Who failed to get into any of thier 25 top choices for FFC?

funfun · 07-07-2009, 02:14 AM

My best friend just told me that she got her 26th choice FFC class, having been shut out of the first 25 out of get this 25 choices. How does one get closed out of 25 out of 25 choices? They apparently added a new one for those shut out. She looked up the prof's rating and his past students are telling everyone to avoid that prof at all costs. His past students sound like that voice coming out of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion that tells everyone to bring their death certificate if they decide to return.

My best friend is in one of the specialty programs but she is worried that Chapman's administration doesn't care about its students, just their money. She pointed out to me that she didn't sign up to be bullied into classes that aren't in her major and that aren't required for the other students. Several top schools are still courting her and she feels the only reason to stay is that she likes the department in which she is majoring.

Are students here really screwed by the Admin all the time? Is there a way for her to change her FFC to something where the prior students haven't posted warnings of total disaster on ratemyprofessor about the instructor?

How many other students got locked out of their first 25 choices for FFC?

edthegurl · 07-07-2009, 09:43 AM

She still might be able to switch when she gets there. She should talk to an advisor and politely see if it would be possible to sit in on an additional FFC if a spot opens up or they just decide to let her in the class. Where there's a will, there's a way.

I'm sure Chapman did their best in trying to place everyone. It's just not easy if everyone wants the same class. They don't want her to be mad, either, and leave, so I doubt that they would refuse to accommodate her.

chap · 07-07-2009, 10:17 PM

I can see being closed out of the top seven choices but out of all 25. Someone must have his number.

One of my friends from high school has a similar problem. He pushed for a private room for medical reasons and he got locked out of most FCC choices. He thinks they are discriminating against people with disabilities.

Is there any reason the selection people might have it in for your friend?

Kid'sInAtDodge · 07-10-2009, 07:05 PM

Anyone heard about "African American Theater"? It wasn't on the list originally -- but seems to have been added at the ast minute. Any info very much appreciated.

Momto3 · 07-10-2009, 07:25 PM

Hi, my daughter was placed in African American Theater. This happened after she was e-mailed and asked to resubmit choices because her first list was all full. It is not on the list that we looked at with ffc's and their corresponding dorms, so we were wondering about it as well.

Kid'sInAtDodge · 07-12-2009, 11:15 AM

Do you know which class that was? Also howdo you "look up a prof's ratings"?

socalscott · 07-12-2009, 07:50 PM

^
ratemyprofessors.com

rakuendrowning · 07-14-2009, 05:11 AM

That really sucks. This whole new system, imo, is screwed up--last year you could pick your ffc when you choose the rest of your classes. If you had a late registration date, then yes, that's unfortunate, but you could always add yourself on a waitlist or at least pick a lesser of two evils as far as ffc choices. You could try talking to the professors of some of the ffcs you are interested in and see if they would let you join, although since housing is grouped by ffc, I don't know if they'd let you (another thing I think is stupid.)

My advice? If you think you're going to be unhappy with your ffc class, don't put up with it. Talk to the professor, we have very good, very nice professors. I was lucky and got my first choice dorm and ffc, but I'll say people did switch into my ffc once school started.

iwant · 07-16-2009, 07:47 PM

I am interested in Chapman, so interested in this thread, but not familiar with the acronym 'FFC', so please could you tell me what it means?

muhlissa · 07-16-2009, 09:58 PM

iwant- "FFC" stands for Freshmen Foundation Course. It is a required course we are all supposed to take. There are many, many, classes to choose from. For example, you can have anything to Intro to Philosophy, to the study of fairytales and it's effects on Western culture. Basically, we were supposed to list the classes we would want the most (our top 25). We were assigned housing based on our FFC this year, so when it comes to dorming, we had no choice where we were put.

chap · 08-10-2009, 10:56 PM

Get this. Students who have 15 college units post grad don't have to take the FCCs but students have 50 concurrent units have to take the FCC class. It wouldn't be so bad if students got a choice, but in the case of several of my friends, they were forced into a particular class that they wouldn't have chosen if they got a choice. They cannot take this unwanted class pass/fail. It is graded.

What Chapman doesn't realize is that they are going to lose some of their top students because of the FCC issue. If you stick around, you may be the last student in that African Theater class. My friends are talking about dropping and going to less arbitrary universities that care about the students.

Students do not have any choice at all on their FFCs and they shouldn't be graded on a class they don't want and that doesn't help them towards their GE or degree.

I hear the teacher of the African Theater class is very disrespectful towards the girls. Don't know if it's true but the students deserve a choice. Growl.

muhlissa · 08-11-2009, 08:23 PM

chap- Doesn't it seem a little over dramatic to transfer out of Chapman because of one FFC class? I mean, it just seems a little bit immature. Many people are placed in classes they don't want. I took a college level algebra class (Math 111) my senior year in high school. Chapman posted they accepted this credit and allow you to not have to take Pre-Calc and instead take a quantative math course immediately freshmen year. However, for some odd reason, they stated that I had to take Pre-calc because they didn't count my Math 111 credit (even though I received an A in the course). So now I am stuck in pre-calc again.

What I don't understand is why people feel the need to drop out of a school they worked hard to get into over ONE little class. It sucks, but that's what happens.

I am just curious, why does it seem you are so anti-Chapman? Did something bad happen while you were at the school or something?

funfun · 08-12-2009, 03:03 AM

My best friend may also be switching out of Chapman. My friend feels that Chapman is treating the students in an arbitrary and impersonal manner. There are no guidelines for the students to follow in determining which classes to take. Too many classes are full or closed here.

The FFC is the first experience and Chapman could make that first experience less traumatic by either making the FCC pass/fail as most universities do or by allowing students to waive it if they fail to get one of their top 10 choices.

Chapman's Administration needs to get that the specialty students have options. Most of them may still be being recruited by Ivy League Schools or other famous universities that don't have quite the specialty programs but have inviting administrators and lots of come-ons. Some schools don't stop trying to convince those they've accepted to choose them. Chapman needs to be out there encouraging the students to stick to their decision and stay with Chapman rather than treating them like they don't have anywhere else to go.

edthegurl · 08-14-2009, 04:46 AM

Seriously, then, if you are being recruited by Ivy League schools, GO THERE. But if you think that a freshman class at Chapman is going to amount to a "traumatic" event, I don't know how you would deal with Ivy academics.

Or, stop complaining and switch your class. Have you even called the school to talk to someone about this? Have you tried? I know MANY people that have switched already, and many more that may not have gotten their first pick but are sticking it out. We are supposed to be acting like adults now, and whining about the problem will not fix it.

corky · 08-14-2009, 11:29 AM

I agree with edthegurl and muhlissa....too much whining about FFC and other classes....with orientation starting next week, you should all be so excited that the school year is starting....moving away from home, making new friends, moving into your dorms....taking one class that you don't love is not that big of deal...you may not want to take more foreign language classes either but will have to unless you test out of them....my son who was a freshman last year had just enough credits (due to AP, interterm) to become the lowest level soph. possible when registration for fall happened this spring....since registration is based on credits after freshman register, he had the last time slot of everybody to sign up for fall classes....did he get everyone he wanted.....no, but he only missed out on one FTV class....he got everything else he wanted and at the times he wanted so classes are not that hard to get...and he just signed up for a class in one of the inquiries he needed instead.

Don't know about other majors, but for FTV, there is a specific list of classes you need to take over the first 2 years....you take them as you see fit and can get them....and you can always go and talk with your academic advisor if you have questions....

Good luck to everyone....my son is so excited to get back to school, he is arriving 12 days early to just hang around his house with his roommates....