Class registration time could affect students’ intended graduation plans

As a freshman, I never worried about how a bad class registration time could affect my future. However, senior year was a different and way more stressful story.

While my final course registration was successful, other seniors would be forced to stay an extra semester because their registration time may have been a few minutes too late.

This registration issue did not seem like a fair change. Those who demonstrate a need for priority registration, seniors, who have a limited number of semesters left, should get first pick of the classes that they need to graduate, rather than freshmen.

Although campus resources are there to help any Keene State College student plan a class schedule that allows plenty of time to finish Integrative Studies Program requirements, there may not be a plan B for a senior who loses out on a course opened to all students on campus. Seniors only have a certain amount of courses left, which they must take during a certain semester to graduate on time.

If a freshman or first-year student were to miss out on an ISP or early major course requirement because of class registration, he or she could still have plenty of time to recover. A freshman may also choose to change a major, and entire course schedule, early on.

Seniors do not have these options. If anything, they may have to spend more time and money gaining these last few credits at another college or at KSC. If seniors have an urgent need to register for course, why are they not the first to register for courses?

Students participating in the honors program and students within the Office of Disability Services have priority registration, according to the honors program site and the ODS’ site. This makes more sense as these programs either have a set schedule or accommodation needs. Outside of priority registration, freshmen are able to register first. They are followed by seniors, then juniors and lastly sophomores, according to a recent article from The Equinox.

According to the article, seniors originally went first, while freshmen registered last.

As the stress may be even more extreme for seniors, it is also important to think about sophomores, who now get the last pick of courses. Sophomores have one less year to recover from a bad registration experience.

If a sophomore does not get into an ISP and tries again during  senior year, they may lose the course to a freshman.

Freshmen are told that registration may not give them their ideal schedule, but if they are prepared, they will have time to recover.

By the time freshmen reach senior year, they may have planned out a time-oriented four-year schedule.

In order to move smoothly through their major requirements, the seniors may have had to hold off on an ISP course for a period of time. This intricate planning may be necessary, but could be easily ruined during their last course registration. This is not fair to any student who has worked hard on completing his or her course plan.

Yes, it is important for freshmen to take their ISPs before they graduate, but it is a requirement for all other students at KSC. Because of major entry requirements, some ISPs must be taken earlier.

However, once in the major, there may be less of a problem with registration if you have fulfilled requirements that other students in your major have not. Whether students have a major or not, all must complete ISPs. Most ISP courses are allowed to be taken by all class years; not just freshmen.

I have not heard many students complain about being unable to get into an IQL or and ITW course. This is probably because many of these specific ISP courses are held each semester to accommodate for the freshmen.

If the ISPs are so important to freshmen, over all the other students, why are these courses open to all students with no time requirements? Similarly, if courses are necessary for major entrance, why are they offered to every class year with no time limits?

I believe that there are many ways to resolve this registration situation.

However, snubbing a senior from a course he or she needs — and possibly costing them more time and money to complete their degree — is not the resolution.

Pam Bump can be contacted at pbump@keene-equinox.com