<p>So I pre-registered for Bio and Chem courses yesterday, but all of the good time slots were already taken. The course registration guide said that pre-registration is optional, and that open slots for all classes will still be offered during actual registration on Orientation. I signed up for Bio and Chem classes during the evening, but I'm hoping to switch to morning classes during Orientation. Will there still be spots available for these more time-convenient classes that have already been filled on the pre-registration website?</p>
<p>Probably not.</p>
<p>Freshman bio and chem classes are in extremely high demand and fill quickly. </p>
<p>You’ll also find that most of the workshops for both classes will be scheduled for late in the afternoon or in the evening.</p>
<p>Your best hope would be to see if you can get on the wait list for the morning section. But I wouldn’t be terribly optimistic.</p>
<p>BTW, “all classes” is different from “all sections”. There will be slots open for all classes–just not necessarily the sections/time slots that you prefer.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. </p>
<p>Is the wait-list something that gets sorted out during Orientation? </p>
<p>And for WRT105, will those filled classes still have openings, or are they treated as “sections” and filled up during pre-registration?</p>
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<p>No. To get on the wait list, you must contact directly the professor who will be teaching the class and ask: 1) if s/he is maintaining a wait list; and 2) if s/he is, will s/he put you on the list. Occasionally the department secretary will handle the wait list, but that’s not the norm.</p>
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<p>No. Filled sections are filled. There won’t be any more openings in those sections unless a new section (at a different time and possibly with a different instructor) gets opened. </p>
<p>If there is specific topic you’re interested in, you can always wait until spring term. The same topics will be offered again then. You needn’t take freshman writing first semester. You only need to have the class finished before you try to take an upper level writing class.</p>
<p>For future reference: class=course number (WRT 105, Bio 110) including all possible sections. section=particular time/place/instructor/topic for a class.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! I’ve already signed up for a WRT 105 class, but I was hoping to get into another one that looked better. </p>
<p>You seem to be an expert for everything at the U of R, WoWM. Do you think you could look at my next post? :)</p>
<p>LOL! Sure, why not?</p>
<p>I too was a bit upset with this pre-registration arrangement. Going over all of the information we were sent in the mail I can find no mention of selecting specific class times when we pre-registered and no mention of these time slots being competitive (i.e., urging us to pre-register early if we wanted the best choice of class times). My assumption was that we would be “pre-registering” for courses in the sense of selecting which courses we would be taking, and that selection of specific time slots would be done during orientation. It was quite a surprise to see so many closed time slots (especially for WRT 105). If this had been stressed (or even mentioned) in any of the material we were sent, it would be different, but, unless I missed something, it was not.</p>
<p>The only difference between pre-registration and “real” registration is that your class selection is approved by your advisor and becomes “official.” Nothing get changed unless you’ve changed your mind about what your interests are or you’ve registered for classes that are inappropriate for level of readiness. </p>
<p>Pre-registration guarantees a spot in both a class and a particular section.</p>
<p>Popular times/topics/instructors fill up fast. </p>
<p>Registration from now on will be be by year–with seniors getting first crack at the classes, then juniors and so on. It may happen that your preferred section fills up before it even opens to freshmen. Or you may be in class during the first hour or two that’s your assigned registration period so you get whatever is left when you get a chance to get online. (Happened to my D more than once…)</p>
<p>UR does a good job of making sure that all freshmen get the classes they want/need–even if they’re not at the most convenient times. At my state Uni, for example, there is a 2 YEAR waiting list to get into technical writing, a REQUIRED class for all science majors. And a two to three semester waiting list to get into organic chem lab. (Lecture is no problem–the lecture hall can always accommodate a few dozen extra students, but lab space is limited.) People have had to delay graduation or to go to other campuses to get a required class.</p>
<p>And if there is a WRT 105 topic you really, really want–just wait until spring term to take it. There’s no rule that says you <em>must</em> take WRT 105 first semester. In fact, the Director of Academic Support told me there are not enough slots for every freshman to take WRT 105 in the fall.</p>
<p>WOWM:
Regarding WRT105, I thought the topics were vague enough to make me glad to wait until Spring when I will have had a chance to talk to people who took the courses in the Fall and find out which ones are the most highly recommended.</p>
<p>Be aware that if there’s a instructor change between fall and spring term, the material covered may change as well. (Many of the sections are taught by grad students and it’s not unusual for the instructor to change each semester.)</p>
<p>A better way to assess the content is to look at the reading list.</p>
<p><em>I</em> wanted to take Austen on film. (And watch Colin Firth in P&P!). But D wanted to take Existentialism in America because she had had a philosophy class in existentialism and loved it. But I took one look at the reading list and went Ugh! Never! (And I have high tolerance for less than scintillating reading.)</p>
<p>She complained a bunch about her assigned readings–and I had absolutely no sympathy.</p>
Is there a huge difference regarding WRT105 and WRT105E? I am an international student.
WRT 105 E sections are intended for students who are not fluent writers in English.
Class size is restricted to 10 students (instead of 20-25) and all “E” sections require an additional 1 hour mandatory writing lab session each week. (So the class meets 4-5 hours/week instead of 3.)
Students who have not been able to achieve an B- by the end of the term may elect to receive an I (incomplete) in the class and take a class continuation during the next term to improve their grade.
If your English writing skills are weak or you don't feel confident in them, I'd recommend you take WRT 105E.