Hey everyone! I was just wondering if anyone has gotten the regents candidate invitation yet for the freshmen applicants of 2015-16? I don’t think I’ll get it, but just out of curiosity, how much does priority enrollment help? Will I, as a potential chemical engineering major, have trouble getting into the classes I want without priority enrollment, thus potentially extending my graduation?
My son is a second-semester sophomore Regents Scholar. I can’t speak to ChemE but he is majoring in Econ with a minor in Public Policy and has found the priority registration extremely helpful. I think you can definitely get out on-time without priority registration, but you might not get the exact times that you want. Good Luck!
I haven’t heard complaints from ChemE students about getting classes. If there is a popular elective from another department, you may be waitlisted. For all chemical engineering courses and math/science prerequisites, the College of Chemistry will ensure you get enrolled in the required classes.
You will almost never have registration problems with ChemE, Regents or not. It is nice to have it for classes outside the department though.
It’s an excellent perk, but not a necessity for getting out in 4 years. Having early enrollment means you’ll likely get the time slots you want so you can schedule your classes back to back from 11-3 MTWT, or whatever you’re aiming for. It means you are guaranteed campus housing if you want it, and parking (if you have a car … most kids living on campus don’t). You can have a full and happy UCB experience without it, though. My boys have never had a problem getting into classes they wanted (including upper div psych, CS, and UGBA classes–without being declared in those majors), and have had no sections later than 6pm or earlier than 9am. They often have gaps in their schedule, which they might not have if they had priority enrollment.