<p>I was wondering how many students were not able to get into classes they needed to graduate. mainly engineering students but anyone who attends the school. </p>
<p>Are most kids able to get into classes they need? or are most kids not? </p>
<p>Also, well it help a ton to have priority registration? or probably not much?</p>
<p>I have talked to some of my friends there, however not in engineering( architecture and history major) but…they said in the end, you’ll get the classes you’ll need to stay on track, but the time of the class may not be the best so maybe a few night classes or w/e.</p>
<p>If you are towards to end of registration rotations, it can be extremely frustrating and difficult to get classes you need, even GE’s. Once you have been here for a year, you get three priorities you can use at any time so that you can register before the majority of other students. You will eventually be able to get into the classes you need, and most teachers are very understanding that this is an issue and they try to let as many students as they can into a class. It may take you longer to graduate though.</p>
<p>My son is in his 4th year in ME. He will take 5 years to graduate. One of the reasons was the lack of availbility of some of the classes he needed. It was usually the first of a sequence that was the hardest to get into. Priorities help, but you don’t get enough (if they gave you more, would they really be priorities??). That first class appears to be the one to weed out some students and the second in the series always seemed easier to get into (at least according to my son’s experience).</p>
<p>During the first weekend of school, there was a presentation by the department head (for the students and parents) who stated the ME department had a 15% graduation rate after 4 years, but an 85% graduation rate after 4 years and 2 quarters. He also stated that the ME department was the biggest “exporter” of students on campus and the business department the biggest “importer” of students. I don’t know how the exporter/importer issue was factored into his graduation numbers.</p>
<p>I have heard that Cal Poly is trying to make an effort to get students to graduate in 4 years. Don’t see how budget cuts (and then I’m assuming it means fewer classes available) is compatable with the drive for 4.</p>
<p>D will be attending Cal Poly as a business major. You have me curious. . . what does importing and exporting of students refer too?</p>
<p>Has to do with changing majors once you’re in school. </p>
<p>Exporting = more students leave the ME department than any other department
Importing = more students transfer into the business school than any other department</p>
<p>This was the terminology that the ME department head used in his briefing. Just seemed an appropriate way of looking at it to me. Anyways, it was his comments and phrasing from that September 2006 meeting. Don’t know if it still holds today, although I might think that it would.</p>
<p>I included that comment as I didn’t know how, if at all, it was factored into the graduation rates for the ME department. I would assume that transfers out don’t count, so the graduation rate percentages could be even worse. But, I really don’t know. I just know what it is in my son’s case (ie. he’s on the 5 year plan!), which is what I am primarily concerned about. It does play somewhat into their admittance rates, which is of interest to me. </p>
<p>The more time the current students take to graduate, the fewer slots for new students. So it really should be a goal (of every college) to get everyone to graduate after just 4 years. IMHO, if one has previously signed up for a class and dropped it or is repeating that class for a better grade, they should go to the back of the line at registration (for that class) no matter where they are on the registration priority list that quarter (Cal Poly uses a rotating system to give everyone a shot at being near the top at some times).</p>
<p>wow guys this is very helpful! thanks everyone!</p>
<p>but so basically to sum it all up, most kids are able to get into the classes they need? </p>
<p>and what is this priority thing you guys are talking about? can you only use it to get into three classes?</p>
<p>im wondering all this because i may be swimming at the school next year, but ill have to walk on. I was wondering how difficult it would be to get into classes without priorty registration</p>
<p>Priority is when you get to register for all your classes for a particular term before most of the other students. Everybody gets 3 terms where they can chose to take a priority (register early) plus athletes get priority for all the terms during their sport’s season (fall and winter for swimming). Have you talked to the swim coach at all? You might ask if he could get you on the list for the athlete priority registration, so you can arrange your schedule around the swim team practices and have a better shot at walking on the team. I have no idea if he would do that, I just know it will be hard to arrange your class times around practices without having priority.</p>
<p>Basically, everyone is assigned to an enrollment priority group (1-12) based on the first 3 letters of the last name. (ex. AAA-CHE = group 7, CHI-FRO = group 11, FRU - JAR = group 2, etc.) Then you enroll for classes in order by your assigned group number (First group 1, then group 2… ending with group 12). Every quarter the group numbers are reassigned so that over 12 quarters, everyone will have an opportunity to be in each of the 12 priority groups. </p>
<p>Everyone also is given three “priorities” to use during your years at Cal Poly. A “priority” is kind of like a trump card that moves you ahead of all the normal enrollment groups (1-12) for selecting your next quarter classes. Priorities can be used for any quarter after freshman year, but you only get three so you need to use them wisely.</p>
<p>My son is wait listed for a GE class next qtr. and is near the top of the list. Am I correct in assuming the class is full and some have to drop out for him to get in? When does that happen?</p>
<p>Very informative thread. Thanks.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think GE’s are the hardest to get because they are the most in demand. EVERYONE at Cal Poly has to take all their GE’s. If your son does not get automatically enrolled from the waitlist by the Thursday before classes start, his only option will be to “crash” the class (show up for the first class meeting of the quarter). Any enrolled students who do not show at the first class meeting can be dropped by the teacher who can give those spots to the students who did show up. Some teachers have a copy of the waitlist for their class and will give permission numbers (to add the class) to those in attendance in the order of the waitlist. </p>
<p>Both my sons have gotten into enginering support classes by crashing. Those classes are more likely to have enrolled students dropping at the begining of a quarter because they are having to “re-do” the prereq course due to a low grade. GE’s probably have fewer student dropping, and are therefore harder to get in through “crashing”. Good Luck, you never know, crashing might work especially if he is high on the wait list.</p>
<p>As always, great input Ralph4. Thanks.
I’ve also heard from my son that some profs are beginning to allow all the crashers in that first day regardless of who shows up or class size limitations. I assume its due to the pressure to get them out in 4 years.</p>
<p>My son had a very late rotation this past quarter. He wait-listed and crashed 2 support courses and 2 GEs, and only got in to one of the GEs. One of the Profs said that he was going to give preference to upper-class students (4th year (and above), then 3rd year …), not by your position on the wait list. And if you were a 1st year student - you might as well leave. On the bright side, he had a much better rotation for the spring quarter and got all the classes he needed - including the 2 support courses he missed.</p>
<p>My son also reports to me that the closer you are to graduation, the more consideration most profs will give to crashing the class. Some will even allow a few extra in the class knowing that some students will end up droping (based on previous experiences).</p>
<p>■■■. My rotation number is last for my first quarter of college. lol</p>
<p>I have heard that first quarter engineering students get a schedule already made for them. is that true?</p>
<p>That’s right. They give you about 12 credits or so of the classes you need for the 1st quarter at SOAR. You can then add another class later, if you want…</p>
<p>Thanks. That could be helpful. A friend of mine’s son is a frosh in ME and he had a rough schedule on Monday (a full day of classes) and then a lighter load the rest of the days. he didn’t really like it, but he couldn’t change it either.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Tlam: thanks for your help. I haven’t talked to the coach about that stuff yet, but I have emailed him and will probably do so again because it was a long time ago when I did. I think I’ll email him about that, but I don’t think he will care since I’m gonna be walking on, which means I may not even make the team=</p>