<p>If an applicant has indicated a major, should they be guaranteed the opportunity to start the course sequence in time to graduate within four years? If a student wants to major in French should the French 1 level courses be available…</p>
<p>Are colleges understaffing intro courses to get an extra year of tuition out of students?</p>
<p>Do you think…or don’t you?</p>
<p>I haven't found that to be a problem or anyone else that I know.</p>
<p>They actually don't want you to stay any longer than neccessary; room is needed for the succeeding students.</p>
<p>The way it works at ucsd, common freshman courses have seats reserved for freshman. That is, these seats don't show up until freshman registration begins. They've really emphasized the 'finish in four' for us...</p>
<p>UCI is similar in a way, at least from what I've seen on the schedule and what we were told at orientation - for courses that usually have a high demand (e.g. year-long series courses, prerequisites, etc.), a number of seats are reserved (marked as "New Only") and restricted to incoming students only. Sometimes a whole lecture session itself is reserved for new students as well, depending on the department. </p>
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I highly doubt that. First of all, similar to the poster above, UCI emphasizes that we finish in four years (two for transfers) as well. Second, getting another year's tuition from the students is probably not worth the cost of overcrowding classes, parking wars, etc. Besides, it doesn't make any sense to withhold seat availability just for the purpose of another year's tuition because even if you don't get the introductory classes you want for your major your first year, it's still possible to graduate in four years by taking University/School/Breadth requirements that first year and work towards your major the year after or even the quarter after where you have an earlier registration date, although you still really do need to register the minute your window opens :p.</p>
<p>Also, just FYI, in terms of double-majoring, certain schools/departments may even require that you submit a game plan indicating you won't be staying there longer than you have to, which only goes to prove they want you out of there as soon as possibile, haha.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add - ucsd registratration began today and many of the discussion sections jumped from 17 seats total to 34 seats total. :)</p>
<p>At San Diego State, registration is scheduled on a rolling basis, in the following order: freshmen, seniors, juniors, sophomores. So the freshmen have first crack at all of the classes. And they constantly remind the students what courses they have to complete, both in their major and for required breadth curriculum. They really seem to want to get them out of there in 4. I would imagine the same holds true at the UC campuses. Remember, at a state supported school they lose money on every student. ;)</p>
<p>LOL Mr. B., such a guarantee would really screw up a bunch of Juniors and Seniors who need to get the classes they couldn't get as Freshmen and Sophomores in order to graduate. :-) </p>
<p>Classes are overcrowded and understaffed, but I think that has more to do with budget cuts than anything else. One of my professors told me that the class I was in, an upper division class with 80 students, only three years ago had 30 students (and more sections). Sad. :-(
There is no way the UCs want their students to stay an extra year. They make it very hard actually; UCD just went through and changed all the unit requirements so that students have to take MORE units per quarter in order to be allowed to continue. (If you don't take a certain number of units your fall and winter quarter, they send you a very nasty notice telling you to make up for it in spring and summer or else you can't come back the following year... a couple of my friends got one, not nice at all.) At UCD, after 200 units you have to apply to the dean of your college to continue, and they kick you out at 225. If you stay five years, that's only 15 units a quarter with no summer classes... considering most people take about 16 units a quarter, it's really not that hard to get to 225 (I am adding an extra year, and will graduate with 224.25). Every indication is that the UCs want to get students out, not to encourage them to stay.</p>
<p>Cal Universities remain in the top 100 for US News and world report...some shifting has occurred....ability to complete school within 4 years does impact this ranking as does alumni financial support.</p>
<p>We should put more money into our California Universities to reduce class size while increasing availability.</p>
<p>We should, yes, but will we? No.</p>