<p>This summer I’m going to be in Hawaii for three weeks, and Europe for two and a half. Assuming I am accepted first deadline (presumptuous, I know), when can one start registering for CTOPS? When do the orientations actually begin? One before summer would be ideal for me. Will travel adversely affect anything for me freshman year? (I’m getting back August 1st-ish)</p>
<p>Not to shatter your bubble, but registering for classes is generally horrible and it’s nothing to worry about. Worse comes to worse, you can always ask to go to the transfer students CTOPs which is generally in late august. The way seating is “saved” at each CTOPS session is really so sporadic and meaningless (i.e. just because they release 4 seats in a POLI 100 class doesn’t mean you’ll get in) that it doesn’t really matter. The best time to change your schedule is during the first two weeks of classes, when everyone is adding and dropping classes, so don’t worry about CTOPS and hold out until then (although you will need to register for something at CTOPS).</p>
<p>Look up last year’s CTOPS dates and this year’s will probably be roughly the same. I think you can start signing up for them sometime in the spring. They started about the 1st week of June this past summer I think. I doubt if your traveling will be a problem. And registration at CTOPS is a joke.</p>
<p>My son had a good experience registering at CTOPs. They hold some classes for each section so it’s fair. You can sign up in the spring, information will be on ConnectCarolina. YOu just need to do some work ahead of time, put some classes in your shopping cart and have back ups in mind. His only problem was Spanish 204 …and he was able to get into that before the semester started by checking by on CC and grabbing an open spot in a class.</p>
<p>There is a lot of anxiety surrounding CTOPS and the registration process. My son attended the very last CTOPS, which is quietly set aside for OOS and International students who can’t or don’t want to travel to NC twice in a summer. The key it seems to making registration work is to do a lot of preparation in advance of your registration session and to familiarize yourself with the course search and selection process beforehand. Also to put more classes than you need in your shopping cart, so if one class or section is full, it takes no time for you to select the back up. The classes (or sections) my son didn’t get at registration, he did get in final days leading up to the start of classes, including his first choice for a First Year Seminar, by checking frequently Connect Carolina. Perseverance is the key. And, what people said about CTOPS prorating seats among all the different sessions seemed to be true. Of the challenges he’s faced thus far at UNC, getting the classes he wanted and needed as a first year student has not been one of them.</p>