I am wanting to take Writing 121 with Professor ** ****. She has really good feedback on rate my professor. I am second on the waiting list to get into the class. How likely is it that I can get into her class? I looked at other professors ratings, and they weren't as good so I would prefer to go with Professor ** ****. I also want to take Japanese 102 which is my top pick for my arts and letters class, but that conflicts with writing 121 that I'm not even sure if I'm taking yet. If I am able to get into Writing 121 then I will either take Chinese or Russian along with it( not my preferred picks since I already know quite a bit of Japanese), but if I can't get into Writing 121 then I will take my Japanese 102 class that I really want to take, and do Writing 121 next semester. It's a required class so the sooner I get it out of the way the better. Thing is classes are filling up quickly so should I stay on the waiting list for Writing 121 while my other classes are filling up, or just take myself off the waiting list to register for my other classes I want. I can't add both at the same time because of scheduling conflicts. What are the chances of people dropping the class before the term starts, and me being able to get in? If I wait too long though, and people don't end up dropping the class I won't get in to Writing 121, but I also will not be able to get into my preferred language classes which is also a required class. I hope all that all made sense.
I'd recommend, if there is the chance of missing a class that is needed, that you hold off on this other class you want for a term. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes not, but I bet a writing class would have fewer drops than other kinds.
Have you tried talking to the Writing 121 professor in person? Even though you are on a waiting list you can still try talking to her and see if she would let you in. If not I would suggest you register for the other classes first but remain on the waiting list. You can always drop a class to make room for the 121 writing class. I hope that helps you out a bit
Something to keep in mind. Pick your two or three favorite movies or albums ever. Now, look online to see how they stack up in the ratings. Are they the two or three highest rated movies or albums ever? Almost certainly not. Personal response counts for a lot. You might click just as well or better with the "second-choice" professor. Yeah, if the ratings are wildly different, feel free to chase after the higher-rated one, but other than that, I wouldn't be too concerned about which one you end up with. As far as the other thing goes, personally, I'd go sign up for the Japanese class and take the Writing one next semester. That's me, though. Lex
Hi there! Given that you can take Writing 121 next semester and take Japanese 121, which you need to take. Try not to wait too long as you could run the risk of not being able to take any of the classes this term. When it comes to professors, and their ratings, I would take them with a grain of salt. During my studies, I took a course with an instructor that had so so reviews on Rate My Professor, and some even told me that I would be bored during class. I'm happy to say that I didn't listen to the words of others, or thought too much about the reviews because that instructor knew her stuff. It turned out to be one of my favourite classes during my studies. It really comes down to what you make of your studies/the courses you take.
Ugh registration. I can't really speak for waiting lists because that probably varies by school/class. My uni doesn't have waiting lists, I either go talk to the professor to see if they're willing to let me in or stalk the registration site until someone drops. In my experience, people drop all the time for a variety of reasons. My uni has a couple of times in particular that people tend to drop (directly after grades come out and after tuition is due because if you don't pay up all of your classes are dropped automatically). I agree about taking professor ratings with a grain of salt. I do believe that it's possible to read through ratings and get a feel for how a professor would be to work with, though, for you. I wouldn't pay too much attention to specific reviews but if the majority of ratings are negative then it might be best to steer clear. That being said I think most of the people who are driven to make ratings are the ones that have bad experiences. How do those classes fit into the long-term? Do you need them as pre-requisites for future classes or can they wait until next semester?
