As the spring semester is coming to a close, the fall is already on the horizon with course registration leaving students scrambling to figure out their degree plans and Aggie Schedule Builder.
With pre-registration for summer and fall 2023 open from March 30 to April 14, students are nearing the start of open registration beginning Monday, April 17, giving students a chance to secure a spot in classes that were initially full.
Biology sophomore Mariam Sharief expressed feelings of frustration and stress associated with the grueling process of course registration.
“Classes are literally like ‘The Hunger Games’, why do you have to fight for a position in a class?” Sharief said. “Why are there not enough professors for a class that you need for your degree?”
Sharief said she struggles to see the benefits of early registration access as a student worker as she still struggles to register for classes she needs for her major.
Undergraduate Advisor at The Bush School of Government & Public Service Alexander Castro said seat release is a way to level out the playing field rather than a way to prevent or create a barrier.
“There is a seat release system, which is a way to help all classifications eventually get into a class they need, though it might not look like it,” Castro said. “If we didn’t use the seat release system and a specific section only had about 40 seats, all the seniors, all the priority registration students would be put into the class all at once, and would leave virtually no seats for freshman and sophomores which is unfair.”
Castro recognizes undergraduate registration is difficult because everyone has a different track and every plan advisors make for students is tailor-made.
Castro said advisors do take into account whether students need to take certain coursework before exams such as the MCAT or LSAT.
“[Bush School advisors] identify students earlier on when they want to go to law school, particularly those doing a bachelors of science or arts in political science, and we try to make sure they are prepared in taking their classes before taking the LSAT … it’s really about being strategic and intentional with the classes they take,” Castro said.
Castro said he acknowledges there is a lack of sections and professors available for more popular upper-level classes within the department of political science. The process of hiring will take time to find the right candidates, Castro said.
“[The Department of Political Science] did just move to the Bush School … so it’s going to take some time for us to acclimate to where we want to be, there will be growing pains, and unfortunately, students will be part of that process,” Castro said.
However, computer science sophomore Megha Subhash said the process of course registration feels unfair even within the Department of Engineering.
“I think the engineering honors registration specifically involves several requirements that you have to do to get priority registration, such as research, but then it’s so easy to get kicked out of [honors], and you cannot get the classes that you want if you get kicked out,” Subhash said.
Subhash said that classes often close before she can register since students rush to register for the most popular professors and courses. Consequently, she wishes there were a greater number of acclaimed professors that students are excited to register for.
