Despite all of the bad things that have been printed in the past about Access.SMU – that it has bad hours, that it is difficult to navigate, that it was too expensive to implement – there is nothing bad to say about the recent update of Access to allow on-line registration.

There’s very little guesswork to it: Simply sign on to Access.smu, click on “enrollment,” and the instructions take you through it; input class numbers and click on the buttons. Instead of 45 minutes, signing up for next semester’s classes now takes three.

Despite the ease with which students can now register, students should take the time to visit Perkins the first time around. The instructions for on-line registration are documented, but the process can still slip up those who feel well-prepared for it. One of the biggest problems occurs when one signs up for a lab; instead of inputting it as a class, a lab must be included as a “related class” after the primary class request has been submitted. In addition, a problem with the software requires that Peoplesoft staff approach you the moment you walk in and ask if you’ve changed your password.

Confused? That’s why students should still be allowed the option to sit down one-on-one with registration personnel, instead of being instantly shepherded to a computer and told to sign on to Access.SMU. In addition, without the necessity of taking forms to Perkins, a student can practically bypass the most important step of the registration process – meeting with an adviser. As much as some students loathe approaching them, advisers are acquainted with the inner workings of majors and are in the best position to tell students what classes they should take. Will do-it-yourself registration eventually phase them out?

Even if you dislike the registration process, you have to admit that it’s a heck of a lot easier now that students don’t need to queue up for an hour to get into Perkins. Now, if only the class searching function of Access.smu could be improved…