<p>He needs to talk to his advisor or dean.</p>
<p>Well, guess what, I learned from my S that he was late in the registration queue because he waited to return a pre-preregistration email until right before a deadline, around a month ago. The other kids obviously jumped on it.</p>
<p>I did assume it was because of alphabeticals, since that's so often what happens. H.S. classroom seating, waiting for the graduation list, and so on. I was a "B' but hubby was a "T" and we have quite different stories to share. In h.s., I was always put up under the teacher's nose on those seating lists; he was always in back watching the clock tick slowwwwwly until the end of class. I could never look bored; he was trying to relate to the teacher from the back of the room. One of these days, if anyone reading this is a h.s. teacher, consider doing your seating chart from Z-A and let the Z's sit up front for a big change in their lives.</p>
<p>So, this time, S caused his own grief. He says he'll NEVER be slow (not even late) again for something that means as much to him as course choices. That's the big difference from h.s., after all. </p>
<p>And actually he says he's extremely pleased he got into all the other things he wanted, outside of his major. He's on one waitlist for a desired teacher in math, but that's a distribution requirement for him and he's "in" to the other section already.</p>
<p>I asked him how he even knows who's a desirable teacher, at this point, and he said he looked at RateMyProfessor.com and analyzed it up and down before registering.</p>
<p>He'll be fine now and I believe he'll never play brinksmanship again after this experience. I know it's not a big deal AT ALL, but a safe lesson learned.</p>
<p>For us, first experience with a university rather than an LAC. The computer system actually did its job rather well, I'd say. </p>
<p>Again, thanking all. </p>
<p>CGM, hahaha, yes the tuition should be less for the Z's. Let's tell Zoosermom, she'll be all for it :)</p>
<p>At my son's college they handled frosh registration in a much more equitable manner. While there was 4 or 5 frosh registration sessions, they allocated the same number of seats for each so that the last registration session would not be shortchanged.</p>
<p>As to the OP, the only thing he can do at this juncture is to show up for the classes he would like to take on the first day and talk to the prof. I would leave it up to your son to call the department to inquire about adding additional sections. And dont forget, many students over-register and seats magically free up after the first week of class.</p>
<p>Course close outs are frustrating. However better to occur frosh year than later. He needs to be at the keyboard the minute course registration open up spring term to avoid any additional damage however.</p>
<p>I'm very glad it all worked out for him! </p>
<p>I was wondering a bit as to the timing of his registration and also the alphabetical thing because I have a client who is a rising freshman going to your son's college next year for theater and her last name begins with W and she had already been registered. </p>
<p>Neither of my kids' colleges go by the alphabet. </p>
<p>Remember in the future to stay on top of registration deadlines/procedures but also when there is an issue like the one that just came up, which had to be fixed due to the requirement, the advisors are there for that (he hasn't been assigned one yet?) and so are the deans.</p>
<p>I'll review that learning with him, soozievt and orignaloog, to hit the keyboards very quickly next time. Now that he's experienced what "could" have happened, this is the "teachable moment." Better to know about this (be prompt to reply to ANY college office emails) as a freshman. He did the quick-turnaround thing for housing, and experienced a much less stressful placement. I mean, he got a tripled double like all the freshmen there this year, but he got his second choice building which is perfectly fine. We'll go over it and based on HIS experiences he can draw these conclusions. </p>
<p>Lesson for me, too: a good example of a parent witnessing a difference when turning ovr all these sorts of deadline responsibilities to kids. No more spreadsheet date safety-net parental oversight, as in the college app processes. This summer has been all about removing those kinds of "administrivia" scaffolds. I've always been impressed with kids that handle even those date details themselves, juggling 8 apps, but we always kept that safety net there for backup, and that's no more.</p>
<p>SOOZIEVT - He checked his computer site last night (OK, OK, I looked over his shoulder too...). Under the category "Advisor" they listed only the "Peer Registration Advisor #5" whom I assume was the kid who worked with him over the phone and had told him to email the professor to gain entry, which was correct but not the ultimately successful answer. (Ultimately, as Marite suggested, the department itself would see too much overflow and mop up the problem, which turned out to affected around 2 dozen others, as every section was waitlisted with what we now know were also department majors.
(Is this how adjuncts get hired in late AUgust?). Fortunately for us, the problem was recognized immediately after registration. I'm interested that they both jammed the waitlist kids onto the classes and are forming additional sections. My S also corrected me that this particular course was ONLY open to majors. They have other courses open to the entire university community.
Since it will be discussion-based analysis of film aesthetics, I'm glad to hear it's just for majors since this is the beginning of a conservatory-type approach to the major, even though in the end they'll call it there a "B.A. in Screenwriting." Imagine.</p>
<p>And I will surely remind him to use faculty advisor (once it's assigned) and if necessary a dean to resolve such things in the future. Interestingly, my D from an LAC wrinkled up her newly graduated nose at the idea of going to a dean, but I think that's because she only went to them as the last-resort higher up, which is also consistent with everyone's suggestion here. We always go up the ladder...but hit every rung along the way. It is so offensive to jump over someone in any institutional hierarchy unless there's a genuine roadblock. </p>
<p>Much learned over a small interaction.</p>
<p>Well, theres a reason you don't want to go to the dean right off the bat. In situations such as this one there are usually multiple people who can make it happen. If someone says "no" then as long as theres someone above them you've still got a shot. If a dean says "no" then it's just about game over.</p>
<p>Just saw this thread this AM.
S just registered on-line this AM. Had to do an entire year. No advisor for freshman. All summer he worked on class schedule, checked "Rate my prof", checked the rising enrollment numbers as upper classmen registered. Whenever a desired class became fully booked, he called individual profs to argue his case for an override code and got the go-aheads.
It worked! He is an all of his classes.
Congrats to son of p3t and good luck next time</p>
<p>Woody, that's a very tenacious, go-getter approach from your son! As the Rolling Stones sang, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find ...you get what you need!" He got both!</p>
<p>p3t:</p>
<p>There are deans and there are deans. I would never dream of suggesting that S go to the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences with his problems. But Harvard seems to be crawling with deans and associate deans whose jobs it is to deal with all sorts of academic and non-academic issues. One freshman dean supposedly hand picks every freshman roommate (she did a great job for my S!). S1 at his LAC also had a dean of advising or some such position who straightened out some of his registration/requirements issues. It meant dealing with several departments and relabeling some courses. This could not be done at the departmental level.
So I would strongly suggest that freshmen be encouraged to view deans not as demi-gods but as potential sources of help!</p>
<p>P3T...my kids have never gone to a dean either. However, they have been assigned advisors from the very beginning of college, before they arrived on campus. </p>
<p>I know what you mean by the transition to kids handling everything on their own in college compared to the "oversight" when they were at home. It is a big change. Still you can "advise" from afar, even though they are handling it on their own.</p>
<p>"Dean" is such a flexible term. Both my kids have/had "class deans" who seems to function as super-advisors for the class as a whole. They are extremely useful people--they can make things happen. My D ended up practically living in her class dean's office. S didn't run into his until summoned; that's a story we won't go into, but he did find her very helpful and said he'd make a point of seeing her again--which for Mr. I Don't Need Any Help was a real turnabout.</p>