If you’re looking to add or drop classes before this Friday’s 4:30 p.m. deadline, a couple of clicks on PAWS can accomplish just that.

Tyler Phelps, Director of the Office of Academic Advising, laid out the process of changing classes that can be summarized as follows:

The first step in changing schedules is to log into PAWS and click on the “Registration” tab. Having done that, the top option should be to “Add or Drop Classes.” Click on that, and you will be prompted by a box asking for an Alternate PIN, which your adviser should have provided to you. Enter that, and you should be able to see all the classes you are enrolled in for the semester.

Dropping classes can be completed by way of a drop-down menu attached to the classes, but Phelps notes that the challenge is in adding classes, given the convenience of dropping classes.

“Now this is fine and dandy, but if a student’s wanting to add a class, this is where the challenge comes in,” Phelps said. “So usually we have students add and drop simultaneously, so again, students can click on the drop-down menu and choose ‘Drop via Web,’ but before submitting changes we tell them, ‘Hey, put in the course reference number, that CRN of the new class you’re wanting, at the bottom.’ There should be like 10 empty boxes.”

Phelps also noted the importance of talking with advisers about adding and dropping classes, mentioning the financial risk that comes with changing schedules without an adviser’s guidance.

“Don’t make any changes to your schedule unless you’ve already checked with your adviser,” Phelps said. “…Because I’ve seen students drop four or five classes and replace them with four or five classes which is upwards of $6-10,000, and at the end of the semester come to find out that all those new classes they picked up don’t count towards their major. It’s a horrible mistake so advising really is kind of that safety net.”

Although some students might feel reluctant about scheduling academic advising appointments, Phelps said that the point of the position is to help students, whether they want to change majors or just one class.

“It’s kind of like going to the doctor, some students are like ‘Ick, I don’t want to have to go to the doctor,’ but we’re here for your academic well-being, we’re here to make sure that everything you’re doing is on-time, it’s right, you’re not wasting money, you’re not wasting time and you’re falling in love with what you’re doing,” Phelps said.

Ryan Meyer can be reached at 581-2818 or at rameyer@eiu.edu.