First week of classes...
As always, the first week is the week where you register for as many classes as you can, attend them, and then drop them after deciding that it's either a) too rigorous, b) has too many assignments, c) has a professor that stares at the students the way an owl eyes a field mouse or d) it's on a day where if you were to drop it, you'd have no classes at all and can celebrate a three or four-day-weekend. Nyaha.
In the pursuit of wanting to have as much fun as possible in the final semester without having to bear unbearable final exams, I painstakingly planned the semester to be undemanding. I think it's the hope of every senior to be able to take classes flagged by others as "easy A" courses. The phenomenon where students target certain professors as being "easy A"-ers has become so popular that a handful of professors have become celebrities amongst the CMU students. Even before the semester begins, the waitlist for these celebrated courses are as long as the maximum amount alloted for the class. And the only thing a student on the waitlist can pray for is that a registered student in that class will fall ill and decide to quit school.
There are other ways, however, to play your cards. You could butter up to the professor and show up anyway (some professors are touched when students are obstinate and want to take their class). Or you can use the "pity card". Such as the one I had played in order to get into a marketing course:
Dear Professor,
My name is Yazmin and I came to your class on Tuesday. I am
currently number 1 on the waitlist and was hoping you could add me into the
class. I really hope to take this course since this is my final year. I
also hope this course will benefit me in the future as a system analyst.
I have met with Kxxxx Dxxxxxx in the English Department, and she says she
can add me to the class after she receives consent from you via email at
xxxxxxxx@andrew.cmu.edu.
I really hope to be a part of this course.
Sorry for the inconvenience and many thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Yazmin
...to which he replied:
Yazmin,
I'm sorry to say that we are already above capacity for this course, so
we have decided not to add any additional students.
Thanks,
Bill
Of course you can always play the "obstinate-and-very-eager-student" card, in hopes to impress him with your enthusiam to learn...
Dear Professor,
Thank you for replying my email. I understand the situation, however, would it be OK for me to keep showing up with the hopes that a student might drop the class?
Yazmin
...but evidently, it's not a fail-proof plan...
Yazmin,
I discussed the situation with Kxxxx Sxxxxxxxxxxx, who is my faculty advisor for this course, and we decided that if any students do drop the class, it would be best to reduce the size of the class rather than to replace those who drop out with students from the wait list. We currently have 7 more students in the class than we had last year, and I think that 23 students in this class is not optimal for a number of reasons.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you, but I don't want to raise
any false expectations.
Thanks,
Bill
Naturally, I got booted out of the class since it was already full to the brim. On the bright side, that was $117.79 saved on books.
The nature of course registration can be harsh. And if you're not tough enough to bear the ruthlessness that is course registration week, then it's best you take all the classes whose ratings are 1/5.
To those fighting a similar battle, all the best.