<p>Many colleges have a 2-stage registration process. The first is “pre” registration when the student signs up for classes ahead of the semester – the 2nd is the actual registration after the semester begins. Sometimes things shake out differently at the 2nd stage. This could work either way – a student could be signed up for a class but bumped when the semester begins for various reasons, depending on the system in place. There are also various mechanisms for getting into a class that was initially closed to the student – often a prof has the ability to simply open an extra spot for that student, and sometimes it can be as easy as sending an email to the prof. </p>
<p>My guess is it also probably varies depending on major and field of interest – some courses are very much in demand, some profs just happen to be wildly popular. </p>
<p>I think part of navigating the college process is figuring out the rules of the game-- for example, if classes fill early at a given college, then students need to be very diligent in the process of signing up. If there is a lot of movement during the semester during a “shopping period” for classes, students need to be aware of that, and may need to physically attend the classes they are trying to get into. Things sometimes change – a prof. might arrange to move to a bigger lecture hall if things seem particularly crowed during the first class session, thus opening up more space.</p>
<p>Again, the system varies from one college to another, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer.</p>
<p>It probably would be helpful on CC if there was a thread for people to share experience about course registration systems at various colleges. This is one of those things that often is not considered or understood well in advance, and obviously can make a huge difference in the person’s college experience.</p>