, so your course convenor was no help. Now what? Throughout the rest of the semester and during the break, you suss out how full your ideal classes are. Once you notice there is an available spot for grabs, you get on it, pronto. You can sleep better at night, knowing you scored one of your go-to classes – all of them if you’re lucky.

Stage seven: You make another set of changes once the semester kicks in

You peep the faculty page to see if the course outlines are up – you need to see if the assessments are your cup of tea before you swap for another core. Next, you log in to Moodle/Blackboard to see who your tutors are. If it’s your lecturer, you’re already making the switch, aren’t you? Here’s to hoping your next best tute has a spare seat and is chaired by someone else.

Ryan Bautista

Ryan is an Arts (Media, Culture and Technology) student at the University of New South Wales. Don’t @ him but pineapple belongs on pizza.

Image: Giphy