@ElenaParent I had experience in IEOR 172 which is also a very popular semi-elective and in ME 110 at a lesser scale. Even after the first couple of weeks when the ‘casual shoppers’ dropped, there were at least 30 folks over the enrollment limit who were unwilling to drop. Eventually the class moved to a bigger lecture hall after 3 weeks and it was able to accommodate for those who stayed.
I am not sure if it’s common in other classes, but signing up for long waitlist isn’t really game over if you really intend to take the class.
@UpMagic on the tight graduation schedule, that roulette (hoping for the class expansion) cannot be played, I am afraid. Besides it’s not just the classes getting full by the time of your appointment, it is the fact that they are simply not offered, like the Honors version in mandatory MATH courses (that are full), for example…
@ElenaParent I can assure you there will be available spaces in honors math courses after a week or two. Also coming from experience.
You should see the waitlist for the Data 100 (CS C100) class, it was close to 500 people at one point. I think it’s around 400 now. My kid is around 160, he was at 230 initially. Should all clear up eventually.
@UpMagic yeah, I know, the space in Honors math will be available, that’s why my son will be signing up for it during Phase 2. But he was aiming at more than one H class, and the other two H classes are simply not offered this semester!
@ProfessorPlum168 How is your son doing, anyway? It sucks needed upper level courses having the draw for the registration time that corresponds to the freshman! Btw, @ProfessorPlum168, what’s your interpretation of the rules here? It is written that the time slot for the registration is given according to the “semesters on campus” and not according to the units the student accommodated. I know your kid brought plenty of units with him, and is listed as at least sophomore. Is he still getting a “freshman” draw in the registration time slot lottery? My son’s AP unites (50.6) were recognized, and now we are waiting on 29 units of transferable stuff to come through. By the end of this semester (he takes 18 units now) he may be listed as a senior (50.6 + 29 + 18 = 97.6, which is a Senior Status, in January). I wonder, will he still be given the “freshman” slot for the next registration??? He will be graduating senior, for god sake… How the heck does it work?
Sorry for a few typos up there…
@ElenaParent my kid actually has junior status since he brought 81 units with him from HS (39.5 AP, 41.5 CC). So he was able to register fairly early in the cycle, so units does seem to matter apparently. Or maybe he just got lucky with the draw. Not sure. It will be interesting to see when he gets to register next semester, as he will senior status since he technically would have 97 units.
@ProfessorPlum168 I guess they process Californians earlier. I remember you writing that your kid’s AP units were done in summer! The OOS are on the receiving end here. 
Mine brought in 79.6 units, and they gave him the 50.6 of AP units only on October 4th, and that gave him only sophomore status. That processing happened AFTER he got his spring registration appointment time, which means he was getting appointment time as a freshman. And we are still waiting for the total of 29 units from (a) Community College and (b)upper division units (4 courses) from a local 4-year University… I don’t know how to make it work faster, so I am worried it will be too slow, and he will not get his Senior Status in January…
Despite all of that, it seems he was able to get the courses he wanted, among those that were offered. Problem is, two H courses in math department (H104 and H185) were not offered at all. So he went for three 7-breadth requirements, and only two maths.
Alright people. That “status” thing is meaningless. Community college units count for placement, but not AP (pretty sure. Or none of them matter because everyone has extra units). And I’m a sophomore doing Phase 2 today (brought 16 units from Community College along with about 40 AP units).
You will eventually give up and realize that you might have thought you were coming in ahead but really you’re about in the same slot as everyone else in your grade. Ehh. It’ll do.
Oh and you might have an early slot one semester and a late one the next semester. Pretty close to completely random so far.
Waitlist: It’ll be fine. If it’s not a lab section (or a Pimentel class where they tell you on the first day that you’re not getting in) and you sit in the class for a few weeks they’ll eventually just give up and let you in because all of the rest of the wailtisters will give up eventually and people will see the syllabus and quit.
And finals on the same day aren’t the worse.
I think the APs do count for status. My kid who is in his first semester, currently has junior status, 41 CC units, 40 AP units, and he had a fairly early Phase I/II times for Spring 2019, relatively speaking. Not 100% sure, but definitely ahead of the freshmen, and he already did Phase II. For sure he will know next semester, as he should have senior status.
The other thing to consider with registration that a lot of people blank out on - my kid really had 4 classes in mind, and it turned out he has same day back-to-back-to-back Finals in one day if he would have taken those 4. (Actually he got screwed, in one of his classes, the final time got moved right at the end of Phase I). So now he’s way down on the waitlist for his backup class.