<p>Sounds like a great idea to have small classes taught by professors, but there are only 98 seats in the entire program, and they are almost completely sold out after the first two orientation sessions.</p>
<p>It doesn't seem as though the university is committed to providing this experience if 97% of the freshman class can't enroll...</p>
<p>Agreed. The goal should be to provide all freshmen with small classes taught by full professors. I apologize on behalf of a clueless USC president and administrators who really don’t care about the quality of your undergraduate experience. By opening the back door to more and more students than USC’s infrastructure can handle, the senior administrators are forcing you into an expensive game of musical chairs and scholastic cannibalism. Hang in there, it will get better once you finish your GE requirements.</p>
<p>Seats are held back for each orientation session for certain freshman classes. This is something they explicitly tell you at orientation. This allows students at later sessions to have access to spots. Students who have been to earlier orientations can also try and get one of these spots when they open up if they are smart.</p>
<p>There are also many GE classes and sections for each category-- you may not get the most popular one, but there are always spaces. Sure, that 11am section fills fast, and there is space in the 9am, but that happens EVERYWHERE!. </p>
<p>After this first registration at orientation, you will register by seniority- which gives those with more units completed (or AP/dual enrollment credits) priority. </p>
<p>It’s not like there are just slightly too many students to be able to provide a freshman seminar for everyone. There would still be no availability if the undergraduate population were 450 rather than 4500. Guess the program isn’t important to the university, which is surprising because it fills so rapidly.</p>
<p>I am really hoping that new GE classes open up, because as an engineering student he’s got a fairly tight schedule, and it’s recommended to take GE 1 or 2 first semester. (Not sure why those two were specified?) The GE’s are pretty severely picked over with >75% closed already.</p>
<p>All three calc sections that are “recommended for engineers” are already closed, too. Nice!</p>
<p>Hopefully, things will improve when registration for spring comes around. He’s got lot’s of AP credit, so will get in line ahead of some of the current freshmen.</p>
<p>Disappointing, because he turned down scholarships at other well-regarded schools because SC seemed like a better opportunity.</p>
<p>You are bringing up an issue that has been hushed about on here, it is difficult to get any GE you would actually like to take, and classes with the better professors are unavailable as well. Taking an 8am or Friday class does not fix it as some suggest, you just can’t get in any of them. This struggle doesn’t end after freshman year. You can graduate in four years meeting your requirements, but perhaps not taking any classes you actually wanted to take, particularly in the GEs. People won’t want to hear it, but they are getting closer to UCLA everyday in inability to get into things, (and at twice the price). </p>
<p>Our D has not experienced any real problems in getting the GE classes she wants. She is prepared with alternatives when her registration window opens, and just registers. She has not had classes early in the morning or on Fridays. She did start with AP and IB credit, and some of those credits fulfilled some GE requirements. She is taking classes she wants to take, and will graduate in 4 years with a double major.<br>
The registration process is unique for each student, in part because of AP/IB credits, and different majors, but it is not universally true that students cannot get the GE class they prefer, or will graduate without taking classes you want to take. </p>
<p>Some classes are in very high demand and students know this-- they plan in advance to take them when they have high priority (juniors or senior year). D had planned out a 4 year plan with the classes she really wanted to take in senior year-- this worked out well for her. Take less popular GE’s early on if you want to get rid of them, and take classes in your major/minor that you enjoy. You shouldn’t be stuck taking classes you don’t want-- or you have selected the wrong major/minor for yourself. </p>
<p>This is simply astounding. When I was at USC getting GEs was fairly easy and fyi I had at least two Friday morning classes, French I and Calc., at least the first semester. I strongly recommend getting all GEs out of the way the first two years because your motivation to take them as a junior will wane, and it’s a a lot harder to get an A in a GE as a junior or senior simply because many GEs are four or five days per week and it’s harder to stay focused on anything other than your major.</p>
<p>So far D has had problems with only one GE and took a less popular time slot and instructor for that selection. Did very well in the class and ended up enjoying it. She filled her schedule to get many of them out of the way so she could concentrate on her major. And ditto @camomof3. In all of the literature they tell you that they hold slots for each orientation so that students who can’t get to USC until later in the summer have the same chance at a class as those who came earlier. But I’ve never seen a class "fill’, this early. Only popular time slots and professors.</p>
<p>I think it’s great that the poster’s son has come in with AP and IB credit but the comment “get in line ahead of current Freshman” just burned me a bit. As did saying the student turned down high ranking schools. I’m left thinking - so there’s a tantrum because a class was not available? Really?</p>
<p>For the record, not every (equally bright) USC Freshman had those opportunities at their schools (mine left to go to private school for that reason). So penalizing students who can’t afford those opportunities, or live in areas with less funding or who forgo them to travel abroad, etc. is just not kind.</p>
<p>And not all colleges care. MIT, for example, rarely gives credit for AP and IB. Those parents are equally “shocked” the students didn’t get special treatment.</p>
<p>Sometimes attitude is everything. But it could start with “You can’t always get what you want.” Flexibility at USC will make the path much smoother.</p>
<p>It is also not universally true that students can get the GE class they prefer, or that students take the classes they want, many take what is left. If you wait to get what you want you will be off your four year plan. No one is in a wrong major/minor, we were talking GEs. People need to appreciate that some students don’t get what they thought they would at USC and not jump on the “be flexible, be happy, all is perfect” bandwagon. It’s not a personal attack, it is a critique of their situation. Doesn’t mean they are unhappy either. It means for the price they are paying and for the expectations going in, they may be disappointed. Knowing that and not overselling USC will make the path much smoother as well.</p>
<p>I was responding to the “graduating without taking the classes you want” comment when I was talking about selecting the right majors/minors. GE’s should be a minor part of anyone’s 4 year plan and thus, if you are worried about not being able to take classes you want, this should be a major/minor issue.</p>
<p>I’m not jumping on any bandwagon-- trying to suggest ways to deal with the current system (since you cannot change it right now). </p>
<p>Yes, you will not get every class you want when you want it. My S at HYPS hasn’t been able to get any class when he wants it either. He also has to work with what his options are. </p>
<p>Soo if you have sophomore standing (as a freshman) by the end of this fall, you can register earlier for spring classes, right?</p>
<p>@Lilliana330 Yes, order is by total units earned so if you have AP/IB/CC credits then you will register before anyone who has less than you (except people with exceptions such as athletes).</p>
<p>I came in with 32 units from AP and never had any issues getting GE classes or any other classes for that matter.</p>
<p>^ Ohh okay, yay. I have 20 AP units as of now, but I hope to have 28 with this year’s testing -I want room for both a minor and all 4 semesters of a new language. :P</p>
<p>Depending on your major, that should be more than doable. Our D is doing a double major, and some “extra” classes for fun, and will be done in 4 years. She did one semester of Spanish to complete her requirement. I think she started with 28 units (AP and IB)</p>