Staff members at Central Lakes College in Brainerd and Staples are busy preparing and registering students for the spring semester, which begins on Monday, Jan. 9.

There’s always excitement going into a new semester, but sometimes it might not be thought of as a time to start college. However, behind the scenes, faculty and staff have been preparing for the overwhelming number of students looking to attend this spring.

“I’ve spent a ton of time registering people for our business management program, early childhood education, criminal justice, health care administration, so, I’ve just been busy, busy, busy the whole time because all of my programs have the ability to start in the spring,” said CLC academic advisor Erin Wilmot.

With students ready to start college, some applying now may need financial aid but find themselves filling out an application for financial aid for the 2023-24 school year, which is what they don’t want to do.

“We get students all the time who will submit the wrong application, so students who are starting Spring ’23 will complete the 2023-24 application for FASFA … they need to distinguish when they are applying for financial aid when they’re a spring start,” shared CLC academic counselor Brant Phillips.

Apart from their general education courses, the school also has a plethora of different pathway programs like sociology and business management. But they have also added majors like the meat cutting and butchering program at the Staples campus and the early childhood program where they can earn a certificate that can be completed in a semester.

Whether they’re earning a certificate, diploma, or AA degree, for some, the spring semester will be their last before graduation, and the last thing they want is to be unprepared.

“Meet with an advisor … make sure all your courses are there, make sure you’re on track to graduate, apply to graduate, we’ll start getting students to do that this spring, and make sure that you’re starting to plan for that excellent commencement ceremony,” suggested Paul Preimesberger, dean of enrollment management at CLC. “I mean, those are so exciting and fun to be a part of, so I would say, make sure that you’ve got all your ducks in a row and you’re ready to graduate.”

January 13th is the last possible day to register for classes. Applications can be done on the CLC website or in-person.

By — Hanky Hazelton