<p>My son will be in honors but because he is going on a school mission trip immediately after graduation that does not return until 1 June, the June 6 Bama Bound is the earliest session he could attend. Is he going to have trouble getting the classes/teachers that he wants?</p>
<p>He’ll still be able to get into most of the classes he wants, but not necessarily at his preferred times as most every returning student has already registered. Spaces do open up in popular classes throughout the summer and UA saves seats in certain freshman courses for students attending later Bama Bound sessions.</p>
<p>I didn’t go to Bama Bound until June 15th (although I’m in honors) and at Bama Bound, almost no classes that I wanted were available, but I kept checking as summer went along and got into all of the classes I wanted. If you’re willing to put in the effort to keep checking throughout the summer, you won’t have a problem!</p>
<p>While Bama does open seats for the 100 level classes throughout the summer, I don’t think that’s true for the honors classes. I think there is an assumption that the honors kids will be attending the early BBs and that when those seats are available.</p>
<p>That said, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any honors classes available later since kids do change their schedules throughout the summer and spots open.</p>
<p>I think the biggest problem is for kids who have lots of AP credits and are trying to get into classes like Cal III or a desired 300 level Spanish class and such because those classes aren’t going to have spaces opening for each BB.</p>
<p>Don’t fret if you don’t get your perfect schedule at BB…I don’t know of any student who didn’t change his schedule after BB…tweaking goes on all summer.</p>
<p>When do upperclassmen register for classes?</p>
<p>[Registration</a> and Advising | The Office of the University Registrar - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://registrar.ua.edu/services/mystudent/registration-and-advising/]Registration”>http://registrar.ua.edu/services/mystudent/registration-and-advising/)</p>
<p>So if you need classes that the upperclassmen have filled before Bama Bound starts, is it likely enough that spaces will open up that you should leave the time slot free? I guess it depends on how the system works. Here’s an example of what I’m thinking about. Say the accounting class D wants is at 11:00 MWF. And she REALLY wants it. It’s full at Bama Bound. D’s first choice English class is also at 11:00 MWF, but there are a couple others that would be OK also. If she registers for the 11:00 English class, can she waiting list for the accounting class? If she doesn’t waiting list, and the Accounting class opens up during the summer, can she get into it without dropping the 11:00 English first? And if she has to drop the English class first, is it likely that someone else will jump in and grab the Accounting class before she gets it, and then she’ll have lost the English class also? It’s hard to figure this stuff out without knowing exactly how the system works and how changes after Bama Bound are made. Or am I overthinking this?</p>
<p>beth’s mom: Sometimes, an incoming freshman will be unable to get a first choice class. My recommendation is that your daughter put together a list of several classes possibilities. That way, if something is closed, she can go to the next class on her list. Your daughter will probably jump on mybama throughout the summer to check and see if she can add/drop a class.</p>
<p>Thanks momreads. She will definitely have a list with 2nd and 3rd choices. I guess what we’re wondering is if she should “reserve” the time of her 1st choice, even if she would otherwise schedule something there, so that if it becomes available it’s easy to grab without switching around the rest of the schedule. I guess it’s a bird in the hand vs. two in the bush question - Is there a good enough chance of the first choice becoming available during the summer that it’s worth giving up a first or second choice class/time in another subject in the hopes of getting the first choice in what the student deems the most important subject later in the summer? Especially if this is a class that isn’t a 100 level freshman class? From what I’ve read on here, these things usually work out during the summer, but our UA experiences, from campus visits to having e-mails returned, have been different from those of others, so I’m a bit leery about counting on that.</p>
<p>I know that people fret about creating their fall frosh schedule, but don’t worry…you will end up with a decent schedule. It may not be the perfect plan that you wanted, but it will be fine. The fall frosh semester seems to be the biggest challenge, the rest are much easier.</p>
<p>^^ beth’s mom: Remember that your child will live on campus. So getting to different classes throughout the day won’t be a problem. It’s not like they have to come to campus, find a parking spot, leave, come back for another class a few hours later. KWIM?</p>
<p>The spring registration will be even easier.</p>
<p>Beth’s mom…as to “reserving a time” for an unavailable first choice, much will depend on the class, how many sections are offered and the size. If the class is an honors class with only 15 students and it’s the only section, then a spot may not become available. If it’s a lecture class with 40 kids and there are 6 offered sections, then there’s a better chance because there’s a chance that students will either change their minds or change to a different section.</p>
<p>I would just try to get the best schedule I can, and if it’s possible to switch a schedule around later, then do so. I wouldn’t give up a chance at a needed class by keeping that spot open for a possible other class.</p>
<p>Again…don’t stress about this. It’s just one semester. For majors where a sequenced class is needed (such as an Eng’g class), a prof might be able to over-ride and let an extra student in (if there aren’t a controlled number of seats in a class). </p>
<p>Sometimes kids who come in with AP credits and who’ve opted to move on to higher levels may not get the “perfect schedule” that frosh fall simply - but that doesn’t mean that they won’t have a good schedule that works.</p>