<p>"College switches back to 18-credit pre-reigstration cap"</p>
<pre><code> --- or thoughts on misspelling a newspaper headline :)
</code></pre>
<p>Bottom line:
"After observing the effects of a 16-unit pre-registration cap on students last semester, the Registrars Office has reverted to an 18-unit plus activity credits cap for pre-registration for this spring."</p>
<p>Do you think they meant it to be temporary all along to relieve the fall semester overcrowding?</p>
<p>I think they’re still fine tuning the system. They wanted incoming freshmen to have a chance at more classes since a lot of students fill up spots for classes they won’t keep when they get off waiting lists for preferred classes, which makes for a very disappointing registration experience for those down the totem pole. The 16 unit cap didn’t work as well as they hoped, so I think they’re now either adding spots in classes or in some cases adding more classes.</p>
<p>Having a freshman who doesn’t call home very often, I really don’t know the ins and outs of registration yet. All I know is that S wanted either dance, yoga or kayaking to go with his academic classes, all three were full by the time he registered. He got all his academic classes, which is the important part. He’ll have to blow off steam on his own.</p>
<p>I teach at a college and sometimes required classes fill up excluding students that need to get in. If a non-registered student shows up to the first class and talks to me about it, I usually tell them to stick around for two or three weeks. There is always a shuffle the first part of the semester. If someone drops and there is a warm body making the effort to be there “in case”, I always sign their add slips. Maybe it works the same way at Whitman.</p>
<p>Registration has never gone smoothly. DS always has to speak with professors and sometimes attend the first week or so of a class to get in. It has caused stress every semester, but has always worked out in the end.</p>
<p>The “it works out” philosophy does seem to hold, at least in a school the size of Whitman. My daughter had very bad registration draws and therefore was really frustrated as a first year (they’ve improved the system for first-years since) but she actually ended up very pleased with some classes she originally “didn’t want”–so there is also that factor. And she had things work out exactly as she wanted for the coming term with no hitches. And it is true that you can contact professors and with demonstrated interest they really do work to meet your needs. This is one of the ways that the extra cost of a small college really pays off. Way too many kids at UCs have to add a year to get done with requirements.</p>
<p>^^^^^
Absolutely better than a big state school. My older daughter took five years plus a summer to get all her classes in at the state flagship due to required courses not being available. Once my Whitman student realized that there were people involved in making decisions and not just available or closed on the computer screen it didn’t seem so bad.</p>
<p>I have 2 thoughts to add: One, college newspapers are a great source of data but often are not all that objective or truly comprehensive on the issues just because they are meant to be a student’s voice on the student’s perspective. And outrage is more interesting to write and read about than policy complexities. Secondly, the transition with the credit cap/teaching distribution has been stressful for all but, as my daughter reflected on it now in her second year and having heard from both students and staff about the issues, there is actually a rationale that makes sense to students once they are on campus and understand all the related variables. One thing driving the change in teaching load from 3-3 to 3-2 per year is that it brings Whitman in line with schools with whom they compete for new faculty (and they have moved up in these ranks recently)–and it allows profs more room for doing research and supporting internships with students (which are also in higher demand re career preparation). Social change is never simple is it? But I do think that there was a lot of deliberation about it and that ultimately the shift is in the interests of continuing quality in the education at Whitman. I definitely feel my kids are getting great value for the price.</p>
<p>True mmaah. I think you put it in perspective when you pointed out that the state schools have hardly any give when it comes to full classes. The student there can’t argue with the computer. My daughter, also a sophomore, got every class she wanted for next semester because she went to the professors. She only had one of the classes initially. The professors either added students who demonstrated real interest, or the administration added an entire second class since they saw so many students wanted it. There does seem to be a real issue for the biology majors at the moment, and I’m glad to see that the school recognizes that and is trying to address it.</p>
<p>Current students – were you able to get the classes you wanted or needed this year? Whitman is such a great school, but will it take longer than 4 years for you to complete your requirements?</p>
<p>!bie792, I hope a current student will come on and answer this question for you, but this forum doesn’t have many current students active on it. I think they’re just too busy with their lives to care about CC, but you can get perspectives from us parents. This parent is paying the bills so I’ll be very displeased if it takes 5 years for my son to graduate. He did have trouble getting into Calculus II this spring semester, however, the school added a new section to accommodate the demand. </p>
<p>We received a letter a few days ago from the administration about the changes being implemented to help with the registration difficulties created by the 3-3 to 3-2 switch described above by mmaah. The major change is that they’re adding tenure track faculty so more teachers are available to take up the classes lost by giving the faculty more free time to do research and work individually with students. I’m really satisfied that Whitman is making structural changes that will enhance my son’s education and not interfere with his graduation date.</p>
<p>My D graduated from Whitman last May in psychology, one of the most popular majors on campus. In her early semesters she had trouble getting into psych classes, as they would be full by the time her registration time slot arrived. By the middle of sophomore year she was getting all the classes she needed, and she was easily able to graduate in four years. She entered with a number of AP and community college credits. Friends of hers who entered with no credits were still able to graduate on time.</p>
<p>My sophomore had had no trouble after the first term first year in getting classes she needs and wants and in fact will have both major and minor requirements finished by middle of junior year (will still have distribution, thesis classes, etc.). So yes, the first term can be tricky and some science majors have to juggle to get semester abroad in if they did not bring any AP credits I suppose. But Whitman really does have a very high 4 year graduation rate, in part because they do get these things worked out. And problems that arise get worked on on a personal level, not in a faceless large school bureaucracy</p>