2008 Woodie Awards
Students Face Scheduling Woes
Issue date: 11/17/04 Section: News
Manhattan students are once again in the midst of scheduling for classes, which means that are faced with slow and even failing computer systems, as well as the possibility of being locked out of required courses.
Scheduling and registering for classes can be one of the most stressful and frustrating tasks of the year. Determining which classes are needed to fulfill core, major, and minor courses, while making a schedule that works around extracurricular activities, work, and other obligations are enough to overwhelm an already busy student.
Manhattan's largest school, the School of the Arts, requires at least 120 credits for graduation, 57 of which must be core classes. Like most other colleges, Manhattan has its own set of issues that administration and students must contend with each semester. Although each of the schools offers a seminar to guide students through the process, many left just as frustrated and confused about requirements as before. Lisa LoFaso, a freshman says, "I thought freshmen were inadequately informed on the entire process, and all my information was received from other students."
The biggest problem is getting into classes that are either required, or simply preferred. Obviously, some freshmen were locked out of all of their first choice classes, but even some upperclassmen were unable to schedule courses that they need in order to graduate this year, which puts them in a very difficult situation. Freshman Abby Fox says, "I was very limited in my choices for a science class." Due to AP credits, some freshmen were able to schedule with the sophomores, alleviating some of the trouble. LoFaso says, "I didn't have problems scheduling because of my AP credits, but otherwise I probably would have." Although freshmen register early, some were not aware that they could schedule ahead of time.
This problem is not simply a freshman issue, however. Many sophomores in the School of Business struggled to get into the appropriate classes, and students of all class standings had trouble getting into certain religion classes offered at night. Some feel the only solution to this problem would be expanding class offerings, but with an already busy faculty and limited space, this could be a difficult problem to solve.
While seniors are given priority in scheduling, they still struggle with the same computer issues that all students face. During the peak scheduling times, computers were slowed to the point that it took nearly five minutes, and sometimes even longer, for pages to load. Often, students using older computers were not able to connect to the internet at all. Frequently, a "Page Not Found" message was displayed when accessing the Manhattan website. Due to the ever-increasing student population, the school's computer network was not able to handle the large demand suddenly placed on it, which is the reason behind the slow connections. These computer issues only compounded the problems that students were already facing.
As of now, little is known about how this process will be made easier for future semesters. The academic advisors of each school will be meeting shortly to discuss this semester's scheduling process and possibilities for making it easier in the future.
Scheduling and registering for classes can be one of the most stressful and frustrating tasks of the year. Determining which classes are needed to fulfill core, major, and minor courses, while making a schedule that works around extracurricular activities, work, and other obligations are enough to overwhelm an already busy student.
Manhattan's largest school, the School of the Arts, requires at least 120 credits for graduation, 57 of which must be core classes. Like most other colleges, Manhattan has its own set of issues that administration and students must contend with each semester. Although each of the schools offers a seminar to guide students through the process, many left just as frustrated and confused about requirements as before. Lisa LoFaso, a freshman says, "I thought freshmen were inadequately informed on the entire process, and all my information was received from other students."
The biggest problem is getting into classes that are either required, or simply preferred. Obviously, some freshmen were locked out of all of their first choice classes, but even some upperclassmen were unable to schedule courses that they need in order to graduate this year, which puts them in a very difficult situation. Freshman Abby Fox says, "I was very limited in my choices for a science class." Due to AP credits, some freshmen were able to schedule with the sophomores, alleviating some of the trouble. LoFaso says, "I didn't have problems scheduling because of my AP credits, but otherwise I probably would have." Although freshmen register early, some were not aware that they could schedule ahead of time.
This problem is not simply a freshman issue, however. Many sophomores in the School of Business struggled to get into the appropriate classes, and students of all class standings had trouble getting into certain religion classes offered at night. Some feel the only solution to this problem would be expanding class offerings, but with an already busy faculty and limited space, this could be a difficult problem to solve.
While seniors are given priority in scheduling, they still struggle with the same computer issues that all students face. During the peak scheduling times, computers were slowed to the point that it took nearly five minutes, and sometimes even longer, for pages to load. Often, students using older computers were not able to connect to the internet at all. Frequently, a "Page Not Found" message was displayed when accessing the Manhattan website. Due to the ever-increasing student population, the school's computer network was not able to handle the large demand suddenly placed on it, which is the reason behind the slow connections. These computer issues only compounded the problems that students were already facing.
As of now, little is known about how this process will be made easier for future semesters. The academic advisors of each school will be meeting shortly to discuss this semester's scheduling process and possibilities for making it easier in the future.