New Students, Your GIANT Future Begins Here! 🌲
Beginning your COS experience is a big and exciting step. It is completely natural to feel overwhelmed by new expectations, choices, and questions. While the semester may not have started, your journey as a Giant begins today. We are here to help you every step of the way!
Search for Classes / Register for Classes / Waitlist for Classes
You just met with a
COS Counselor and built your
Student Education Plan (SEP). Your SEP is specific to your educational goal and path at COS and may look very different from others. It lists the classes you should register for, semester by semester, so you can reach your goal, whether that is transferring, earning a degree, or earning a certificate. Having an SEP does not mean you are registered or enrolled in college classes yet.
After seeing a counselor for your SEP, how do you get prepared and register for classes?
Every student is assigned a specific day and time to register for classes based on a point system. We call this
priority registration. We encourage you to search for classes before your registration window opens. To help you prepare, we recommend watching the videos above.
Registering for classes is often the most challenging step. It requires you to search for the right classes, review important details like days and times, enroll when your registration window opens, and join a waitlist if a class is full.
🔎 Step 1: Search
Open
Class Search tool to find the courses offered.
📝 Step 3: Register
Register for classes on your assigned registration date and time.
⏳ Step 4: Waitlist
If a class is full, join the waitlist and check your email for updates.
Quick Registration Tips
- Your registration window opens on your assigned date and time and stays open until the Friday before classes begin, for a full-term course.
- Choose the modality that fits your schedule (In-Person / Online / Hybrid).
- Make sure the days & times do not conflict with other classes.
- Give yourself breaks in between classes to recharge.
- You also have other personal, family, & work commitments, so keep those in mind when registering for classes (morning, evening, online, etc.)
- Confirm campus location (Hanford / Tulare / Visalia).
- Keep backup classes ready in case the class section you want is already full.
- If the class you want is full, don't panic. Add yourself to the waitlist.
Waitlist means you are requesting a seat if it becomes available. Seats can open as students drop, so check your email regularly for updates. If the course is online, email the professor to ask if there are still seats available.
You’re Enrolled! Now Let’s Stay Engaged!
College is not meant to be done alone. Especially if you are the first in your family to attend college or are returning after being away for a while. The most successful Giants use support services early, not just when something goes wrong.
Watch this short video to learn how to access tutoring, mental health services, student support programs, veterans resources, and the Giant Marketplace.
✔ What Successful Giants Do Next:
- Save the
Student Support Directory to your bookmarks.
- Check your MyGiant student portal daily! It's a one-stop shop for all campus resources, Canvas, events, announcements, and to register and drop classes.
- Check your COS student email regularly for important updates.
- Schedule tutoring early! Do not wait until you’re struggling to talk to someone.
- Visit the Giant Marketplace if you need food or basic needs support.
- Explore programs like AAC, EOPS, PUENTE, CalWORKs, Student Success Program, Transfer & Career, or Veterans Services, and more!
FAQs
For a
full-term course, you can usually drop within the
first two weeks of the semester without it impacting you.
For
short-term courses, the drop deadline is earlier, check your
course syllabus for the exact timeline.
