Registration frustration

By Celina Holmes

If you're not sitting in 8 a.m. classes Monday through Friday, you're probably one of the lucky ones among Santa Clara students. It is no wonder that undergraduate enrollment appointments have generated complaints and reservations when it comes to selecting courses.

Registration appointments are doled out according to the number of credits a student carries. Appointments are also affirmed by a student's status: athletes, honor students and disabled students are those who benefit from priority registration.

It is beyond a doubt that freshmen experience the most difficulty and frustration when it comes to enrolling in classes. Freshmen, with legitimate grievances, are forced to pick from the deep bottom of the "schedule of classes" barrel.

"Registration is frustrating when you can't get the classes you need" said freshman Janet Joseph, who's carrying a total of 25 units. "They want us to fulfill the core first and then start taking classes that pertain to our major. It's just difficult to get through the core when you can't get your classes. Maybe that's mainly because a lot of the sophomores, juniors, and seniors are simultaneously working on completing their core too."

In general, however, freshmen carry fewer units, and consequently shoulder the burden of enrolling in a class whose focus detracts from their intended majors. The only realistic option for those who receive the "bottom-of-the-barrel" course selections is to enroll in classes such as History 185 - which surveys California's state history at the time of the Native Americans to the gold rush to present-day - or classes like Biology 187 - which analyzes the human aging process.

Many freshmen report their registration frustration to Student Records, which in turn does little to alleviate their grievances. Student Records, the department that publishes the undergraduate schedule of classes and also distributes class schedule confirmations, willingly welcomes students to fill their academic schedules with substitute classes.

Marilyn Gill, who works at Student Records, reinforces the fact that scheduling appointments adhere to the number of credits a student possesses. Gill also recounts several instances where freshmen questioned why their enrollment appointments were belated when compared to a friend's enrollment appointment. Gill stressed that, "Students do encounter discrepancies. And, freshmen come to complain all the time. One thing to remember, however, is that it's all done by credits."

Without providing any reassurance of enrollment in the classes that students need, Student Records directly diverts the frustration of not getting into requisite classes toward selecting and enrolling in irrelevant "filler" classes.

Wouldn't it make more sense for registration to operate on a reservation basis? If the more popular classes reserved a certain number of spots for students at all levels of registration, we would all be a lot happier come registration time.