Waking up to register for classes at 8 a.m. is one thing, but waking up at 8 a.m. to find out that all of your classes are already full is quite another.
With pre-registration and class scheduling under way, the Albion College student body will be split between the students who got all the classes they want and those who did not.
“The issue is that students don’t always get classes they want,” said E. Dale Kennedy, professor and chair of the biology department. “It’s frustrating, but we deal with it each semester.”
According to Drew Dunham, associate dean of academic affairs and registrar, some departments, such as biology, face a tougher time scheduling students, but the preregistration process is essential for course allotment.
“Departments with lots of students actively plan for student enrollment and make sure they offer enough courses,” Dunham said. “For the most part, students manage the registration process well.”
Biology, for example, recently added another genetics lab (BIO 317L) due to the number of students demanding the course. Additionally, Kennedy stated that she works to try and help out biology majors find a biology course if they need it.
“I look at declared majors and try to fit as many of them into the courses as possible,” Kennedy said. “I think it’d be helpful if sophomores declared their majors since they are later in the process and then we’d be able to help them even more.”
Departments with a high volume of majors are not the only departments that face scheduling issues. Some departments face issues due to course popularity and graduation requirements.
“(The history department) teachs a lot of category courses so sometimes it’s an issue with students signing up for the category and students who are history majors,” said Deborah Kanter, associate professor and chair of the history department. “If (preregistration) numbers are very high we’ll suggest that another section open up.”
Sometimes, according to Dunham, registering comes down to students having their mind on a certain track and not checking for different scheduling possibilities.
“Some students think that they have to have a certain class during sophomore year when in reality they can take that class junior or senior year,” Dunham said. “Paying attention to course updates and having a fresh set of eyes suggest courses helps avoid major issues.”
Leave a Reply