Registering early for classes can have several benefits for students since they may fill up quickly. By registering early, students’ chances of signing up for a preferable schedule will increase.

“The summer and fall schedules were released this past Tuesday and are available on WebAdvisor now. Students wanting to ensure that they are able to register for an ‘ideal’ schedule, whether on campus, online, or a mix, should be meeting with a counselor now!” says counselor Renee Prine.

Director of Admissions and Records, Tom Quigley, provided important dates students should take note of. Summer registration opens on March 31 and fall registration opens on April 6. Both are available online at 9 a.m. and in-person or over the phone at 10 a.m. Summer payments are due May 11 and fall are due Aug. 3.

Students currently enrolled can contact the Counseling Center at (815) 224-0360 or stop in room CTC 202 to request a callback the same day or make an in-person appointment. Prine noted that call-backs are usually within two hours.

The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, & Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All of the counselors are listed on the Illinois Valley Community College website as well as their emails if a student would like to touch base with the same counselor they had previously.

Students should note, “In-person appointments are still limited, will be made in the future (not same day), will be limited to one person in the office and will require students to wear a mask,” according to Prine.

“Those freshmen appointments don’t begin until after registration opens, so we give our currently enrolled students the opportunity to meet with us before we meet with incoming freshmen,” said counselor Debbie Burch. “Currently enrolled students should be taking advantage of that priority time set aside for them,” Prine emphasized.

Burch also advised students to jot down any questions they may have before meeting with a counselor and take time to learn their intended program. “Give some thought to your academic/career plans,” said Burch. The Counseling Center provides guidesheets on their website at catalog.ivcc.edu/guidesheet/ or in CTC 202.

The process is different for incoming freshmen as their appointments do not begin until after registration is opened to the currently enrolled students. She stated, “They go through a process called First-Time Counseling and Registration. They should visit the Counseling Center website and click on the link at the bottom of the page and follow each of the steps outlined on this page: ivcc.edu/counseling/FCR.php.”

There are several steps that will need to be completed and incoming freshmen will then need to make an appointment to meet a counselor. Prine shared that there are specific appointment times set aside for freshmen.