<p>I'm considering taking Stats 20 with Li this fall as an incoming freshman, but the class looks full up and the waitlist is also building. Does this mean I have no chance of getting it? I was thinking of Phase 2-ing it. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>oh yeah could someone help with this? i am waitlisted for math16a and in position 3 on waitlist</p>
<p>This is what my CalSO counselor said: if you’re on the waitlist, and your position is within 10% of the class size, meaning if your on position 10 or lower in a 100 person class, then you have a decent shot at getting into that class. Even if no one drops, some professors will just open new seats, especially when it’s a big lecture. However, in phase II you should definitely sign up for your backup class if you have space.</p>
<p>So how come sometimes it says there are still available seats for a class, but there is also a waitlist for that class?</p>
<p>oikology - this happens when a class has multiple ‘categories’ for enrolling. For example, it may have a “seniors only”, a “declared majors only”, and a "open to anyone category each with its own specific limit. Once the “open” category fills, then unless you are in the major or a senior, you get waitlisted in spite of the open seats waiting for those two privileged categories. This is a means that departments use to help students get those critical classes they may need to graduate on time.</p>
<p>Note that if a class does have extra open reserved seats after Phase II ends, they normally automatically accept the corresponding number of people into the class off the waitlist.</p>
<p>if you get into discussion first you win.</p>
<p>What about waiting lists in terms of discussions? Should we just forgo the best time if it’s full and sign up for a backup choice instead or is it possible to get in off the waitlist?</p>
<p>If you stay on a waitlist and try to maneuver among sections, you’ll pretty much always get into a class. For classes like math, sections are added as needed when school is about to start. For other classes, professors may increase the class size sometimes. Some professors even request room changes in order to fit more people in the class. And so on. I know someone who was literally #73 on a waitlist for a 700-people class AFTER the first week of school and still eventually got into the class. As a general rule, don’t worry too much about the waitlists, though there sometimes are REALLY full classes.</p>
<p>For classes with discussions/labs/etc, there needs to be room in the discussion/lab you’re trying to get into as well as the lecture. Normally, professors will choose lecture halls big enough to fit all the discussion sections combined, so you would not have to worry about the lecture being full. You would only have to worry about what position you are in the discussion/lab. Once you’re into the discussion, you’ll be in the class.</p>
<p>poftd: For discussions, GSIs might be able to add people into the class. Besides, if you’re high on the waitlist (as in close to #1), you’ll probably get in either way. Even if that doesn’t work, you can always switch sections. It really depends on how much you care about forgoing the best time.</p>
<p>TheBlackLantern: You’ll get in.</p>
<p>oikology: Stat 20 looks like it’s getting pretty full, so it would really depend on when your phase 2 is. As of right now, there are still two discussion sections that do not have a long waitlist, so try to sign up for those. However, the lecture for the class is actually smaller than the total amount of students allowed in discussion, meaning that your waitlist # for lecture would matter in comparison with others in a non-full discussion section. If your phase 2 is not soon, you may have trouble getting into the class.
Also, sometimes it says “there are still available seats for a class, but there is also a waitlist for that class” because of three reasons. One is as rider730 described. Another reason is the one that I described above–because the discussions allow more people than the lecture, and therefore once the lecture is full people will be added on to the waitlist despite the fact that the discussions still have room. A third reason is because waitlists are not processed until the weekends during phase 1 and phase 2. Therefore, if some people drop a class, the waitlisted people will not be placed into the newly created empty seats until the weekends, resulting in empty seats as well as a waitlist. If you want to see what the status of the class would be like after the following weekend, click the “Click here for current enrollment information and course restrictions” link in the schedule of classes for your class. This gives a more “updated” version of the class enrollment information.</p>
<p>I probably have no chance of getting off of the waitlist for my Seminar then lol?</p>
<p>I would really like to take a seminar this semester, but I guess not</p>
<p>Which seminar?</p>
<p>^I’m trying to get into IB 24, Sect. 4. “The Age of Dinosaurs: What Do We Know?” or Math 24, Sect. 1 “Mathematics of Gambling”.</p>
<p>But both are full and I can’t put 2 seminars on my wait list. And I actually put the one I was less interested in on the wait list so I want to switch it. Both have 5 people on the wait lists with 15 full spots. And I’m 5 and would be 6 on the other</p>
<p>It really depends on the professor for seminars. You should put yourself on the waitlist and talk to the professor when class starts about getting off the waitlist. Seminar professors are usually nice and probably would give some leniency. Also remember that people may drop the class during the first few weeks, so it’s not impossible to get off the waitlist.</p>
<p>I think the reason why you can’t sign up for both seminars is because the other one already has the maximum number of waitlisted people allowed (5).</p>
<p>Math 24 has a max of 5 people on the waitlist, while IB 24 has a max of 15. I’m guessing you’re signed up for IB24?</p>
<p>^Yeah, but I thought when I tried to add it before it only allowed 1, but who knows. I couldn’t check because Phase I’s ended and I can’t add or drop anything. I wish I could get the Math one though. Actually any seminar would bring me up to an even 15 units</p>