Technology is making long lines at the registrar's office disappear.

Students at Slippery Rock University and Butler County Community College can register for classes online. It trims the wait-time but puts the onus of scheduling on the student.

A degree audit system at SRU makes it clear which classes a student needs to fulfill the requirements for a degree.

Elliott Baker, executive director of academic records at SRU, said the system the university uses eliminates the need for paper degree program sheets. Instead, the software tracks the progress of the students and offers suggestions of what courses to schedule next.

At BC3, Pattie Bajuszik said the online registration system means returning students aren't required to meet with an adviser before scheduling, even though it remains highly recommended.

Bajuszik, who is the college's director of admissions, said all the information students need to determine prerequisites and requirements for a program is online. Many of the school's students plan on continuing at a four-year school, so it takes just a little more online research to decide which credits will transfer, she said.

Baker said students at SRU meet with an academic adviser before the registration period to make a plan. The audit system will show a positive sign next to requirements completed and a negative sign next to those courses not completed. It will also track the quality point average to ensure a student's grades are up to par.

Once a block of courses — the liberal arts core courses, for example — is completed, that block changes colors and is checked off. When a student applies for graduation, an assistant simply asks the system if students have fulfilled all the requirements.

After meeting with an adviser, the student can register for courses from any computer. There's also an option for adding or dropping courses once the semester begins.

"The degree audit is unquestionably the greatest tool to help the students schedule classes," Baker said.

Hundreds of students at both schools are registering for classes for the first time. That process is a little different from the one for returning students.

Students enrolling at BC3 first take placement tests to determine what level of English or math class is appropriate. Then, they are required to meet with an adviser before going to the registrar's office in person to make a schedule.

First-time students need to be flexible about different courses that can fulfill the same requirement, Baker said.

"Don't be too picky," he said.

He suggested students be open to taking a psychology or philosophy course even if that's not something they've taken before.

"That's what college is about," Baker said. "How do you know you won't love it?"

And while 8 a.m. classes or a course late on Fridays might not be appealing, with larger enrollments and students who work part-time, sometimes those courses are necessary.

"Eight a.m. is far more popular than it ever was before," Bajuszik said.

When really in a bind, students should ask if an exception can be made, Baker said. At many schools, he said, professors have the ability to overfill a class with a good reason.

Finally, both Baker and Bajuszik reminded students that it is up to them to get the required courses completed.

"Advisers are there to advise, but ultimately it's the sole responsibility of students," Baker said.