SOARing with turkeys (longish)

[Sapphire Silk]

I teach at a small community college. At the end and start of each semester, we have something called SOAR for new students (Student Orientation Advising Registration). Bascially, the students get a spiel on how to register for classes in particular programs, especially limited enrollment programs like nursing (which is what I teach). Then they come to a separate areas to meet individually with faculty for advising and to register them for classes.

Most of of the students are OK, but a few are SC. The most frustrating are the ones who sign up just before the semester starts, then get angry when the courses: 1) aren't available, 2) aren't available for the times they want, 3) or the computer won't let them register because they haven't paid fines, taken placement tests, submitted transcripts to the Records office, or have failed a course twice and are not allowed to register again without department chair approval.

Then they get mad because they can't find enough courses to be full time, and get full financial aid.

It's hard not to say, "Hey, it's not MY fault you waited until the last minute."

The most frustrating ones are the ones who don't even know what classes they want to take. For example, I talked to one girl who said she wanted to get into our nursing program. She wasn't sure what to take. First I asked her if she'd gotten an information packet on the nursing program from the admissions office (our admission process for nursing is fairly complicated) She hadn't. I looked at her placement scores and made some suggestions on what she could take. However, three days before the start of the semester there aren't a lot of classes that have open seats, especially the courses related to nursing. I managed to find one, and she was unhappy with the time.

While we're discussing other possible classes she says, "I'm not even sure if I want to be a nurse. I'm also thinking about CJ." Grr.

Me: OK, well, there's a big difference between the two. Have you given any thought about what your overall goals are?"

SC: no

Me: Well, nursing and law enforcement are pretty intense jobs. They're not for everyone. Maybe you should work as a CNA for awhile, and do a ride along with the police to see if either are for you.

SC: I don't want to be a cop, I was thinking about paralegal. (oh)

Me: Well, you have to be a CNA before you enter our program, so you should sign up for the CNA course. That will give you an idea if nursing is for you.

SC: I think I'll just go talk to the paralegal program.

-------

Then I get another gal who's interested in nursing. She has a degree from a 4 year school in a completely different field. She only just applied for admission to the CC, so the Records office hasn't decided what courses will transfer. I can't register her for classes until her transcript is entered.

SC: I brought a copy with me. Can't you just enter it?

Me: I'm sorry, I can't. I'm a faculty member, all I do is help students register.

SC: But can't you tell me what will transfer?

Me: No, I'm sorry, I can't. I don't get to make those decisions. That's what the Records office has to decide.

SC: So why can't I register?

Me: <sighing inwardly> Because the computer doesn't know what courses you are eligible to take because your credits haven't been transferred.

SC: Well, I took this English class, so I shouldn't need English. And I took Psychology, so I can sign up for the other course I need for nursing.

Me: Until the Records office accepts those credits, I can't sign you up for the subsequent courses.

SC: Who do I talk to to get my credits transferred?

Me: Uh, the Records office.

This sort of thing went on for 3 hours. I don't know how people who work in retail can take it, I really don't.

[chapookie]

Ugh, I'm a nursing student (non-traditional/second degree) and I feel your pain. I'm glad I only witness it and am not on the receiving end! Every day, I sit and wonder how a large number of people made it past the rigorous admissions process Not saying I'm awesome but they do things similar to what happen to you and are, quite possibly, worse - no common sense, no common courtesy, and thinking the world's going to hand everything over. I'll have to think up some examples. I'm sure you've seen them all!

Maybe it's just my years of customer service that keep me on the level. I thought it was my age but EWs seem to come in all ages. Now that I really think about it, I don't think there's an area of the world that's SC free.

[mikoyan29]

Imagine how these people would feel to wait in line for 3 hours only to find out the English class they need to take is filled. Gah...I hated registering in those days...

[sirwired]

My school had an interesting registration system...

Except for certain obviously limited-enrollment classes (like photography; only so many people can physically be booked for the single darkroom), you were almost guaranteed to get a slot in any class you chose to sign up for. Registration stretched out over a week, and merely involved you filling out a form, getting your adviser to sign it, and turning it in at the Registrar's office when you had the time. (No long lines, no jammed websites, etc.)

The drawback? You could not choose a particular section for your class, and the published course times were subject to change.

It worked out pretty well, and there was NEVER an instance of somebody not being able to take a class they needed to stay on schedule/graduate because it was all booked up or conflicted with another class. It also evened out the number of people in each section, since equal numbers of students were assigned to 8AM Monday sections as were 3PM Wednesday.

SirWired

[Amina516]

Man, i feel your pain with signing up for classes, especially nursing. I had to be up bright and early when it was clinical sign ups and the system would crash anyways. There are SO many nursing programs with wait lists ..some people just dont get it. People want instant satisfaction. Interestingly enough, those were the ones that usually failed out of class once they did get in.

Our registrar @ school was decent but I felt so bad for her when new students would come and didnt understand why they werent automatically put into classes they "needed" or just the stupid shit she had to deal with everyday. Luckily for her, she has a bit of atttitude so her school wide emails were interesting to say the least.

[Shalom]

certain obviously limited-enrollment classes (like photography; only so many people can physically be booked for the single darkroom)

My last semester before I transferred to pharmacy school, I wanted to take photography. Problem was, for whatever reason, the Powers That Wuz at my college decided that Photography I had three prerequisites: Art History, and Drawing & Design I and II. Not being an art major, I obviously hadn't taken any of these.

I asked them if they'd waive the prerequisites. (They did that sometimes; Analytical Chem was a prereq for Biochem, but they always gave Biochem in the fall and Analytical in the spring, so you couldn't take them in the same year unless they waived it.) They refused.

I asked them if I could take the course as a visiting grad student. (The same course was listed in the grad catalog with no prereq's; they did that with Biochem II: listed it as a grad level course and had all the undergrad chem majors take it as visiting grad students; I think this let them get away with not giving a lab, as they'd run out of money that semester.) They refused.

I asked them if I could include the course under my Chemistry major, chemistry being a large part of what we did in the darkroom... They didn't go for that either, not that I was really expecting them to.

Well I signed up for the course anyway. Figured let them throw me out if they want, and in the meantime I'd learn something. Paid the lab fee, brought in various cameras (mainstay was my grandfather's old SRT-101, but I also shot some 120 and 4x5, which meant that I always had my own enlarger, as nobody was ever arsed to switch out the MF/LF condenser on the school's lone Omega D2 for the 35mm one). Enjoyed the heck out of the class, got an A, and even had the honor of having the professor request a print of one of my shots for his personal portfolio. I was waiting the whole semester to get tossed, but eventually I found out that they don't do that, they just disallow the credit when you try and graduate. Since I never graduated from that school, and the school I transferred to accepted the credits straight up, I never had to worry about it.

(I think I was the only non-Art-major in the class. Everyone else was there 'cos they needed some electives; me, I was there because I wanted some formal instruction in photography. I think the difference was apparent, at least to the professor.)