<p>I plan to study a language at college next year, and after visting a 202 class in the spring, I feel I would probably do well in 301 (advanced level). My school doesn’t have a placement test for this language, and recommends you e-mail the professor so info. Both my current teacher and I e-mailed her in late May (Teacher recommended me for 301 as well), and I have yet to her back. I’m going to registar in two weeks and am wondering if I should e-mail the professor again to"remind" her if I don’t hear back soon. I’m worried that well appear rude, but I do need to know what level of language I can regiser for, and since few HS have this language I doubt there will be many kids entering at the 300 level.</p>
<p>One option is to call the Departmental secretary and let her (him?) know that you have been trying to reach Prof. X via email. Sometimes the secy will know the best way to reach an individual professor - email, voice mail, through the secretary…</p>
<p>There’s a chance that the prof is away for the summer and is not checking e-mail. If so, call the department and ask the secretary who would best be able to advise you on your schedule.</p>
<p>Yes, call. We had a theology prof. in my college who told us that when he was applying to grad school he didn’t hear back from his first choice and so went to his second. Ten or so years later he got a call from his first choice school to let him know that in cleaning up their offices for a badly needed painting they found his file, with an acceptance letter, between two file cabinets. While this particular event would be less likely in the information age it does illustrate the type of slip-up that a phone call might solve.</p>
<p>I agree with all of the above. Department secretaries know everything. For all you know, Professor X may be on maternity leave, or she may have resigned from her position and moved to Mongolia, and Professor Y may now be teaching the course. The department secretary is the one who will know.</p>
<p>Another option that many upperclassmen use would be to enroll in both classes with the intention of dropping one later on. This may be of some advantage to you so that you can determine how prepared you are for the advanced level class after a week or so and have a chance to talk to each class instructor.</p>
<p>A caveat, check to see how many open seats there are in each class. If you are taking one of the last seats in either class perhaps you should reconsider until the enrollment period is nearing an end.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice; I will try to call the department tomorrow.</p>
<p>When I orginally e-mailed the professor, she asked me to please have my current teacher e-mail her with an evaluation of my abilities, which the current teacher did. I really think I can handle the 300 level class, judging from what I saw in the class I visited at the end of the semester (i.e., the class appeared to be reading non-authentic materials while we’ve been reading authentic ones, knew almost all of the words on the quiz that day, etc.) I’m not saying I’m particularly brillant; it’s just that I came from a VERY strong program and went very far in the language (going beyond the avialable courses. I just need the official apprioval (if I can get it) to register, especially because I don’t think this is the type of thing they would just take my word on.</p>