Check if you need an advisor code. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed many of my friends and fellow students not be able to sign up for classes during their Telebears appointment because they didn’t get an advisor code beforehand. Undeclared and declared students in CNR, as well as declared students in L&S (ex. MCB), must obtain an advisor code before they can add classes on Telebears. The easiest way to check if you need an advisor code is to log onto Telebears and click on the “Telebears Appointment” tab on the left-hand side. Below your appointment times, you’ll find “Advisor Code Required:” followed by “Yes” or “No.” If you need an advisor code, be sure to look out for emails from your department regarding scheduling appointments to obtain an advisor code. You can also contact your department or advisor directly to see if you can make an appointment.

Check if the class you want to take is offered next semester. On schedule.berkeley.edu, you can search for courses that will be offered during the appropriate semester. Some courses are only offered during the spring or fall, so it’s good to double-check which of your courses will be offered next semester.

Check the course description and course/professor ratings. On ninjacourses.com, you can search for a course and find its description, prerequisite courses, and professors. It’s good to check if you’ve fulfilled all the prerequisite courses for the course you’re interested in, as well as check if the professor who will be teaching the course has good ratings. Sometimes it’s a good idea to delay taking a course if the professor teaching it during that semester has especially poor ratings due to poor lecturing style or difficult exams.

Check the grade distribution. On berkeleytime.com under the “grades” tab, you can find grade distributions for any class. While the grade distribution has different significances to different people, it’s a good indicator of how difficult a course is. You can compare grade distributions for your courses of interest to make sure you’re not overloading on difficult courses for next semester.

Check the enrollment history. Once you’ve decided which courses you’re going to take, check if the course fills up quickly or slowly on berkeleytime.com under the “enrollment” tab or telebearsoracle.com. Use your Phase I appointment to sign up for courses that fill up quickly.

Feel free to also ask your advisor and/or friends for scheduling advice if you’re not sure which classes to take. Good luck!