Students currently enrolled at Moorpark, Ventura and Oxnard Colleges can start registration for Spring 2012 on Nov. 14.
Individual appointments can be checked online under http://my.vcccd.edu on the top right corner by clicking on Check your registration appointment.
Corey Wendt, head of counseling at Moorpark College, said it is very important for students to plan ahead in order to have a back-up plan in case classes are full.
“It requires a little more diligence as far as putting together various schedules, so that if class A is closed you can go to class B and see if that’s open,” said Wendt.
Due to the number of students and the reduced amount of classes being offered because of budget cuts in the district, classes fill up very quickly. Thus, students should have a proper plan for the following semester before their registration date in order to be able to meet the requirements for their academic goal, said Wendt.
For EOPS, CalWorks, ACCESS and Military Veterans, registration begins on Nov. 7, but for current students, the process starts one week later and only by appointment. Students returning to Moorpark College and new students start registering on Dec. 5 in mind and open registration starts on Dec. 12.
Once the registration process begins, Wendt recommends that students check the schedule for classes regularly to see if the classes they picked are still open, as the availablity can change every minute. This is particularly true since the district introduced a new policy for fees starting Fall 2011. Students have to pay fees within 24 hours after registering for a class, otherwise they will be dropped.
“With the change of policy for fees, where fees need to be paid within 24 hours, it is very possible to see a lot of movement,” he said.
Depending on what students want to achieve, such as an Associate Degree or a transfer to a university for example, they have different requirements and responsibilities concerning the classes they have to take. Thus, meeting with a counselor can be very helpful to make sure that students are on track, Wendt stated.
“It is important for students to meet with a counselor early on in their educational process, ideally as soon as possible to talk about their educational goal and educational plan,” he said.
Jackeline Barrundia, a 29-year-old nursing major at Moorpark College, planned her desired schedule ahead every semester before registration started and also met with a counselor regularly.
“It is helpful to meet counselors to see if you are on the right track,” said Barrundia. “You have to give yourself options,” she added.
Another Moorpark Student, 19-year-old Chase Ruesga, only plans ahead with required classes for his major, business.
“If a class is full, I’m going to wait until I can take it or I’ll go to summer school to take more units,” said Ruesga.
However, he also met with a counselor in his first semester at Moorpark, which helped him to figure out which classes he should take.
Wendt pointed out that students who are not sure about their major yet, should use their first semester at the college to explore different options that are offered in their area of interest.
“The good thing about a community college is that you can take some courses in the general education areas that are going to hopefully spark some interest in students,” Wendt said.
Another important point to keep in mind concerns the prerequesites for certain classes. In order to be able to register for these classes, students have to make sure that any prerequisites are cleared, said Wendt. If these prerequisites haven been taken at other colleges, MC, VC and OC need evidence that they have been met. Wendt recommends getting that out of the way as soon as possible, so students avoid having to come in person, which, in turn, delays registration.
As classes fill up very quickly, students can also look at classes offered by another college that is part of the Ventura County Community College District – Moorpark, Ventura and Oxnard. They have access to the schedule of courses for all three colleges and can register for classes on different campuses all at once.
In Wendt’s opinion it is necessary that students check their school email regularly, as all three colleges send out important notifications that way. These emails can be forwarded to one’s personal email address via MyVCCCD.
The class schedule can be accessed on each campus’ individual website and for appointments with a counselor call or visit the counseling offices in the administration building.
