Students: improve registration system

As registration wraps up for sophomores, juniors and seniors, many Boston University students said are they are frustrated with a system they think is unfair.

Students said they are particularly dissatisfied with the cross-registration process, which allows registration for classes outside of their school only after freshman registration, creating problems for those in the BU Collaborative Degree Program.

Michele Landry, a sophomore applying to BUCOP in College of Arts and Sciences and the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said she is concerned she won’t get into the classes she needs.

‘One of the classes I need only has four seats open, and sophomores haven’t even registered yet,’ she said. Sophomores registered on Wednesday.

Landry said this is her only chance to fulfill her BUCOP requirements.

‘If this doesn’t work out, I can’t do BUCOP at all,’ she said.

College of Communication journalism department chair Lou Ureneck said though he thinks the registration system is ‘on par’ with other schools, if COM students are dissatisfied with registration, they need to express their concerns.

‘If there are problems, I definitely want to know about them and get them solved,’ Ureneck said. ‘I’d appreciate people bringing them to my attention so I can help solve them.’

Caitlin Cohen, a junior in CAS and COM, said she had issues registering as a BUCOP student last semester and COM Student Services was not helpful when she brought the issue to their attention.

‘I was ready and had done everything I needed to do,’ she said. ‘But then it was three days before registration, and I still wasn’t an official COM student yet. Student Services said I would have to wait until cross-registration to register.’

‘ BUCOP students are not the only ones who said they are frustrated with the current registration system.

SAR sophomore Shakeela Najjar said she is trying to complete a minor in the School of Education, but may not be able to because the classes are filling up too quickly.

‘ Najjar said students in SAR have a difficult time because their requirements don’t give them much room for schedule changes.

‘If you try to do things differently, when you go talk to your adviser, it will be a huge hassle,’ Najjar said. ‘They do expect for you to get the classes they schedule you for during certain semesters.’

Landry said BU could improve registration by offering multiple sections of classes per semester. She also suggested giving BUCOP students a higher priority in the registration system.

‘Athletes have a higher priority, so why can’t someone with a double major have the same thing?’ she asked.’

CAS English department advisor Bonnie Costello said she thinks the current system of registration is an improvement from previous systems.

‘It’s certainly better than it used to be,’ she said. ‘I remember kids lining up in the hallways because it was all done mechanically. It was not a pretty picture back then.’

While it is impossible to devise a system that pleases everyone, Landry said she still thinks changes are necessary.

‘I just wish BU could actually offer students what they say they can offer them,’ she said.’