It’s That Time Again!
Posted March 20, 2019 by Sarah Callanan
It’s the most wonderful time of the semester…registration! Not only is it registration time for Summer 2019, in just a few short weeks it will be Fall 2019 registration, so it’s time to think about that as well.
Here’s my dilemma, and if you’ve read some of my past posts, you know a little bit about this. When I came to Simmons, I started in the Archives Management program, and I created my course planning roadmap under the impression that I was going to continue in Archives Management. I also decided to take my first class, LIS 407: Information Sources and Services online, whilst fully planning to take the majority of the rest of my classes on the ground in Boston. Then, I got a job not in Boston and realized that I may not actually want to continue on the archives track, so I’ve been taking classes one at a time online, hoping that there will be an in-person class that will mesh well with my work schedule and that I will figure out if I want to do archives or not. Anyways, so far I’ve taken LIS 407: Information Sources and Services, LIS 415: Information Organization, LIS 488: Technology for Information Professionals, and I’m currently in LIS 451: Academic Libraries.
Last time during registration, I dithered back and forth between taking an archives class and ultimately decided to not do it, but I also didn’t take the plunge and actually switch concentrations, and instead I decided to wait and see while taking an elective. I’m now pretty confident in the decision that I need to switch to the Design Your Own concentration. I like the idea of being on the archives track, I really do, but after doing a lot of informational interviewing, talking with librarians, doing research, and having almost a year under my belt of working in an academic library, I’m not sure if working in an archive is going to be right for me. So, my goal now is to officially switch concentrations (which also means switching advisors) within the near future. I know there’s a Change of Advisor/Change of Program form involved, but do I need to do anything else? I want to get all the information about the process on how to change concentrations and advisors and I want to be sure I’m doing everything properly.
So what does this mean for Summer and Fall 2019 registration? The good news is that for Summer 2019, there aren’t as many classes to choose from. A lot of the classes that are being offered don’t seem to match the criteria that I need, such as they are being held at times when I am at work, or they are very concentration-specific. However, I have made my selection! For Summer 2019, I am hoping to be in LIS 404: Principles of Management. I think this class will be really helpful for me in my future career. For Fall 2019 registration, there are so many options but I have a bit longer narrow down my possibilities and decide. I’m really hoping that this time there will either be a blended class or an in-person class that will fit my schedule and my course-planning needs. I’ve been making a new tentative course planning roadmap based on the projected two-year course schedule that SLIS puts out, but once I officially switch advisors and switch concentrations I think it will be a bit more concrete. However, I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job so far!
If you want to learn more about the courses at SLIS, click here!