<p>While my son is deciding on a school, I see one of his prospective choices is becoming known for lack of availability of classes and frustrating registration, and not just for freshmen.</p>
<p>Just wondering if students at UNC feel they can get the classes they need and how they feel about the registration process.</p>
<p>I think the best answer to this is: It depends. Depends on the class, major, and the willingness of the student to try and get in. CTOPs will be traumatizing, scheduling wise, but after that, it’s really up in the air. </p>
<p>I’d say, as a humanities major that’s fairly unpopular, I feel confident that I can get the classes I need and graduate on time, but that’s because my major is very flexible and when I say “get the classes I need,” I really mean, “one of these twenty classes will be open and I can get credit” NOT “this exact class that I want will be available.” </p>
<p>It also comes down to the student. For example, my roommate could not get a spot in a SPAN 105 class freshman year. They literally didn’t have enough sections for all the people wanting to take them, so at the last minute they added maybe 4 classes, but she still couldn’t get in. They told her to wait until the Spring. So she switched to Portuguese. She could’ve stalked professors, stalked ConnectCarolina and demanded to be let in, but she just decided it wasn’t worth it and moved to another foreign language. There’s nothing wrong with her solution (changing languages)–and she actually LOVES Portuguese now–but some students are simply more determined than others to get spots. Some people also aren’t very ConnectCarolina saavy and give up easily. Again, to each her own. </p>
<p>One thing though, that is VERY ANNOYING is that UNC does a good portion of “reserved seats” in some of its intro classes (which is for the CTOPs clusterf), which means that as a rising junior, I can’t register for them. I can’t register for an LFIT due to the new restrictions, I can’t register for an intro to COMM class, can’t register for many 101s. Which is fine, but it’s also very frustrating because I’m considering changing majors. </p>
<p>And you didn’t ask this, specifically, but it’s related: I definitely feel the pinch from budget cuts. I’m on the poetry track for Creative Writing and it is incredibly stressful trying to move up to the next level. I’m also in another minor that has severe budget gaps and it’s very, very stressful and annoying to have to try to weasel my way into the classes that I need. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me about anything. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I’ve really not had major problems. Sure I’ve been waitlisted once or twice, but, ultimately either got into the class/time I wanted or had to pick another time. It helps to be flexible with your times. Even if you get closed out you can go to the class on the first day and ask the professor to add you. I did that once and it worked great. BTW, my CTOPS experience with my first year fall schedule was terrific. Got all my classes and the times I wanted. As noted above, UNC does reserve a certain number of seats in most of the more common classes that first years take. That reserve holds true for EVERY session of CTOPS, so no need to worry if your CTOPS session is later. Once CTOPS is over, UNC opens up all remaining seats to the general student population.</p>
<p>It can be tough, but you can <em>usually</em> get into a specific class. There’s always summer school, too.</p>
<p>Be careful and polite about asking professors and grad students to add you as an extra student. Remember, it’s extra work for them and they don’t get paid any extra.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard from my friends, nobody likes registration at any school. It’s going to be stressful anywhere you go although it obviously gets easier when you’re an upperclassman.</p>
<p>The two major departments I’ve had issues with are spanish and psychology. It is very hard to get into spanish 203 and below at orientation, although I do know plenty of people who got in eventually. I ended up waiting to take 203 my spring semester and it worked out fine. After 203 of any language it’s much easier to get in because you’re not forced to take further levels.</p>
<p>And then psychology is one of the most popular majors on campus and the higher level classes in particular fill up really fast. The only reason I’m taking 2 psych classes next semester is because I had a really early registration time. </p>
<p>But overall, availability of classes and stressfulness of registration should not be a deciding factor. It’s something that happens once a semester and then it’s over. If a lot of students in his prospective school are having to stay an extra semester because they can’t get the classes they need to graduate, then that may matter a little more. But registration just kind of sucks everywhere you go.</p>