By David Hinckley
I went to One Stop Monday to talk to those still struggling to figure our their schedules two weeks into the semester (and to get my own schedule finalized). I got a range of responses from those still making adjustments. Ryan Kohrman said he''s spent eight to 10 hours over the last couple of weeks just deciding what classes to take. Tao Fan said she spent somewhere between 20 and 30. Daniel Khalilov lamented being behind in his classes because he worked too hard in the classes he eventually dropped and not hard enough in the ones he added or kept.
Personally, I can cite somewhere around 30 hours of trying to get into AIM, studying course descriptions, standing in One Stop lines, meeting with my academic adviser, and participating in a dozen other registration activities. I attended no less than four classes I ended up dropping, two packed classes I ended up weaseling into, and one class I never was able to find a happy alternative to. I tried to test out of a class, only to find the test was based on a different book than I had studied. I tried to add at least three classes I wanted, only to find that an obscure clause in my program prohibited me from taking more classes in my own department. I registered for a Monday night class that adjourned early the first week due to an overloaded classroom, didn''t meet the second week because of the holiday, and finally presented the syllabus this week after the add/drop deadline had passed.
Hannah Pritchett, a student who timidly confessed to me that she occasionally reads The Daily Universe (we love ya, Hannah!), suggested that maybe BYU should look to Harvard''s model. According to Pritchett, Harvard''s first week is a shopping period where each professor gives an introductory lecture and presents the syllabus. He or she doesn''t add anyone to the class until the week is over.
Of course, it''s a little more complicated than that. I actually wasn''t able to penetrate Harvard''s bureaucracy well enough to learn all the details. But think of the idea! Students could attend as many classes as they want the first week without worrying about adding, dropping, or homework. They could make intelligent decisions as to what classes to take based on the instructor and syllabus. The university could use some kind of priority registration system over the end of the first week and beginning of the second, in which students wouldn''t be registering on speculation. And when students went to classes the second week, instructors could begin their courses without the fear of leaving students behind.
It''s just a rough idea, and unfortunately the registrar''s office wasn''t available Tuesday to talk about whether it''s been considered before. In their defense, there are a lot of students who make the registration system work for them. Despite my nightmarish start to this semester, I had a mild fall experience, and other years haven''t been so bad. Half of the students I talked to said their registration experiences have been positive and easy, so I don''t know that we''re on the verge of revolution. But for the sake of those who are really struggling for information to make intelligent choices about their classes, we ought to make things a bit more manageable. Students shouldn''t have to start their classes two weeks behind.