What Happened With the Registrar’s Office?
By Andrea Sanchez
Sustainability Editor
I could not wait for my first registration when I started at Abbott. I looked forward to picking the English class I wanted, having class with my friends, and choosing the best-rated teachers. As any student here at Abbott can imagine, that bubble was destroyed within seconds as I faced the reality of JAC’s registration process. Although most people can agree that registration doesn’t always go as planned, I think no one was prepared for what happened with this registration.
Science students in their last semester were among the most affected by this semester’s logistical registration problem. By the third day of registration, all science electives were complete, leaving numerous graduating students in a complicated position. Even a mandatory class such as Waves and Optics quickly maxed out.
“I could not get any science courses for this semester. If not for the changes made after committing to the waiting line, I would have had four science courses for my last semester. That’s an overwhelming amount of science courses for a single semester,” said one student in her before last semester.
With the new science program launching in the fall of 2024, fewer teachers were available to teach classes for the old version, ultimately leading to fewer sections for the old program. The outcome included opening new sections once the issue had already begun and hiring more teachers at the last minute.
After waiting in long lines in the halls, science students were able to add the necessary classes to graduate. However, some students were added to sections in Organic Chemistry without initial approval, which conflicted with their schedules.
Many also encountered issues with the 103 gym classes. Once more, as of the third day, all the sections had reached maximum capacity, creating even longer lines to see the registrar’s office during that week. As a result, various gym sections have students beyond their original capacity.
Other students were not eligible for classes they should have been. One social science student in her last semester could not register for a Social Science Integrative Project because the system marked her as not eligible.
“I took an extra semester to have a lighter schedule and more time during my days. But I always get a time slot late in the registration week, making my days as long as my friends that are finishing it in two years,” commented the previously mentioned science student.
With a saturation of problems, MIOs were not the quicker viable solutions they once were. However, without a doubt, the receptionists at the registrar’s office responded to the multiple pressing issues to the best of their abilities, allowing students to take the classes necessary.