Despite all appearances to the contrary, Columbia is aware that there has to be a little give and take when it comes to the Core. Yes, the classes you have to take to graduate are also the ones that are impossible to get into. You know it. And they know it.
That’s why for Music Hum, Art Hum, and (for some reason) selected chemistry classes, seats are being released over the course of a few days, so that juniors and sophomores can have a shot. Can’t get in right now? Follow Mystery’s good advice and don’t take your first rejection as the final word. Student Services recommends trying every few hours. By tomorrow, all the spots should be open.
As for the physical education requirement, that’s another story entirely.
– CEE
44 Comments
@Rising junior this is why I finished the core during my sophomore year
@yeah welll some rising juniors had the same problem last year.
this school is so fucking dumb.
@!!!!!! what is going on with PE?
@HOLY SHIT MUSIC HUM IS OPEN AGAIN! I JUST GOT IN!
@wtf! us SEAS sophomores really need to take Art/Music Hum. I’ve already missed lunch due to resending my query over and over again.
@wtf I’M talking about chem. How do I get in?? God save me from taking it at Barnard…
@they'll open it up. I had that problem last year. I freaked out because orgo was “full,” but the next day I was able to get into it.
If you’re talking about lab, though, it may be full, in which case you’ll just have to wait.
@yes Don’t worry about chem, especially Orgo. Just go in the first day of class with an Add/Drop form. The professor usually lets everyone in because s/he knows that by the first midterm 30% of students will drop the course anyway.
@this is why you finish core before senior year. then you get to take the fun bullshit classes and not feel stress over something as ridiculous as this.
(spoken by someone with a miraculous registration experience, who got into art hum and music hum junior year with absolutely zero hassle).
@hackzors my suitemate and I added music hum at 9:43pm just now, what what!
@and my suitemate and I got art hum at 9:35 and 9:44…
Guess the registration times ACTUALLY ended at 9:45
@AND I’m lovin’ it :D
There’s still the add/drop period in the Fall anyway
@stop bitchin people need to stop bitching about getting into classes required to graduate. of course you will get in these classes! even if there’s no room on the registrar, go get a add/drop form signed and you will be in a section within seconds! they have to place you in these classes, rising seniors, so give it a break! these rules are created to help out the rising sophomores who have to take such classes as chemistry as prerequisites so they can move on to do their major requirements. if they do not get into these classes, they cannot move on to other classes. so cool it, its not that big a deal
@no one’s talking about chem.
The point is that if anyone should be petitioning to get into music & art hum it should be underclassman. There aren’t now magically more seats in these classes – the same number of people will be served and yes, seniors will ultimately be admitted to something, the point is that it’s an unjust pain in the ass that adds no amount of equality or efficiency to the system.
@biochem major they blocked off the regular orgo labs, but not the intensive ones. now i can’t get into my class because confused upperclassmen signed up for it.
@STILL not graduating to the current Senior Fund.
Good night, and good luck.
@it's also stupid that student-athletes get priority for class registration. I work at a job with an inflexible schedule. why do they get priority over me?
@Because your job doesn’t make the University money.
@yes Brilliant solution. Address a registration issue by cutting down core requirements. Good luck with that one.
@URGH. You KNOW there’s something wrong with a system in which students have to compete for a required course in which they have absolutely NO interest.
Time to refresh again…THIS SHOULD NOT BE MY EVENING!
@eddie vedder this shit is worse than ticketmaster.
@what the fuck this is fucking bullshit.
@Polybius Closing classes out to students with early time-slots renders the entire time-slot registration system useless. There is little to no benefit in having an early registration slot if the classes you most need to take are opened after many other people have access to SSOL. The people who have the early time-slots are the people who most need them: they are the most senior students and the student-athletes whose athletic schedules make their academic scheduling possibilities extremely inflexible. Despite the moderately threatening emails sent out that essentially say you must finish your core requirements by the end of your junior year, or else, it makes absolutely no sense to allow sophomores to sign up for core classes at the expense of ensuring that seniors can take the classes they need to graduate on time. At this point, the only benefit of the time-slot system is that it helps make sure the SSOL server doesn’t crash. If the university mandates that students take certain classes to graduate, it is incumbent upon the university to make sure that this is possible to do.
@Here's An Idea... …why doesn’t Columbia just change the Core such that CC students only need to take Art Hum OR Music Hum, not both. That’d free up classes in not time at all and make it easier for years to come ^_^
@second that ^^^^^^^^^
@WORD. “…why doesn’t Columbia just change the Core such that CC students only need to take Art Hum OR Music Hum, not both. That’d free up classes in not time at all and make it easier for years to come ^_^”
Quoted for truth.
@... How about have some more core classes? Is it really that hard to get someone to teach these classes? Required classes should have too many sections, not too few.
@grrrr I have class/exam/stuff to do, I can’t be babysitting SSOL all day!
@This is fair... …for everyone beside this year’s rising seniors. Eventually it will be fair for everyone, but since CC’10(/SEAS’10/GS’10) weren’t able to benefit from this policy during the sophomore and junior years, and were pretty much banking on finally being able to register for ArtHum and MusicHum without stress their senior year, they basically got screwed all around.
Oh well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, sometimes.
@no, you're wrong it’s not fair to everyone except this year’s class. seniors who are going to graduate will ALWAYS need to fulfill their core classes more desperately than the most desperate sophomore – that won’t change. their is actually a little bit of sound reasoning behind this kind of seniority-based registration
this is idiocy and if i didn’t already have that shit taken care of I’d be fucking pissed right now
-CC’10
@same Neurotic rising Sophomores should NOT be given a spot just because they sit at their computer all day. This school is so irritating. in oh so many ways. I feel like our senior fund will be rather lackluster next year
-also cc ’10
@Rising Junior Yay! Just got into music hum when they opened up some spots. Just keep an eye on the registration page and hope for the best
@Grateful junior Thanks for the heads-up.
@pissed off That was a bunch of crap. So fucking stupid. Juniors and Seniors should be able to register for their REQUIRED Core classes when they register, not hours later.
@Go to SSOL now A bunch of new art hum and music hum seats were just posted
@this makes about as much sense as the Housing lottery changes. Way to go Columbia.
@FFFFFFF FFFFUUCCCKKK
@Phil This is absolutely absurd
@chem major why do they do that with select chem classes? it doesn’t make any sense, there’s like, 10 chem majors total, and I realize they’re just talking about the classes required for pre-meds, but I’m pretty sure they don’t do that with the labs, which are the only ones that actually fill up
@chem classes They did it because just about every engineering major has to take at least gen.chem. if not orgo as well. So add that ~300 students to the pre-meds, the bio majors, etc. etc.
It was a smart decision.
@thats dumb woo let’s take away more and more senior privileges!
@Not jJst Senior Privilege Also, any semblance of logic.
What’s the point of pigeon-holing into registration appointments when classes aren’t open during them?
@So, What the registrar is saying is that, “for the sake of equality,” I can’t use my registration appointment this morning to register for a class required to graduate since they did an early cut-off,and they will reopen the remaining slots – and fill them – when I am unable to register as my next registration time is 7PM tomorrow? Fuck the registrar’s office.
@Columbia Admin Thank you for taking note of our improvements! If you have any suggestions on how to make the registration process more convenient please send and email to wedontgiveashit@columbia.edu