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ASK ADVISOR ALEX: 8/20/07
Ask Advisor Alex and Other Apt Advice for the Week of August 13 & 20, 2007:
- When you are dropping one class and adding another use the “Replace” button to save time and avoid extra charges!
- As
of 8/13/07 the Office of Advising Services in 1119E is back to regular
hours: Monday-Thursday 9-7 and Friday 9-3. Come in before classes start
to avoid the crunch!
Ask Advisor Alex
Dear Advisor Alex:
I just got my transfer
credits evaluated and I attended a transfer orientation session and got
advised about what courses I need for the GER, but many of them are
already full. Can I get into full classes? Should I just take other
classes?
Sincerely,
New Nellie
Dear New:
This is a difficult predicament for new transfer students. Often, by
the time you get everything in place to register, many of the classes
have started to fill up. You have a couple ways of dealing with this,
but the first step is to prioritize and figure out which classes are
most essential for you to have this semester and which can wait. For
the classes you feel are most necessary, you can stalk the registration
system because students are going in and out of classes all the time,
or you can contact the department and ask what their policy is for
“overtallying” (getting into a full class). For those that are not
essential this semester, try to be more flexible and choose some
alternatives for now, and maybe they will open up later and you can
trade them. Remember that you need electives so even though a course
may not be necessary for the GER or your major and minor, you still
need 120 credits total. Anyone who has ever transferred will tell you
that the first semester is challenging. Try to be as flexible as you
can this semester and just know that it will be much easier for you in
the spring.
Always,
Advisor Alex
Dear Advisor Alex:
I have tried to register for a couple classes that the system is
telling me are reserved for freshmen. How do I know which classes are
for freshmen? Will they ever be open to other students?
From,
Continuing Connor
Dear Continuing:
There are a couple ways to tell. First, if you search the class schedule online: http://registrar.hunter.cuny.edu/subpages/searchclass.shtml
and click on the notes icon next to a class you are interested in, it
will give you more information about restrictions on the class, such as
being open only to freshmen, and what requirements it fulfills. Another
way to know is to keep in mind that, in general, course sections above
80 are reserved for freshmen, so you should look for courses with
section numbers 80 and below. Open seats in the freshmen-reserved
classes will be released to other students right before classes start,
but there are still freshmen entering so there may not be any seats
left by then. You should probably choose some back up options in the
mean time.
Always,
Advisor Alex
Dear Advisor Alex:
I am a new transfer student and I want to take a class that has a
pre-requisite. I took the pre-requisite at my previous college, but it
transferred in as an elective so the registration system doesn’t
recognize it as the class I need. Is there any way I can get in?
Thanks,
Starting Stanley
Dear Starting:
This is another complication that new transfers sometimes encounter.
Courses you need to act as prerequisites may not be on your transcript
yet, or may not have transferred in as the class you need them to be.
In these instances, you need to get a copy of the course description
for the class you took (often this is available on your previous
college’s website or in their catalog) and bring it to the department
here at Hunter that is offering the class you want to take. They will
then evaluate the course you took and decide if it is sufficient to act
as a prerequisite. Again, as a transfer student, the first semester is
often the most complicated and requires some legwork to get everything
in place, but by spring registration things will be much simpler so
hang in there!
Always,
Advisor Alex
For more advisement information or questions:
Contact the Office of Student Services
(212) 772-4882
1119 East Building
Contact a peer advisor in the Sylvia E. Fishman Student Center
(212) 650-3282
417 West Building
