It’s that time of year again. The class schedule has been released. Emails are flooded with registration deadlines and academic advisement meetings. And seniors, like me, are crossing their fingers in hope that nothing screws up their expected graduation date.

Here are my tips for making the most out of registration and your schedule—because if I can juggle classes for two separate majors, you can definitely keep up with yours.

1. Take Advantage of Pace Advising 

Seriously. Do not make the mistake of thinking you’re too cool for academic advisement. Make that appointment and avoid mistakes that will delay your graduation. Even the smallest of mistakes can screw you over. Degree requirements can get confusing, especially at Pace where there are a million AOK’s to take. Visit the advisement center because sometimes you find out your major is being phased out, which is something that actually happened to me. But because I took action early, a comprisable solution was met swiftly.

2. Be Prepared

Before heading to your appointment, take a look at your track sheet. Then, head over to the class schedule to see what courses are being offered and which ones you’re interested in. This will save you both a lot of time and your advisor will be able to approve/disapprove them, recommend courses, and answer questions about which classes satisfy which requirement. The last thing you want to happen is to find out you’re behind because you forgot to take a civic engagement course.

3. Have a Backup Schedule 

After you leave advisement, you should have a rough outline of your schedule and what you need to accomplish. Most of the time, your advisor will lay out the entire year for you so you’re able to swap classes if needed. This is especially true if you’re a senior. Before it’s time for you to register, make sure you have a back up class for a course you might get locked out of. Luckily, most of the time the courses that fill up fast are usually obvious, so you’re prepared for the worst outcome. If you’re a senior, honors student, or athlete you get first dibs on registration. If you don’t get your class, don’t sweat it. Sometimes, you can email the professor and request admittance if there’s room (aka: doesn’t cause a fire hazard in the classroom). Most of the time, professors are cool with this. If that doesn’t work, you can always try the following semester or reach out to your advisor for a solution if you’re on a time-crunch.

Get ready, registration begins Nov. 14. May the odds be ever in your favor.