Recapping Class Registration for the First Semester

Questions answered by the Registrar Service Team

Reporter Lee Jun-woo

junu95598715@gmail.com

One of the pledges made by the College Council at the public hearing last semester was a thorough restructuring of the class registration system. There have been many complaints made by students in the past, stating that the class registration system was really frustrating to use for various reasons. After this semester’s class registration period ended, an interview was arranged with the university’s Registrar Service Team. Some questions brought up by the students regarding the changes of the class registration system were answered.

First, one student commented that compared to previous class enrollments, this year’s was overall a fairly pleasant experience. Registration for the second semester of 2021 suffered from a severe issue of "server lag" caused by excessive access traffic. When asked if the school was able to directly manage the server for this semester’s enrollment, the Registrar Service Team answered that the server had always been governed by the school. However, as a result of continuous improvements to the internal logistics of the course registration program, course applications were able to proceed smoothly this time.

Second, one student mentioned that the addition of a ‘login time’, which has been set for registration, was quite inconvenient. This new feature means that students can only login to register for classes during the last fifteen minutes of the registration period. When asked about the reason for the presence of the login time and future plans to adjust the system, the Service Team replied that the reason for the login time is actually for the student’s convenience. For fifteen minutes, students can check if everything is okay with the registration website and check any notices regarding registration. The team mentioned that the login time is also to prevent sudden traffic at 10 o'clock. Additionally, the reason why the time limit was set at 15 minutes is because the site automatically logs out 20 minutes after logging in.

Third, some students mentioned that the limits for the number of people able to take some classes was too low. The Registrar Service Team replied that there are major and minor courses that must be completed by grade in the curriculum. Since all subjects are run according to the exact curriculum, first grade courses are opened with priority given to freshmen. The Service Team added that they realize that it may be difficult for senior students to take courses that they could not complete in the first grade. However, the departments in question have accounted for this and made a number of separate seats available for senior students. In addition, if there is a problem before graduation, requests can be made for additional applications to the department running the course. Therefore, extra classes may be allowed after discussing the situation with the professor.

Finally, questions were asked about the order of the class enrollment. Under the current system, first grade students register first, followed by second grade, third grade and then finally fourth grade students. Some students wanted to know if there is a particular reason why fourth graders who are close to graduating are unable to register first. The Service Team answered that in the case of first-year students, shopping carts are unavailable in the first semester. Also, freshmen have many compulsory courses, which is the main reason. The Service Team referred once again to the limits for the number of students to take each course as an additional factor. Therefore, even if fourth grade students apply for the course first, it does not mean that the number of students enrolled for the course can be increased.