viva_sweet_love

How does it all work? Is it first come first serve as far as appointment times go, as in, are you screwed if you have a later time?

Do you recommend registering online or doing it by phone?

Thanks!

ses

You're already screwed. You're a freshman.

Denzera

in a sense, people with later times are "screwed".

in practice, someone who is pushy and learns the rules well can ALWAYS get what they want. Even filled-up classes, you show up, approach the professor, appear interested and competent, ask if they're willing to sign your Add form, and if not, ask if they wouldn't mind you auditing the class for a few weeks to see how well you get on. After a while, you can wear down even the surliest of professors.

Exception: seminars of under 15 people. Those tend to be close-knit groups and their rosters rather fixed - but those mostly apply to upper-level courses where everyone is off in their own major anyway and there's less competition and more chances to get on a particular favorite professor's good side. For the core classes it pertains to (i.e. lit hum, CC, UW, art hum, music hum, etc), there are dozens of sections every semester and for the single-semester ones (especially art hum and music hum), students routinely add the course with whatever section fits their schedule, they shadow the course for a few weeks to find out about the professor, and then either keep it or drop it (to try again the next semester for a better fit).

It's a game. Doing well in a course isn't a game, it's hard work - but the ins and outs of scheduling and optimization should be approached as a game. Learn to play it well

viva_sweet_love

Ses- I truly cherish your words of encouragement I kinda figured that, but I'm trying to minimize the pain as best I can. I've got a 9:50 registration time and I'm hoping it's not really that late.

Thanks for all of the sound advice Denzera, I really appreciate all of the details. I've got a couple classes in mind that I would like to take so it helps to know that I can finagle the lit hum/frontiers/etc to fit in the courses I really want. I wonder if I can pull the persistence thing with say, a calc professor that I'd really like to have, despite the fact that there are obviously many sections during the day. I also figure that people will drop classes as well so its worthwhile to try to be in the class anyway? (I've heard its common practice)

Muchly appreciated!

karot

Mines on the 31st from 2-9. Is that considered late?

Denzera

a 2pm start time is about average. the start times range from 9am-5pm. a 9:50am start time is about as good as it gets, within your class year (i.e., all upperclassmen can pick before you, regardless)

The Ace is Back

Is it worth e-mailing a professor to ask if you can have a place or should you always just pitch up?

ses

Emailing right now may or may not help based on the professor. Especially for over subscribed intro classes. But going to office hours and trying to get him/her to sign off on it would certainly go a long way towards getting you in.

Be forewarned that, as a freshman, you will be the last kid let in and the first kid bumped out of a popular class.

Denzera

don't email the professor beforehand. try to register during your registration time. if you can't get a slot, show up for the class, and after class, approach the professor. that's how it's done.

demeter

Wait, are placement tests on the day of registration too? (That's what I've been hearing, but I haven't read it in print.) How fast does it take for the tests to be scored?

Denzera

placement tests are usually held right before or after the 1st day of registration. it's part of the getting-settled routine, and will feel like part of orientation.

tests are pretty simple, they'll take care of those and let you know where you stand right away. I mean, nobody's trying to hold up your course schedule for the semester, you'd have legit gripes then.