<p>Wow, looking at the course offerings was an eye-opener. Both sections of Organic Chem are closed. Many sections of Calc II were closed. I guess this is where having AP credits makes life a little hard, eh?</p>
<p>Freshmen can’t register until Bama Bound and thus will be almost last in line for some of the 200 level courses. I would also venture to guess that the later you register, the less choices you’ll have regarding classes that will fit into your schedule, regardless of the course level. With that in mind, might it not be wise for some of those putting off Bama Bound until late in the Summer to reconsider?</p>
<p>Also, it looks like it would be best to try to register as early as possible to give you the most flexibility with your course/professor choices?</p>
<p>Does anyone have any general wisdom regarding registration? Trying to keep in mind those famous words emblazoned on the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “Don’t Panic”.</p>
<p>Don’t go into high stress mode yet, it’s still early. I don’t know if these are in the grouping but keep in mind they hold some seats for different BB sessions. You can double-check each time there is a new session which is going through advising and scheduling (check the BB dates). Also people switch courses over time. DS also had this problem with Chem when he originally registered last June but soon enough he had space open up. Keep :)</p>
<p>I strongly encourage everyone to go to the earliest Bama Bound session they can go to. Being able to adjust your schedule over the summer is a huge advantage.</p>
<p>Lil bro went to one of the early sessions last year and called me from the airport as depressed as could be because he didn’t get any of the classes he wanted. I told him to relax and that we had all summer to make changes as seats would open up in those classes during each of the remaining Bama Bounds. I’d say by session 8 he had all the classes he wanted at the times he wanted them. He ended up taking 16 credits with no classes earlier than 11:00am, nothing ending later than 4:45pm and he had Fridays off. </p>
<p>As for the 200 level classes you might be out of luck. I don’t think they hold back any seats in those classes for freshmen. There will be some students who have registered who will decide over the summer they won’t be coming back to school. So some seats will open that way and through regular drop/add. You can also email the professor and ask for an override into any of the classes that are full. You may not always get one, but more often than not the professor will grant your request. </p>
<p>Other than that just try to get all the 100 level core curriculum classes out of the way as best you can this first semester and worry about the other stuff in the spring.</p>
<p>UA tends to open up more spaces in each section over time in addition to opening up new sections of popular courses. For example, a calculus class may start with 24 seats, then go to 32seats , and later 47 seats. It all depends on the size of the classroom and the demand for a course. Also, have your student consider taking an online course. I’ve found that online courses are often taught by more senior faculty members and are also easier to fit into ones schedule. The same goes for non-traditional class times. Some of my most enjoyable classes were an evening legal studies class taught by an actual judge and the infamous TCF 112 Motion Picture History and Criticism class held on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the answers. I emailed the registrar yesterday and will wait for their response. There are several sections of Calc II and we’ll find a way to squeeze that into the schedule. The main problem is going to be Organic Chem since there are only two sections and just one viable with his schedule. I may email the professor after I hear from the registrar. It will all work out by August. I can see how getting to an early Bama Bound would help. I guess that once you go through orientation you can continue to switch in and out of classes on your own. If you go to one of the later Bama Bound sessions you won’t have as much time to alter your schedule and watch as spaces open in the courses you want.</p>
<p>Both of my kids came in with lots of AP credits, yet they were still able to have a good schedule. Other seats open and kids change their schedules over the summer which also opens classes up. </p>
<p>That said, I would NOT recommend that an incoming frosh take OChem I for fall semester…especially if pre-med. OChem is very demanding, and if pre-med, an A is definitely the objective. </p>
<p>First semester has lots of distractions, getting adjusted to living away from home, making new friends, football games on Saturdays…taking OChem at that point would just be too much.</p>
<p>If possible, the first semester should have maybe one or two demanding classes and the rest more manageable classes. Too many kids get tripped up their first semester - GPA-wise - by signing up for too many demanding classes the first semester. </p>
<p>Loring, since your child is in Engineering, he’ll have a few Eng’g classes and probably a Cal class. Do his AP credits fulfill all other Core Req’ts? Or does he have any that are still needed.</p>
<p>I would second m2k on a first semester manageable class schedule. DD was very excited about the Pre-Med track. She had shadowed an Orthopedic Dr. all summer (he even took her into the operating room at least 1 time a week!). When we attended Bama bound she went to the Pre-Med break out session and “heard” that med schools look for students who “double up” maths and sciences. Convinced she needed to do this and not heeding the advice of the adviser given to her at Bama Bound (and…unfortunately listening to the student who eventually ended up helping her register and told her he did it even though he was a frat pledge)…she took bio and chem plus labs for med track and Calc I and a very helpful lecture on the Pre-Med track. The child was drowning before she even hit the water so to speak! She was so busy at the sorority and with all of the “required” activities there, she studied continuously, was very stressed and got sick because she was getting no sleep! It was a wake up call on many levels…so…even though you WANT to get going …take a deep breath…pace yourself…it will be worth it! On a side note second semester is a whole different story and she is very happy and doing extremely well…woo hoo!</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. Here’s my son’s situation:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>He’s not pre-med (or, at least, he’s denying it at present)</p></li>
<li><p>He’s starting as a Chem E major but is open to other engineering majors. He likes problem solving.</p></li>
<li><p>Aside from his freshman engineering courses he plans to take O Chem, Calc II, and CBH 101. That will give him a total of 15 hours his first semester. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>He has/will have AP credits for: USH, Stats (5), Calc AB, Chem (5), English (4).</p>
<p>Waiting a year/semester to build on his Calc/Chem base does not seem wise or necessary, but, hey, I’m new at this. I don’t think Calc II will be too bad for him since his AP teacher will give him a solid base. He knows his General Chemistry and the next logical step for his major would be Organic. Organic will be a kick in the shorts his freshman year, but, given his other courses he should be able to manage it. Waiting for a year before doing Organic might not be advisable. </p>
<p>I’m thankful for the advice. Please point out any pitfalls in my thought process and I’ll try to adjust.</p>
<p>I guess the other options available to fill the O Chem time slots would be physics or Honors Biology. I’m not sure physics would be much better than O Chem as a compliment to Calc II.</p>
<p>Thanks for helping.</p>
<p>Also, he’ll be coming down for Outdoor Action so he can get settled before his other classes start and meet some other students.</p>
<p>Do they add seats to popular honors classes? For example, we checked on the Honors Bio class taught by Prof. Guy Caldwell and its already filled, so no incoming freshman honors students will have a chance at that class unless they add seats. Seems like kinda of a shame, especially if you are an incoming Bio major.</p>
<p>*Waiting a year/semester to build on his Calc/Chem base does not seem wise or necessary, but, hey, I’m new at this. I don’t think Calc II will be too bad for him since his AP teacher will give him a solid base. He knows his General Chemistry and the next logical step for his major would be Organic. Organic will be a kick in the shorts his freshman year, but, given his other courses he should be able to manage it. Waiting for a year before doing Organic might not be advisable. *</p>
<p>I don’t think he should wait a year to build on Chem or Cal. I think he should take Cal II in the fall. I don’t think it will be a problem to take OChem in the spring, but it’s obviously a personal decision. </p>
<p>Does he realize how demanding the first semester of CBH is? </p>
<p>Professor Mixson’s Honors Western Civ class is listed as having only seven students. That seemed VERY small, even for an Honors class, so I hope and assume that more seats will open up for Bama Bound. I think I will write to Professor Mixson about it today. He was extremely helpful when we wrote to him before.</p>
<p>The Honors Bio class with Dr Caldwell has been updated from a max of 18 (which I saw yesterday) to a max of 75 so there are many open seats as of now (57 as of this morning).</p>
<p>We have no clue how demanding the CBH 101 course will be. </p>
<p>Yes, he does have to take a biology course that is slated for the Spring semester in the degree layout. Would Honors Biology be significantly easier than O Chem? It’s been a long time since I took O Chem…</p>
<p>Would you then suggest Calc II and Honors Bio rather than Calc II and O Chem?</p>
<p>It does make a lot of sense to me to avoid tackling what may be his hardest college course just as he’s getting adjusted.</p>