Correction: The original version of this article contained an error. Jessica Sinks was not on the waitlist for Chemistry 14C. Professor Steven Hardinger admitted all wait-listed students for the course, as well as a few additional students on Friday of first week.
When second-year psychobiology student Jessica Sinks stepped into the first lecture of her Chemistry 14C class, she was among many students hoping to receive a PTE number.
“I’m a pre-med, and everyone is trying to take the prerequisites at the same time,” Sinks said. “The professor said no one on the waitlist was getting in ““ it was kind of frustrating. I’m worried about fitting in everything in four years.”
Though all wait-listed students were admitted to Chemistry 14C Friday of first week, Sinks’ situation is not unique. Wait-listed students of all majors and departments remain anxious and frustrated as a result of conflicting enrollment policies from class to class.
Though the policies vary by department and instructor, class sizes tend to fluctuate until around the end of second week, said Denise Mantonya, scheduling and enrollment coordinator for the department of chemistry and biochemistry.
“With the chemistry and biochemistry department, we have realistic waiting lists on all of our courses,” Mantonya said.
“Typically on all of our classes, (the students on) the waitlists do get in by the end of the second week of the quarter. That has been the norm for many, many a year.”
The goal of the waitlist is to give priority to specific students who are interested in the course and are willing to wait for it to open up, said Tim Groeling, an associate professor of communications studies.
“It’s less fair without a waitlist, that if a student happens to be refreshing the page when another student drops a class, he will get the spot,” Groeling said.
While some class sizes change more than others, all fluctuate to some degree, said Roxanne Neal, director of UCLA New Student and Transition Programs.
“Some students, after the first or the second lecture, will say, “˜I’m out,'” Neal said. “There is a lot of movement, especially because a lot of students shop (courses) for the first few weeks and then drop or change classes.”
Though departments offer a suggested waitlist size, professors ultimately have the final word for enrolling students, as long as the size of the class meets room capacity. In addition to determining the size of waitlists, professors may also issue Permission To Enroll numbers, Neal said.
“They are restricted by the department because of class sizes and the availability of teaching assistants,” she said. “TAs are part of a union, so they have to abide by the rules of the union for discussion (sizes).”
Professors typically teach the same course more than once, so they are aware of the movement patterns in their classes, Neal said.
For Groeling, a larger waitlist is important to ensure a full classroom because of significant changes in his class sizes the first few weeks, he said.
“I have a large waitlist of 15 students,” Groeling said. “I have a class with an 18-page syllabus, and people run away. Even though students thought they wouldn’t get into the class initially, they can.”
By the end of the second week of the quarter, professors either choose to admit all students remaining on the waitlist or close enrollment for their courses, Neal said.
“We tell students that 10 percent of the waitlist will get in, and if you’re (beyond) that, you should have a backup plan,” she added. “Using the 10 percent benchmark is good, and having a plan B is definitely helpful.”