Having a tough time getting back into the swing of classes? For many students returning to the academic grind, the process is exacerbated by an inevitable semesterly tradition: adding classes, dropping classes, and chasing signatures.
"Basically every semester I have to [add/drop classes]," sophomore Julia Hoffman said. "There are always other classes I want to take, so I sit in classes and see if I want to take them."
The University's system of adding and dropping classes gives students a way out if they realize that a certain class wasn't for them or, in some cases, a way in, as students try to add classes in which they are waitlisted.
But some students find the process of adding and dropping classes to be troublesome, as it requires getting the signatures of an advisor, the professors of the classes you are adding or dropping, and of course a trip to Dowling Hall to hand in the form.
"I went to an ex-college class that was bad and decided not to take it and I also plan on dropping this photo class," senior Eric Shrago said. "So I have to find my professor and advisor to get that taken care of."
Students who decide to change their majors consequently may also have to change their schedules.
"I decided to switch my major to American studies over the break," sophomore Kate Harris said. "So, I dropped two political science classes and a creative writing, and then added one ex-college, the stock market class, short fiction writing, and another literature class." Harris added that not knowing if you're in an ex-college class until you get back to school makes it more difficult to finalize your schedule.
Some students try to skirt the entire add/drop process by researching professors and classes beforehand, but this does not always avoid an early-semester trip to Dowling, especially when there is no information posted about a class or professor.
"Well, I usually do research on the professors before, but I chose a class [for which] I hadn't heard about the professor before," sophomore Dana Sussman said. "It just wasn't what I wanted at all."
And while the last day to add classes is this Wednesday, Jan. 30, some students feel rushed to make their decisions earlier so that they don't fall behind in class work.
"I just found a class right away that fits my schedule and fulfills my requirements," Sussman said. "It was one of the only options I have left. I'm registered for it without even taking the class." She added that she feels greater pressure to get her classes settled as an international relations major because there isn't much time to complete all the requirements.
Seeking professors and advisors for signatures is one of the primary complaints made by students. Harris, who added three classes, found it difficult to get all her professors' signatures and meet with her advisor, who happened to be out sick.
"I think it's ridiculous to get signatures [for] classes that you are dropping, especially [if] you're adding a class that meets at the same time, and you don't know the professor's office hours," Harris said.
"[The add/drop process] is not so bad, but it's kind of a pain trying to find my advisor and professors," Shrago said. "Last year, my advisor was gone writing a book, I had to go find another professor to sign it." Shrago believes that the current system should be replaced by an online procedure.
Presently, the add/drop process is carried out on paper until it is handed in to Dowling. But students hope for a more technological and convenient system.
"I think [adding and dropping classes online] would definitely facilitate the process," Hoffman said. "It would get rid of all that running around."
Another problem that faces students who are still shopping for classes is struggling with the workload of both registered classes as well as classes to which they are hoping to gain entrance.
"I couldn't buy my books because I didn't know if I was in my English classes, so I am behind in the homework already," Harris said.
And missing important in class notes and lectures causes more catch-up work for students.
"It's hard missing the first class and then going to the second," Hoffman said. "Some professors don't acknowledge that they have new students and you miss a whole day of notes and you have to do the work on your own."
At other schools, shopping for classes is a little easier. Nearby, at Brandeis, students have an official two-week shopping period to check out classes, and they can add or drop classes online or by phone. But as Brandeis sophomore Barbara Rosenkranz warns, professors are assigning work from the beginning, so a student still has to catch up.
Students think that an official class-shopping period here would be beneficial.
"I wish we had a shopping period," Hoffman said. "In one day, I would go to six or seven classes, and you can't miss [some classes] because the absence would count against you," said Hoffman.
At Tufts, where a great number of sophomores are busy applying to go abroad their junior year, "signature-chasing" can become a regular activity.
Sussman, who is applying for Tufts-in-Paris has found herself visiting her advisor to get signatures for what seems like an endless number of forms.
But not everybody has trouble adding and dropping classes. Some are just satisfied with the classes they are already registered for at the end of last semester.
"There are some people who know what they want to take right away and they don't have to go through the process," Hoffman said.
Others may have more room within their major to explore other classes and are not confined to the classes dictated by major requirements.
"Some people don't really care as much about what classes they have to take, and their majors give them more leeway," Sussman said. "It's really not so bad when you're adding and dropping one class, but when it becomes two or three classes it just becomes more annoying."
