College freshman Brian Barnett tried to take advantage of Penn's early registration system, but was only registered for 2 1/2 classes when he received his schedule for next semester.
Barnett is not alone. The strict limitations placed on class size during the registration period often leave students with large gaps in their schedules.
The registration procedures, which involve an advance process followed by an add/drop period, are sometimes constrained because of overwhelming demand for certain classes.
In this semester's registration process, as in the past, many students were not granted all of their top choices during the early period.
"I got into almost all of my classes, but the ones that I did not get into are all full right now," Wharton freshman Dan Crowley said.
Though the add/drop period has already begun, the University registrar's office advises students who were not granted all of their requests to wait until after break, with the hope that they will have better luck once classes begin.
"Often, students go to the first class meeting and might not like the course and will drop it," Assistant Registrar Janet Ansert said.
"There is a lot more activity once the semester starts," she added. "Other than that you just have to be lucky trying to add a class online."
Another alternative is speaking to the professors directly. Some professors even create waitlists for their individual classes. In certain cases, class size can be changed to accommodate overwhelming demand.
"There is always a prerogative to give out permits to professors up to the capacity of the room," Ansert said.
Though some students may be in a jam this semester, registration officials note that there are several proactive steps students can take to alleviate scheduling concerns.
"There are lots of things that students can do to help themselves in the registration process," Ansert said. "Often, students don't read the instructions in handbooks before the process begins, and they end up being shut out of classes."
She said that many students face these problems because they don't fully take advantage of all features of the registration process, such as primary and alternate requests. Up to 16 pairs of primary and secondary requests are permitted, though few students actually list the maximum.
"What many students are unaware of is that if you list a primary and alternate request, if the primary is closed, the alternate becomes your second primary request," Ansert said.
For students that did not initially gain access to all of their requests, the add/drop process is the next step. Students are allowed to add and drop classes through the first two weeks of the spring semester, and they can drop through the first five weeks.
And though many students do seem to be plagued with difficulties in completing their schedules, others say that they are satisfied with the registration process.
"Generally, I have not had any problems, and I got into all of my classes this year," College senior Samir Shah said.
Wharton sophomore Robert Lewis also said he had no problems designing a schedule that fit his needs, despite waiting to register.
"I didn't use advance registration, and I still got into all five of my classes and filled all of my requirements using the add/drop," Lewis said.
