<p>Uh, that’s actually pretty far off in many of the areas you described. You make it sound a lot worse than it actually is and this type of registration is not uncommon.</p>
<p>Registration times are assigned. They are based on seniority. These are not, however, short time frames. They last for several weeks and you can register at nearly any point after your registration time has passed. This is counting both First and Second Pass as the only thing that changes is the number of units you can enroll in (they increase with the Second Pass).</p>
<p>For Freshman through Juniors you do have something called First Pass and Second Pass. During First Pass, one can only register in up to 14 units. During Second Pass, one can register in up to 19 units.</p>
<p>The exception is for Seniors who only have one pass and can register in up to 19 units.</p>
<p>Note that if you have greater than a 3.0, you can register for up to 22 units after the quarter has begun without needing permission from your college. You do need permission to register in more than 22 units. Those with less than a 3.0 will need permission to register in more than 19 units.</p>
<p>You can change things at any point. Your classes are not locked. Many people get classes by constantly stalking the registration page to watch for someone dropping a class. Obviously past a certain point (such as the drop deadline) you cannot make changes, but this is for before the quarter begins.</p>
<p>Yes, many can miss out on spaces in classes. That is why you register in your most important classes first. Or you talk to your department adviser to get a permission code in case all seats are gone and you need the class for your major.</p>
<p>This method may seem unfair, but it is actually more fair than just allowing all class levels to sign up for all classes in one pass. Say you have Person A and Person B with the former having an earlier registration time. Person A enrolls in three classes (15 units). One of these classes is a class that Person B needs to take (class needed to declare major for example). Person A is taking the course as a GE and had other options. Person A took the last spot. Person B is now unable to get the class through the registration system during their pass.</p>
<p>With the current model, Person A could register in their first two classes (assuming these were major related for them) and save the third class for Second Pass. Person B would now have a chance to get at the class they need.</p>
<p>That’s just one example.</p>
<p>As for your two additional questions:
- I’ve only dealt with Second Pass for a couple quarters before I had senior status. However, looking at my portal it still shows when my “Second Pass” would begin. It is two weeks following my initial registration time.</p>
<p>2) The only time I’ve heard of any seats being held were by departments for necessary prereq or major classes specifically for new freshman and new transfers. These are only released when their registration period opens for the fall and continuing students can no longer register. Classes can have seats “held back,” so to speak, if you speak with a department adviser and they agree to grant you a seat you would not normally be able to enroll in for one reason or another.</p>