When I got my acceptance letter in June, I did a bit of inquiring, and found out that the registration date for transfer students would be Friday, August 12 at 10:00 am.
School starts August 22.
Frantic with the idea that the only classes left would be Hula Dancing and Basket Weaving, my boyfriend and I set up a plan that we ran through a several times the night before our registration day. Considering how many transfer students that would signing up for classes from across the country all at the same time and the fact that there were only 3-5 seats left in the handful of classes left for us to register, we had a plan to sign in to our student portals at 9:50 am, have our classes picked out and ready to go by 9:55, and once the clock struck 10, we would simply hit "submit" and the rest would be smooth sailing.
Word of Advice: Never assume that anything is going to be smooth sailing, because then it is guaranteed to be otherwise.
On a scale of "Simple" to "Difficult", this experience definitely broke the charts and rendered itself "Absolutely Absurd". We had our classes picked out and ready to go, but once it came time to submit our choices, all hell broke loose.
First, the page would freeze, then after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting for something to happen, it simply took us to an error page. That's fine, we expected that to happen. So, we logged out, then logged back in to try the process again. And again. And again. And thirty or so more times. As we continued to have trouble enrolling, we were also watching the number of seats in every class gradually decrease one by one until some classes were left with a daunting goose egg.
First, the page would freeze, then after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting for something to happen, it simply took us to an error page. That's fine, we expected that to happen. So, we logged out, then logged back in to try the process again. And again. And again. And thirty or so more times. As we continued to have trouble enrolling, we were also watching the number of seats in every class gradually decrease one by one until some classes were left with a daunting goose egg.
Finally, after an hour and a half of trying several dozen times to enroll in two measly classes, I was able to submit my course selections. I am finally an official student at UH. I don't know if we were the only two people who had these problems, but I definitely think the school needs to take a look at the registration process for the future.
Are any of you college students? If so, have you ever experienced the same problems when you registered for classes? How did you avoid the hurdles the next time around when you had register for a new term?
I am happy with my classes, and happy to be a student again. Call me a nerd, but I absolutely love going to school. I know there are many people who just want to get school done and over with so they can start making money already, but I'm definitely the kind of person who finds a thrill in catching deadlines and pulling all-nighters.
Are any of you college students? If so, have you ever experienced the same problems when you registered for classes? How did you avoid the hurdles the next time around when you had register for a new term?
I am happy with my classes, and happy to be a student again. Call me a nerd, but I absolutely love going to school. I know there are many people who just want to get school done and over with so they can start making money already, but I'm definitely the kind of person who finds a thrill in catching deadlines and pulling all-nighters.
With only enough money to enroll as a half-time student, these are the classes I will be taking next semester:
French 101 (Intro to the French Language)
English 370 (Literature and Hawaiian Culture)
What a relief. Now, I must finish packing.
Aloha!
Aloha!
I'm going throught the same thing :(
ReplyDeleteMy registration date is so late that most of the classes were full. Now I'm going to have to fight to get into the classes I actually need.
I feel your pain, girl! Generally, if you're an upperclassman, you get to register earlier...so you have that to look forward to. The problem w/ these websites you use to sign up for classes is there is about a MILLION other people trying to use it at the same time...it just doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteBetter luck next time! :D
AH! Omg last year I had that problem too. We could sign up for classes at midnight. I was on at 11:55 with my classes picked out, submitted at midnight, and the damn page froze. I was beside myself! Glad you got your classes though.
ReplyDeleteYour newest follower,
Liz
www.mylifeasliztaylor.blogspot.com
My experiences at my undergraduate college are very similar. The "Black Friday" metaphor is a very popular way to describe it...and even if you plan ahead, just as you and your boyfriend did...the trouble is that everybody else has done the same thing. So it really is like Black Friday...
ReplyDeleteBut it does get better as you become an upperclassman. Also, if you're in a specific field and you reach the point where you need certain classes to graduate...most of the time they'll make exceptions if you fight them enough.
~SP
Ahh congrats for getting your classes. I didnt experience any of these problems when i was enrolling as a student...but mainly because we had to do it in person!
ReplyDeleteAhhh yes, the Brits always do it right; perhaps I should move. haha :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your answers guys! Unfortunately I'm already an upperclassman (a 22 year old standing junior at that), but I'm also confident that it will go much more smoothly next semester. Here's to hoping!
Aaaahh...an upperclassman and you don't even reap the benefits. MAJOR bummer.
ReplyDeleteYeah, transfer students really get hit with the short end of the stick. :(
ReplyDeleteoh man! registering is the worst. i am in my second of year of grad school and i wish i could say it gets easier! there's always the tension of making sure you're choosing the right thing, making sure it lines up with what you need to take, etc. good luck girl:) happy to find your blog!
ReplyDelete