<p>Fair warning, the registration process can be utterly devastating. Read the case studies on the Cal Poly Parents Facebook page. I’ll give you the details on one that I am VERY familiar with. Each Fall Quarter a very unfortunate group of students draw the short straw (1/12th).
1st rotation is assigned each Quarterl based on spelling of the last name. 1st rotation is the best choice for students without special preferences, student government, athletes, etc. But if your student’s 1st rotation is Fall Quarter of his/her Freshman year he/she looses it. Freshmen are block scheduled based on their major, they can wave their ONLY 1st rotation option in 12 quarters goodbye. BUT IT GETS BETTER. Next quarter their rotation will be 12th, DEAD LAST. If the school has over booked it’s freshman class that year, by 12th rotation there are no remotely desirable classes left when their turn comes to register. Now each student gets 3 wild card choices in their time at SLO, thus if push comes to shove they can play a wild card and register by priority. But NOT if they are Freshmen! So SLO gives this 1/12th of the freshman class the One Two Punch, waste the only 1st rotation slot of the undergraduate studies, and they get dumped into 12th rotation Winter Quarter with no classes to choose from. Guess what? Freshman Engineering students who have to knock down 200+ units to graduate are left with only Geology & Theater classes at the bottom of the barrel. And guess who is paying the bills for a kid that just turned 18 a few weeks back? LET’S DO THE NUMBERS Tuition+Fees+Housing+Food =($25,000/year divided by 3 Quarters/year) = $8,333.33 wasted! Did I do the math right? Did I put the parentheses in the right place? Did I get the units right? Please correct me if I’m wrong. Let me see, how much of that is the STUDENT SUCCESS FEE? I must be missing something. Please point me in the right direction, PLEASE.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear of you student’s difficulty registering for classes. The good news is that a freshman who had rotation group 1 in the fall followed by rotation 12 in the winter will never have to register later than group 8 in the rest of his time at CP (if he finishes in 4 years). When it is his turn to have groups 9, 10, and 11, he can then use his three priorities to jump to the front of the line. </p>
<p>I just checked PASS to see what GE classes were still available (today was the 2nd day of the winter quarter) and found openings in GEA2 and GEA3 (freshman English) areas, as well as most all of the GE C and D areas that engineers have to take. There is also Cuesta community college just down the road that offers many of the lower level classes that transfer to CP, but their schedule is semesters rather than quarters, so it may not line up too well with CP classes for spring (this works better in the fall). Cuesta (and other community colleges, a few are on quarters I think) also offer some courses online which can be another option to get more classes. If your student really cannot get enough classes, he could go see his department head who might be able to help. Good luck! My freshman had 1st priority this winter and will be stuck with 12th rotation in the spring. :(</p>
<p>Agree that the process is byzantine. Posted my freshman son’s experience for fall quarter several months ago:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/1541956-registration-insanity.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/1541956-registration-insanity.html</a></p>
<p>As an update, he has worked hard to get the classes he wants both for fall and winter quarters. This includes “crashing” two classes, one for physics, the other for engineering. Because he brought so many AP credits/dual credits to CP, he is trying to stay on track for an engineering BS/MS in four years.
Understanding that this still might be tough, thus far, he has been able to navigate the registration process successfully. Six months into the “Mustang Way”, I think it’s fair to say that it takes a proactive, assertive student to get the exact schedule sequence a student wants or needs to stay on track for on-time graduation.</p>
<p>My son (Chem major) had 8th rotation for winter and was able to get all his classes. He will be in 1st rotation for spring.</p>
<p>I was one of those lucky freshmen who ended up with 12th rotation winter quarter of my freshman year. I survived. If anything, the experience helped me begin to learn how to be creative in getting classes. I ended up with a pretty decent schedule that quarter. And this was a few years back, when there were still furlough days and pretty big budget cuts, meaning fewer classes being offered. Learning how to crash classes is about much more than just going to the class on the first day and hoping you’ll get in. Yeah, it’s extra work, but it really doesn’t take much time. I wrote about some of my strategies on here previously. The truth is, if you’re going to get screwed over by rotation position, that’s usually one of the better quarters for it to happen. Since you’re a freshman, you still have a pretty vast variety of options, and as long as you’re smart about crashing and keeping your eye on PASS during the add/drop period (going on now), you should be able to get enough units and decent classes/teachers.</p>
<p>*Also, sometimes a teacher will waive a pre-req and still give you a permission number if you crash, if there’s a class for your major or a support course with open spots that has a prerequisite that’s not super relevant.</p>
<p>OK, Spring Quarter is underway. Reading the Facebook pages I see the same frustrations with the registration process as previous quarters. Today is 2nd rotation out of 12 and many key classes are full and wait lists are getting long. If you happened to be the store manager (earning much less than Jeffrey D Armstrong CSU San Luis Obispo President $363k) of a Wallmart or Home Depot and you managed your inventory this way you would be looking for a job.</p>
<p>My freshman had 12th rotation this spring quarter and was not able to actually enroll in any courses he needed at the time of his registration appointment, but waitlisted about 20 units. Since then, he has gotten enrolled in 6 units (in from the waitlist for a 2 unit class, and there was a new section opened up for the math class he needs) and he plans to crash classes to get more the first week of spring quarter. Just in case he is unable to get more, he enrolled in two online classes (both GE’s that transfer to CP) through Foothill Community College which is on the quarter system. If he gets enough units at CP, he will drop the FCC classes. </p>
<p>Ralph4, if he doesn’t get any more classes tan he’s already in, will he still have enough units to be eligible to stay n the dorms (I’m assuming that’s where he lives)? Just curious as this will be us next year!</p>
<p>luckymom, I don’t think there is any unit minimum in order to remain in the dorm, as long as he is still a student at Cal Poly. He does expect to be able to add more units by the end of the add/drop period (1st eight days of the quarter). His friend (also a freshman) had 12th rotation for winter quarter and had to waitlist everything until the first week of classes, but ended up getting a full load of classes the first week. The problem tends to get worked out for most as long as they aren’t too picky about professors and times of day for classes.</p>
<p>There is actually a minimum amount, which is 12 units. I’ve been 12th rotation before and while it can be challenging, keeping ontop of registration is a good start. I had only 4 units and I was able to get up to 18 within a week just by checking the registration system frequently and professors are good at notifying wait-listed people when new sections are opening.</p>
<p>Thank you for that information, r77r77! I’m actually glad to hear that there is a minimum, because that means Cal Poly will help make sure that my son gets more units this spring. It would be ridiculous to kick him out of the dorm because there weren’t enough classes available. He actually got into another needed class yesterday so he is now enrolled for 10 units for Spring. I’m sure it will all work out, and he will end up with a full load. :)</p>
<p>State Employee School Title Salary
Jeffrey D Armstrong CSU San Luis Obispo President $363k
Deborah W Read CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $251k
Lawrence R Kelley CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $241k
Kathleen Finken CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $230k
Debra S Larson CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $220k
Douglas L Epperson CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $204k
Joe D Callero CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $203k
Timothy E Walsh CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $202k
Philip S Bailey Jr CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $195k
C. Theodoropoulos CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $191k
David J Wehner CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $189k
Brian Tietje CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $189k
Donald J Oberhelman CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $187k
Michael D Miller CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $186k
Kimi M Ikeda CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $178k
Preston C Allen CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $176k
David P Christy CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $176k
Andrew J Thulin CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $174k
James L Maraviglia CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $172k
Keith B Humphrey CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $170k
Doug C Cerf CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $167k
Elizabeth B Kinsley CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $160k
Mark A Hunter CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $160k
Tanya L Kiani CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $159k
Mary E Pedersen CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $156k
Mary B Gallagher CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $156k
Albert A Liddicoat CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $156k
Johanna J Madjedi CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $155k
David L Harris CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $155k
Carlos Cordova CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $154k
Bonnie D Murphy CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $150k
Mark D Shelton CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $150k
Bradford P Anderson CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator IV $150k
Karen A Webb CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $149k
Joyce T Haratani CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator II $148k
Anna K Gold CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $148k
Allan J Hauck CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $148k
Allen C Estes CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $147k
Lorlie Hull Leetham CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $144k
K Richard Zweifel CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $142k
Cem Sunata CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $142k
Rakesh K Goel CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $141k
Cornel Morton CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $141k
Hemalata C Dandekar CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $141k
Martin E Bragg CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $138k
Dean E Wendt CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $138k
Dennis R Parks CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $137k
Rosemary H Wild CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $135k
George R Hughes CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $133k
Richard A Cavaletto CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $132k
Patrick B O Sullivan CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $129k
Fred W Depiero CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $129k
Catherine S Cannon CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator II $128k
Grant L Trexler CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $128k
Joel R Neel CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $127k
Lois M Kelly CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $126k
Matthew S Cottle CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator II $125k
Debra Valencialaver CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $125k
Shawn R Mehan CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $125k
Douglas D Piirto CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $125k
Talmage E Scriven CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $125k
John C Peterson CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $125k
June Serjeantweaver CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator II $124k
Philip L Webb CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator II $124k
S Jean Decosta CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $124k
Gour S Choudhury CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $124k
Jose A Macedo CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $123k
Stephen F Hamilton CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - Academic Year $123k
Larry Lee CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $122k
James B Cooper CSU San Luis Obispo Department Chair - 12 Month $122k
Martha R Cody CSU San Luis Obispo Administrator III $121k</p>
<p>This is just a partial list but you get my point.</p>
<p>The above is public information from the Sacramento Bee “All Employees in the CSU San Luis Obispo for 2013”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/”>http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/</a></p>
<p>From the Cal Poly Parents Facebook page;</p>
<p>“Same here - son is a Junior. Had 3rd rotation, didn’t get into either of 2 classes for major which he needs to graduate “on time” (5 years at this point). … Talked to both professors, and was told there’s not really anything they can do. Things have worked out in past quarters but this adds so much stress to already stressed students every single quarter. Very frustrating.”</p>
<p>Wouldn’t you think one of those “CSU San Luis Obispo” “Administrator XXX” or "Department Chair "could spend a little time on this?</p>
<p>Administrators Ate My Tuition - Want to get college costs in line? Start by cutting the overgrown management ranks. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2011/features/administrators_ate_my_tuition031641.php?page=all”>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/septemberoctober_2011/features/administrators_ate_my_tuition031641.php?page=all</a></p>
<p>Bureaucrats Paid $250,000 Feed Outcry Over College Costs</p>
<p><a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?;
<p>Administrative growth drives up costs at state-owned universities</p>
<p>You can’t make this stuff up!</p>
<p>Deans List: Hiring Spree Fattens College Bureaucracy—And Tuition</p>
<p><a href=“Cost of College: Colleges' Bureaucracy Expands Costs - WSJ”>http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323316804578161490716042814</a></p>
<p>Words from the Administration:</p>
<p>At Cal Poly, we are very committed to the success and timely graduation of our students. A concerted and ongoing effort is in effect to plan for and accommodate the increasing number of students. We want to honor your commitment to Cal Poly and the faith you put in us as an academic institution by updating you on the recent improvements we have made.</p>
<p>In response to the rise in course demand this year, we have hired over 40 new faculty members. We are also in the process of recruiting 65 new faculty for next year, which includes the creation of 35 brand new positions. This allows for the addition of many new sections of courses. This spring quarter alone, we are able to offer 105 more sections of classes, providing over 3,000 more seats compared to last year. Each quarter, we monitor the enrollment data daily as students are registering for classes, reviewing the average unit loads, overall enrollment data, and wait list activity, and responding as needed.</p>
<p>In addition, we have just introduced a brand new course demand analysis tool this quarter called PolyPlanner. This tool provides each student with the roadmap for their major, including all degree applicable courses. Students access the PolyPlanner through their portal and enter, by quarter, the courses they desire to take over the next 1-4 years to satisfy their degree requirements. The information collected will be used to inform future course planning and scheduling. Our institution is one of less than 10 institutions nationally using such an analysis tool, and the only one in the nation to make its use a requirement for students.</p>
<p>This academic year, we also launched the Mustang Success Center, a brand new advising resource for our students. In addition to their professional college advisor and faculty advisor, students can now also visit advisors in the Mustang Success Center. These advisors provide additional avenues to support student success with academic counseling and course registration. The Center also educates and connects students to important resources on campus such as career and personal counseling, tutoring, and study skills workshops.</p>
<p>Thank you again for your commitment to this institution. We hope that this information will be encouraging and useful to you as you continue the myriad expressions of support you provide for our students during their time at Cal Poly.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do. The Administration votes with it’s feet not with it’s words, watch their footwork don’t listen to what they say.</p>
<p>From the Cal Poly Parents page:</p>
<p>My daughter is having the same problem. She registered on time with her group. Got registered for 9 credits, wait listed for several others then 5 days later all her classes were dropped by the system. She went to the school and all they could say is they had no record of her registering and she would have to start all over. I paid for the quarter the day she registered the first time and saw the classes she had at that point. She was unable to get those classes back. Now she has two classes and wait listed for several others but so far down the list she will never get in. I am extremely disappointed withe way Cal Poly is handling this situation. I love my Alma matter but things need to change.</p>