Nick Amon–
As spring creeps its way into our wardrobe choices in the morning and afternoon classes finally dismiss students with enough time to enjoy the daylight, it’s safe to say it’s that time of the year once again.
Simultaneously, as seniors manically rush for the finish line and graduation, the rest of us are stuck in the library logging into our ULink accounts in a mindless hope to conjure up the perfect schedule for next semester.
The question that remains and haunts the back of almost every undergrad’s mind is simple: Is there even such a thing as a perfect schedule?
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that you’ll always be stuck taking at least one professor with a terrible rating on Ratemyprofessor.com, and you’ll never truly find that flawless time schedule where you’re in and out of classes with no breaks in between.
Let’s face it, from time to time we as students are going to run into schedule issues regardless of whether we’re seniors or freshmen.
Yet most would still agree that the platform provided by the university for doing so fails to meet each student’s individual needs when it comes time to schedule classes at the end of each semester.
It would benefit, not only the entire student body, but professors alike, if there was an interactive model within ULink that would allow students to see the classes they’ve taken and the classes they need for their specific major or minor.
There’s currently a service somewhat like this within the four-year plan flight model, but it requires you to take the extra step by manually entering each class you’ve already taken – a daunting and inconvenient task to say the least.
An interactive model of signing up for classes would not only provide the everyday student with the tools they need to graduate in a more timely manner, but would also decrease the amount of withdrawals and misguided roster space for upcoming classes each semester.
Who knows, maybe you couldn’t get into that anthropology class this spring because the last seat was filled by a student with no intention of staying in that class for the whole semester, or initially signed up for it by mistake; a reality which is very possible to say the least.
Tacoma Ledger writer and fellow college student Xi Chen agrees when discussing the frustration surrounding signing up for classes by saying, “Let’s be honest: the process of signing up for classes has never been a pleasurable experience. It’s been nothing but pressure and competition.”
Chen then goes on to add, “Registering for classes is like rushing into a crowded room where seats are scarce.”
If Chen doesn’t hit the nail on the head with his simile, comparing signing up for classes like an experience rushing into a classroom in Davidson while you’re late and trying to find a seat, it’d be difficult to find a better comparison.
Generally speaking, the task of signing up for classes has become more of a strenuous activity than something students can look forward to.
From the University of Louisville to the University of Washington Tacoma, it’s obvious the widespread amount of frustration that comes with signing up for classes is felt by students on an exponential level, stretching beyond the likes of Ekstrom.
You’d think students would find the experience of signing up for classes an exciting glimpse into their future here at U of L, but instead it leaves students rendering throughout each break within semesters with crossed fingers and a doubtful hope for the best.
The talk surrounding a revitalized way of approaching class scheduling is long overdue, and is something most students only seem to think about whenever it comes their time to take on the devious task themselves.
So, as we close in on another spring semester here at U of L and we gear up for the awaiting summer, it’s time to start conceptualizing the idea of a more interactive model geared towards the individual student when it comes time to crunch out those schedules.
It’s time to make getting a four-year degree something that’s a practicality for every student, rather than something of a pipe dream.
