Registering for Classes
Course Request | Drop/Add | The Course Timetable
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Tips for Scheduling Courses.pdf"
[Download a .pdf instruction sheet for Course Request, Drop/Add, & the
Course Timetable]
How do I register for classes? What is "Course Request"?
Course Request is the one-week period each semester during which you are permitted to request courses for the next term. Please note that you request courses only during this period. For this semester's Course Request dates, please visit the University Academic Calendar for the current semester.
You register for classes online, via Hokie SPA. During Course Request, use the Course Request link. You will need to know the crn for each class you wish to take, as this is the information you plug in to enroll in a course.
How does Course Request work? How soon will I find out which courses I got? Do I improve my chances of getting the courses I need by making course request early in the period?
When you participate in Course Request, you join every other student at the university who has also chosen to request courses. All such requests go into a big barrel -- not really, but you get the picture! -- and once the Course Request period ends, they are granted in this order: senior honors, senior, junior honors, junior, and so on.
So it doesn't matter if you are the FIRST person to use Course Request -- or the last! Preference is based on class rank, not on timing.
It will take about 3 weeks to get your Course Request results returned, so plan to be patient.
How can I find out which courses are offered by the English Department each semester?
Actually, there are 2 ways to discover which courses are being offered. The online Course Timetable will give you the basic info about a course: its numbers, its CRN, the teacher's name, and the times and places of meetings. You can also click on the course number link to get a basic catalog description of the course. To find a longer, more detailed description, you need to visit the English Department's web site and check out the Courses link on the main page of the Undergraduate Program section.
How do I know which courses to take when?
This is where your advisor and your checksheet come in very, very handy! Used faithfully and in combination, they should be able to help you stay on track and know ahead of time what to take when.
For starters, though, every incoming English major should attempt to take 13 hours of the English Core (2604, 2614, 2515 + 2516, 2525 or 2526) within their first 2 semesters -- before they move on to higher-level courses. These are foundational courses that prepare you for upper-division ones.
I'm the world's worst procrastinator, and although I meant to register during Course Request, I let it slide. What are my options?
You'll always get a second chance during the Drop/Add period (see below), which begins toward the end of the semester, but if you miss the Course Request period, then you seriously affect your chances of getting the courses you not only want but need. You can also wait until the semester starts and then go from class to class seeking to force-add, but that is time-consuming and often fails to work. For more on force-adding, see below, in this section.
Well, I followed your advise about pre-registering, but I still didn't get all the courses I need! What can I do now?
Remember that pre-registration is always followed by Drop/Add, during which someone might drop the course you want, leaving a space for you. So be prepared to diligently check the Course Timetable. You can always attempt to force-add the course when the semester starts, but this method is not as promising.
How can I force-add a course?
If you want to force-add a course--which could happen if the course fills up or if access to it is restricted--you will need to follow whichever procedures are relevant:
- For ENGL 2604: Intro to Critical Reading: Sections of this course are "capped" low to save spaces for new majors and minors. If you are a new major, you will be put in a section "by hand." If you are a minor, you'll need to send a note to Cathy Skinner listing (1) your name, (2) your student #, (3) your status (minor), and (4) your top 3 choices of crns. You will be added by hand.
- For ENGL 2515-2516, 2525-2526 (British & Am Lit surveys): Again, these courses are capped a bit low, so we can add new majors and minors as needed. You can be added to a section only by contacting Cathy Skinner .
- For ENGL 3764: Tech Writing & ENGL 3774: Business Writing: Submit the online form.
- For all other ENGL courses (excluding 1105-1106, which are handled by Cheryl Ruggiero): Either email the teacher or go to the first day of that class with a force-add form (pick one up in or outside Shanks 329). However, you need to know that it's up to the professor teaching the course whether you can force-add it, so even if you follow this procedure, there's no guarantee you're going to get in.
- For courses outside English: Other departments handle force-adds differently, so contact the teacher. You'll have to add within the relevant department (History for HIST courses, etc.).
Once you've gotten the teacher's signature on the form, you have to submit it:
- If it's before the last day to add a course, take it straight to the department under which the course is being taught.
- If it's after the last day to add a course, get the teacher's signature and then submit it to the college which is teaching the course (which might or might not be the same as that of your academic dean!).
What if a professor refuses to force-add me? Is there someone else who can do it?
Actually, no. Not even Dee Hezel, in the Undergraduate Office, someone who can usually work miracles, cannot do it. It's the professor's decision. If you are refused entry to a course, just try it again next semester or try another section, if there is one.
Professors aren't going to keep you out of their classes just because they don't like the looks of you--there's always a compelling reason why they can't let you in. Most often, it has to do with course caps, which are set in place to ensure the potential of proper teacher-student interaction. Sometimes, though, technical issues prevail: if the class meets in a computer lab, there are 25 computers, and you're student #26, well, even someone who's not good at math can see there's no way to solve that problem!
Don't get mad at the professor, yell at Dee, or try to pull rank and bully your way in. None of those methods will help.
I took X course last spring and didn't do very well in it. I'd really like to have another crack at it. Can I repeat it?
If you repeat it, you need to be aware of special circumstances governing repeated courses:
- If you actually dropped or withdrew from that course and you enroll in it another semester, you will get the second grade.
- If you received a C- or lower in the course the first time you took it, both grades will be calculated in your GPA but only one of them will count in your overall hours toward graduation. (In other words, the grades will be averaged, and instead of 6 hours -- for taking the course twice -- you'll get only 3 hours, because it's "duplicated credit").
- If you received a C or better in the course the first time you took it, your second grade for it will be P/F only. Again, the course will count only once toward your overall hours.
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What is Drop/Add?
Drop/Add is the period that opens each semester after Course Request results are returned to you. This period gives you a chance to revise your schedule or, in case you didn't get all of the hours you requested, complete your schedule. For the specific opening date for Drop/Add this semester, check the University Academic Calendar.
How do I use Drop/Add? How does it work?
Just as with Course Request, you will need to access Hokie SPA -- but this time, you will use the Course Drop/Add menu and your results are instantaneous: if the course you select has room for you, you're in.
If results of Drop/Add are instantaneous, why not wait until then to choose classes?
Drop/Add does not open until all 25,000+ students have had a chance to make their course requests. If there is only one section of GEOG 1014: World Regions offered that seats 300 students and one section of HD 2314: Human Sexuality that seats 50 or so, how many of those seats do you imagine will be left for you to take during Drop/Add?
I'm in a class that I don't think I'll do that well in. How do I drop it?
Each semester, you have roughly a month after classes begin to decide whether to keep or drop classes. For this semester's Drop Deadline, please see the University Academic Calendar. Up until that time, all you need to do is go to Hokie SPA and use the Drop/Add menu to remove that class from your schedule (and record).
If I don't attend a class, do I get dropped from it automatically?
Don't bet on it. While some departments will drop you from popular or in-demand classes if you don't attend, say, the first 2 sessions, most will not. It is your responsibility to make sure that a course is officially dropped from your schedule. Follow the drop procedures mentioned immediately above.
If I let the deadline for dropping a class pass, am I stuck in it? Do I have any other options?
If you let the deadline for dropping a class pass, then you have two options: (1) stick with the class and try to improve your performance or (2) withdraw from the class.
if you choose to withdraw from the class, you need to know 2 things upfront: (1) an undergraduate student can withdraw from only 6 hours of coursework and (2) you have to meet the deadline for withdrawing that arrives the Friday of the last full week of classes (5 pm; see the University Academic Calendar).
Here's what you do: (1) Pick up a Course Withdrawal form in 329 Shanks (it's no longer online), (2) complete your portion, (3) return it to 329 Shanks for my signature (Dee can sign it in my absence), and (4) take it to 238 Wallace for processing. This process must be completed by the deadline, so don't delay.
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How do I use the Course Timetable effectively? Are there any "tricks" about using it that I need to know?
There are several tricks that will help you use the Course Timetable effectively. They involve 3 linkable items that could save you some time and effort. When you're reviewing a class, click on
- The CRN for the course. This action will open a small window containing any restrictions (major, college, level, etc.) that might prevent you from signing up for the course. If there are restrictions, check back later: some are lifted as Drop/Add opens.
- The Course Designation (ex: ENGL 2604, HIST 1115). This action will open a window that provides you with a brief catalog description for the course. For extended descriptions, you'll have to contact each teacher individually.
- The Exam Time. This action will bring up a window listing the exact exam time for this course. You might want to check on exam times early, just in case you need to have an exam time moved. There is a deadline for this request (see the University Academic Calendar).
How can I tell if there are seats left in the course?
In the column entitled "Seats?" you will find 2 numbers listed for each course, separated by a slash (examples: 4/25. 121/500, 35/80, etc.). The number after the slash tells you the number of seats possible for the class; the number before, the number of seats still available.
What if the number before the slash is a negative number (ex: -2/25)?
When you run across a negative number in the timetable, it can mean one of two things: (1) the teacher has already permitted that number of students to force-add the class OR (2) the class is "capped low," at 25, and people are being added by hand by the department. Using the example of -2/25, either 2 students have been force-added to a class with a limit of 25 or 2 students have been added by the department to a class capped low (with a "real" limit of more than 25).
What does it mean when a course is "grayed out" on the timetable?
When a course is grayed out, that means it is closed. In order to get in, you'll have to be force-added. Contact the relevant department (History for a History course, Sociology for a Sociology course, etc.).
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