Online Orientation - Section 7

Class Scheduling 101

When choosing classes for the coming semester, keep the following in mind:

• To be a full-time student you must enroll in and complete a minimum of 12 units
  
  
• To complete a program within two years a student must take and complete 15 transferable units each semester (assuming there are no remedial issues to address), or 12 units each semester and six units in the summer. Most universities in California want you to complete 60 transferable units by the end of the spring semester before fall transfer.
  
  
• Course numbers are important:
  -courses numbered above 99 are pre-college courses. These courses do not count
  toward an AA/AS degree, nor do they count toward the required number of transfer units. They do count as Academic Load Units for Financial Aid and Student Insurance discounts eligibility. Thus if you placed into Math 111 you have some weaknesses in math that have to be addressed prior to enrolling in Math 50. Math 50 is the prerequisite course for Math 52. Math 52 meets the math competency graduation requirement, as well as being the prerequisite for all transfer-level math courses.
  
  -courses numbered from 1-99 are college-level courses that can be used to meet
  the requirements for the AA/AS degrees.
  
  -courses numbered 1-49 are transfer-level courses (Note: some courses may not transfer to the UC).
  
  
• The Schedule of Classes contains important information, so read it each semester.
  One section in the Schedule that is often overlooked is the final examination schedule. As you identify possible courses to enroll in, and then list the optional times this course is offered, keep in mind when the final exam is scheduled. You do not want to have three exams on the same day!
  
  
• Short Term Classes – while the majority of classes are scheduled for the full semester, other classes are offered in alternative formats. Some of these are late-starting classes that are offered during the second nine weeks of the 18 week semester. Let’s say that you are a full-time student on financial aid, who is having major problems with one course. If you drop the course you would no longer have 12 units, and would lose a portion of your financial aid. However, if you drop the course, and pick up and complete a late starting course, you would maintain your full financial aid eligibility. Other courses are offered on one week day and one weekend day. As you look through the Schedule of Classes make sure to note the days and times that the courses you are interested in are offered.
  
  
• Meet with a counselor prior to the beginning of registration for the next semester. If you already have a Student Educational Plan (SEP), confirm that you will be able to enroll in all of the courses listed in your plan for the upcoming semester. If you have not yet developed a SEP review the IGETC or the CSU transfer guide, and select courses that meet various requirements. If you have remedial issues enroll in the required pre-college courses to get you started. If you are focusing on a degree or certificate identify one or more required courses from your area of specialization, and round out your schedule with courses that meet the Yuba College graduation requirements. Most importantly, you want to have a draft schedule prepared when you meet with your counselor.
  
  
• Once your proposed schedule, along with several additional options, is finalized make sure to register on your designated day during the continuing student priority registration week. You will receive a postcard several weeks ahead of time informing you of your priority date. Don’t miss it.
  
  
• All courses have a maximum capacity, usually determined by the classroom in which the course is offered. Many courses also have an official “Wait List” of seven spaces. Once a class is full students are placed on the official wait list. As enrolled students drop a wait-listed class, students are automatically transferred from the wait list to the regular class roster. So if you are #3 on the wait list you have an excellent chance of getting into the class.
  
  But what if the class is full and you are not on the wait list (seldom happens to those who register during priority registration week!), yet you need this class. You can “crash” the course by attending the first day of the class, and, with the instructor’s permission, continue to participate throughout the first week of classes With the exception of labs, which have a limited number of instructional stations, most instructors will reward the persevering student by adding him/her at the beginning of the second week of classes. But nothing associated with the “crashing” process is set in stone. The best strategy is to have already enrolled in another course, which becomes your safety net if you do not get into the course you are crashing.
  
  
• Because students are often trying to get into closed classes attending the first class meeting is especially critical. Faculty who have students on a wait list are required to drop students
  who are absent the first class meeting , and to move students on the official wait list, and who are present, onto the class roster. But if you missed the first class meeting, you don’t know what happened, so DON’T ASSUME THAT YOU WERE DROPPED.
  
  
• If you want to drop a course “drop it!” As stated previously, DON’T ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE DROPPED BY THE INSTRUCTOR. Conversely, if for whatever reason you miss several class meetings, DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU ARE DROPPED BY THE INSTRUCTOR. Confusing? Not really. All you really have to do is sign up for a class and then attend every session. It really is quite simple!
  
  
• But let’s say it is getting close to one of those critical deadlines we mentioned earlier, the refund deadline, “W” deadline, or grade penalty (drop) deadline. There are three ways to drop a class:
  
  
  1. turn in a drop form at the registration counter. You will receive a record of the
     transaction. KEEP IT.
     
     
  2. utilize the telephone registration system. But remember to complete the final step, which is to call back and review your schedule to make sure the transaction was completed successfully.
     
     
  3. or, you can go online and drop the class. Make sure to PRINT OUT your revised schedule to confirm that you completed the transaction successfully.
     

  Roughly halfway through the semester the A&R Office sends out a census mailer to every enrolled student. The mailer includes a newsletter with information regarding the upcoming registration cycle, and a listing of the courses that the student is currently registered in. The newsletter instructs the student to review the schedule and notify A&R immediately if there are any errors. REVIEW THE SCHEDULE. This is your final opportunity to correct any errors.
  
  Why are we harping on the drop procedures? Because every semester a substantial number of students come into A&R claiming that they should not have gotten an “F” in a course because they dropped it. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!

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