Does anyone know how difficult it is for incoming freshmen to get into classes at Willamette?
If we’re reading their website correctly, it sounds like most of their 100-level classes for Fall 2018 are already full in subjects like history, English, biology, and chemistry. I don’t think they’ve even let incoming freshmen register yet.
If all of those classes are full, what classes do freshmen actually get to take?
First semester kids will have one class that’s a freshman seminar and it looks like they aren’t listed yet. (My daughter is a junior so it’s been a couple of years since she registered for the first time). I think they had around 15-20 options and kids would list their top 5 or 6 and get assigned to one. On top of that, most kids will take foreign language, unless you managed to AP out of all 4 semesters. Then hopefully you can get into something you are thinking of majoring in, and if not, do some of your MOI requirements. I think you need one of each of the categories by graduation. I just checked and a lot of those are still open.
@MandolinMom
Alum here. If memory serves me right, there are spots reserved for incoming students in most (if not all) entry-level courses. These spots are currently unavailable to other students, so do not appear in the totals for courses. When it comes time for incoming students to register, the maximum number of seats in each class will likely be much higher.
For example, in Spring 2018, ENGL-135 had 18 seats in a section. Meanwhile, on the Fall 2018 course schedule, we see that the maximum seats for ENGL-135 is currently listed as 13. I do not believe this is the “final” maximum - I suspect 5 additional seats in this course will open for incoming students.
As for registering for courses, I had no trouble getting the courses I wanted in my first semester. If one has any difficulty getting the courses he/she wants, I would highly advise joining the waitlist, attending the first few classes, and talking with the professor about wanting to take the class. In many cases, this is a winning recipe!
Thanks! That is reassuring.
My D is a freshman at Willamette and she had no trouble getting the classes she wanted. As a previous poster said, they reserve a certain # of spots for freshmen.