Full Classes....Already?

<p>My lovely D is heading down to freshman orientation next week (June 23-26 session) so I am encouraging her to take a look at the schedule to have an idea of which class times she wants. I am shocked to see that her choice of language (Arabic, and she is considering minoring in it) is completely closed in all of the first year sections! Then I start scouring the schedule of other languages and see most sections are full as well (for Spanish, French, etc.) I don't understand why it is only June and we are too late to get in to our language class. Can someone explain?</p>

<p>Ask yourself this question: How many kids are going to UT as a freshmen?
Then ask yourself this: How many spots do you think a class can hold until it becomes “too big”?</p>

<p>I get it that UT is large, so that is not helpful. I guess I am asking how students handle the foreign language class schedule when the sections are closed, since most people need a foreign language to get their degree. I see that First-year Bengali is open. Does UT expect the student to register for that instead of his first choice?</p>

<p>This is a problem for UT students in general. I think transfer students, CAP students, have it worse. They are treated as if UT doesn’t want them and they are last to be informed about anything and are usually the last to sign up for classes. Anyways, if you can’t find a class wait untill the deadline for paying tution arrives and then check a few days later, kids who don’t pay are dropped from classes so your daughter can sign up then.</p>

<p>Or you can wait when kids drop classes when school starts and then try and switch into those classes your daughter wants. Also, consider summer school or Austin Community College and have the credit transfer.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

<p>I’m assuming when you say “this is a problem for UT students in general” you’re referring to the foreign language classes? Please tell me that she isn’t going to have to “settle” for a full schedule of crummy courses!</p>

<p>^I don’t know about the courses in general but I know for foreign lang. many just wind up taking what’s available to them, my friend wanted to take spanish/japanese but wound up taking german instead b/c classes were so full. But if your daughter can talk to her advisor about making arabic her minor officially during orientation that might help.</p>

<p>UT sets aside blocks of seats for each registration. Not a lot maybe, but some. Last summer I was going through the same thing. Each time an orientation date came along, a few classes would open up and quickly they were gone. My advice to her is to have a schedule planned out ahead of her day and be among the first in line when they allow students to line up to register. Also too, if she doesn’t get her choices at first, be persistent and continually check throughout the summer, especially on other days of orientation after hers. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>I’m a transfer student and half the classes I wanted were full or had average teachers and ridiculously early or late class times. Within the hour though after refreshing a few times and going back to the schedule, I was able to sign up for all of the classes I wanted. I have some REALLY early classes, but its not all bad. Just be persistent and check back. At this stage in the game, not everyone is 100% sure of their schedule and quite a few people will be dropped for non-payment.</p>

<p>This is very helpful. Thanks, guys.</p>

<p>Typical CORE classes have slots held throughout Freshman Orientation. Other classes may not be available (until after drops due to non-payment). Seniors register first (by alpha), then juniors, and so on. Many students find they have to wait to take language classes until they are upperclassmen (or take them at CCs). My D was a Deaf Studies minor and couldn’t get into ASL until midway through her Soph. year.</p>

<p>If she is just going to minor in Arabic then she’s fine. She can wait to take it in sophomore year since I didn’t have any trouble signing up for it after the upperclassmen registered this spring. And this spring when the continuing students registered for the fall the languages were not all closed for a while because I changed my schedule fifty times and I still got into the arabic classes I wanted. </p>

<p>I am not sure but I dont think changing it to your minor will do anything because UT doesnt expect students to start taking classes for their minor freshman year. </p>

<p>Also if you can’t find what you want now go on the date right before school starts that’s add/drop A LOT of stuff opens up.</p>

<p>Yikes. I guess this is when we’re having second thoughts about turning down that offer from the private college which cost more, but actually has classes available for students who need them.</p>

<p>UT has classes available, but you can’t take every single course you want on demand. Were that the case, John Daly’s Interpersonal Communication class would have 5,000 students a semester. You will be able to take all the courses you need by the time you graduate, but not necessarily freshman year.</p>

<p>Freshmen don’t have to take foreign language their first year. They have until they graduate. If you really want a particular language you’re going to have to wait because they don’t hold classes for freshmen in foreign langauge, it’s first come first served. Or you can just sign up for what’s open, like Bengali or Mayalam or whatever.</p>

<p>My daughter went to the first orientation last week. As she was the last group to register that day(the end of the alphabet), by the time she tried to register of freshman signature class, they were all sold out. She was told by an advisor to go online the following friday, and try to register for it again.She was told to ry at 9:00 am austin time. They hold openings for each orientation. Today, (Wednesday afternoon) on a whim, she tried to add the section. It allowed her to. So the morale of the story is, if you do not get a frosh class at orientation, keep trying from home. We got lucky.</p>

<p>Freshmen don’t need to take first-year Arabic unless they are Arabic majors coming into UT with no previous college credits in Arabic.</p>

<p>just to let you know, the registration lines are INSANE. i waited 2 hours in the line to register and by the time i did some of the classes i wanted were already filled up. they said to check next friday when the next group of orientees register for their classes or wait till the first 12 days of school…because alot of people drop their classes and spots open up</p>

<p>Yes, the lines will be long. I advised earlier on this thread to grab a spot among the first in line. It will make it much easier in getting the classes you want. Keep working the schedule and you’ll get almost all what you want.</p>

<p>It sounds like the best way to get the classes you want is to wait until the next orientation after yours and register online from home as early as possible. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>Ah S**** that sucks… My Last name is R …so does that mean I’ll be registering really late at the end of the line? Cant I just go to the library and register there or bring my own laptop and register on it? Also, does advising with counselors work the same way by last name or is it the first person getting in line?</p>

<p>Nxt, yes you can register from your own laptop or at the library. However, the window of time in which you can register IS fixed and IS based on your last name. I registered from my laptop at orientation yesterday and finished in about 15 seconds. It was very easy.</p>