Getting Shut Out of Desired Classes

goodday
Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:53:27 +0000

Thanks for the input. He is intending to be an English major. He has been trying the whole time to fulfill the required courses to graduate, nothing in his major yet. He just wants interesting classes in the required curriculum, e.g., science fiction instead of Virgil to fulfill the english/writing requirement, musicology instead of art history to fulfill the fine arts requirement, japanese instead of latin to fulfill the language requirement. The desired classes were full, the alternatives were open (wonder why?). I understand that certain classes are popular and other aren’t, but then why not open more sections of the popular classes instead of forcing someone to take an unpopular class? Why spend a fortune for the privilege of taking classes you have no interest in?

He has discussed this with his advisor, who was useless. I suggested he email the professors whose classes he wanted, and it worked in one case, but not others.

Rodney, I agree that some of the problem stems from not having AP credits, but again UM doesn’t publicize that until you are there. My son could have gone to a number of state and private schools that would have taken his AP credits, but he missed UM’s cutoff by a point in every one of them. No big deal, if the only impact was on how many credits he would have to take there (which we knew). But UM hides the fact that it also affects your ability to get the classes you want (which we didn’t know). Basically, even though you pay the same tuition, you are treated as a second class citizen if you don’t enter with AP credits. Who knew?