Students encouraged to take advantage of priority enrollment

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- As the spring semester winds into its second half and many thoughts turn to spring break and summer plans, officials at Northeastern State University are reminding students to make a priority of enrollment.

When they are about to get some time away, students might not want to think about school, but NSU is working to enhance access to information and expedite the process during its priority enrollment period.

"I want to personally ask our students to take advantage of the priority enrollment period, during which the entire campus is specifically focused on assisting you with the advisement process," said NSU President Steve Turner."This is absolutely the best time to receive career guidance from expert faculty.Students should remember that many of the faculty are not available during breaks and over the summer."

The priority enrollment period opens to seniors and graduate students on March 25, to juniors on April 1, and to sophomores and freshmen on April 8. Priority enrollment continues through May 10, the end of the spring term.

To see available classes, students can sign in to goNSU, click the "Students" tab and click on "Class Schedule." Students can search for classes using a filter with multiple parameters and see whether the class is offered traditionally, online, as blended or via ITV.

Meredith Barker is a junior commuting from Muskogee. She has two children and a job, so she enrolls early to create a schedule which reduces her weekly commutes and facilitates her off-campus responsibilities. She also believes upperclassmen simply must enroll at the earliest opportunity.

"I have completed my general education courses, so all of my remaining courses are 3000 and 4000 level," she said. "These courses fill up quickly and some of them are not offered every semester. This creates a necessity to enroll in the classes I need in the semester I need them. In order to fit everything in, I make it a priority to be among the first students to enroll."

Jeff Walker, director of the University Advisement Center, said students should use the time before enrollment to:

1. Visit their academic advisers.
2. Check their degree audits with DARS.
3. Check for holds.

"If there are any issues, now is the best time to resolve them," Walker said. "Our enrollment system enforces prerequisites, and your adviser can make sure you have met them. If you have a hold of any type, go directly to that office to discuss how to resolve the issue.Never assume that the staff in that office won't or can't work with you to resolve it right now."

If they have declared majors, students should visit their faculty advisers or mentors. Undeclared students can visit First-Year Experience, the Student Academic Success Center, or the NSU-Broken Arrow Department of Enrollment Management.

Students can also check for holds while logged in to goNSU. After clicking on the "Students" tab, the students page contains a box called "Registration Tools." Within the box is a "Registration Status" link which travels to a self service page informing whether enrollment is permitted. The page contains a link to a student's specific holds.

Jerrett Phillips, interim executive director of enrollment management, said students should not be discouraged if they find holds on their accounts.

"There are three common registration holds," he said. "A records hold might be a document or transcript we have not received. A deficiency hold could be an academic requirement not achieved. A business hold is usually something financial and could be something large like tuition or fees or small like an outstanding parking ticket."

Phillips added that students need only concern themselves with holds affecting registration in preparation for enrollment.

"They need to look for registration holds,'" he said. "There could be any number of informational holds pending between internal departments which do not prohibit the student from doing anything."

Class schedules for summer and fall enrollment are available at goNSU, and many students are already perusing the listings in search of a prime schedule.

"I personally do not like to take classes past 12:50 p.m.," said sophomore Lydia Winford. "By doing my schedule early I can get into the classes I want without any issues."

Taylor Melone, a sophomore, said an established class schedule is a strong incentive to return to campus.

"We know a place is waiting for us next semester," she said. "Without an opportunity to enroll while on campus, I believe some students would not follow through with enrollment during the summer. Early enrollment encourages students to delve into their collegiate futures and prepare themselves for another semester of academic curriculum."

Dr. Laura Boren, vice president for student affairs, agreed that enrolled students are more likely to return, but added that enrollment is just one facet of the work done by NSU faculty and staff to facilitate students' progress.

"We want our students to persist and graduate," she said. "We have a responsibility to provide opportunities and resources for students to achieve their educational goals in a reasonable amount of time. We care about them and their success and we are here to help. We want them to take advantage of everything NSU offers."