A low waitlist number means no guarantees
With classes underway, some CU students still are not enrolled in their necessary courses. This semester, waitlisted students, even those with a low waitlist number, may not be able to take the classes they registered for.
Sally Page, an associate registrar at CU, said that each department implements waitlist rules and regulations independently.
“Waitlist control varies by semester, course and department,” Page said.
Departments choose one of two ways to setup their waitlists. Choice one is called automatic roll and operates on a first come, first served basis. When a student drops a class the next person on the waitlist is granted entrance. In this case, students with a low waitlist number have a high chance of enrollment.
The second method is called re-sequence. Departments that choose the re-sequence method place priority on junior and senior students who are majors in the classes they enroll in.
Richard Nishikawa, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said there is no guarantee a student on the waitlist will be granted entrance into a class.
“There are too many variables in question to say that a student can count on being in (a) class,” Nishikawa said. “For example, a small upper-division course required in a major will not have much turnover compared to a large lecture, lower-division course.”
If a department or program chooses to comply with waitlist rules, CU does ask that requests be put in order prior to the start of registration, said Nishikawa.
To ensure that waitlists don’t become a problem for students who are close to graduation, students should plan ahead and take classes that they need first rather than elective classes. Students who are waitlisted should also meet with professors frequently during the first week of classes or check their waitlist status on CUConnect.
The drop deadline, which allows students to drop courses they are enrolled in but no longer wish to take, is 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 31.
