<p>So there is a 300-level course that I really want to take. The problem is: I'm a freshman. How do I go about asking my professor if I can join the course? I am not sure if I will be at the same school next year, and I really want to take it before I leave. Any suggestions? Or should I just forget it? I am afraid that the professor will be offended that I am requesting to join her junior/senior level class as a freshman.</p>
<p>I don't see why the professor would be offended. You want to learn more! There's nothing bad about that. I'd imagine the two issues the professor would have are (1) Can you handle the material? and (2) Are you taking a spot away from a junior/senior who needs the class more? The second you can't do much about, but I'm sure that you could prove to the professor that you can handle the material.</p>
<p>I don't know anything about your college's system of course selection, but are you absolutely sure you need to talk to the professor? I'm at UC Berkeley and while our system lists prerequisites and says "with professor's permission", you can ignore those with impunity. It may be possible that you can just enroll and be done with it.</p>
<p>Does the class have any prerequisites? If not, just ask the professor for a permission to enroll.</p>
<p>I had the same issue, and my program coordinator said that no professors would sign in an extra slot for a freshman.</p>
<p>I found an equal/better class, though. The experience really taught me the value of having multiple backup classes.</p>
<p>If you feel uncomfortable asking the professor, talk to the department secretary. </p>
<p>At my school the course prefix numbers are usually only guidelines in regard to 100-300 level courses. As long as you fulfill any pre-requisites, you can take the course, as long as there are seats available.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, guys!</p>
<p>The only prerequisite is a junior/senior classification. There are 10 seats in the class, but Asian Studies courses aren't very popular at my school, so I have a feeling that the class won't fill up before I start registering. If it does, maybe I'll ask if I can fill in any empty seats.</p>
<p>Most profs would rather have a smart, motivated and interested frosh in their class than a disinterested or unmotivated upperclassman. There’s no harm in asking, it will show that you’re very interested.</p>
<p>I joined a 300 level class even though I'm a Freshman. I didn't need special permission and just signed up for it since there were no requirements. Does your school have a policy against Freshman joining a 300 level class?</p>
<p>It's really about being able to handle the coursework and higher level of thinking involved in the class discussions. There's no right or wrong answer in there- accept that there are lots of different interpretations. Can you envision yourself writing a 20-25 page paper at the end? Realize that when you walk in, you may feel inadequate in terms of backgroudn knowledge (the prof isn't obviously teaching a survey) and may need to do some extra reading to catch up.</p>
<p>I would just sit tight and let the registration process go on and see if there are any spots in the class. If there are and your registeration system lets you in, then you're in.</p>
<p>Okay. So I emailed her, and she responded with:</p>
<p>"We can try, _<strong><em>(my name)</em></strong></p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p><strong><em>(her name)</em></strong>_"</p>
<p>I suppose that is a 'yes', but it doesn't sound very enthusiastic. Oh well.</p>
<p>Don't worry about emails. I always think people sound ****y in their emails and they're usually nice.
Just show up and see her in person.
Make sure to get approval from the department/chair too.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that at this point, with spring semester classes not starting for almost two months, a lot can change. Some senior may realize that he or she absolutely needs that class to graduate, or maybe the professor gets bumped to a smaller classroom because she doesn't have a full class roster. "Maybe" is infinitely better than "no," and if you don't hear back from her, just show up on the first day of class, sit in, and talk to her afterwards... displaying that level of interest will carry you a long ways.</p>