Snagging the Classes You Want

Getting the classes you want can be frustrating. Late registration times + severe lack of knowledge about which profs to avoid = major problems. Of course, you freshmen are going to get some run-of-the-mill large lecture classes. (They're made for young’uns, after all.)

The rest of you should be able get some choice classes. But what if everyone’s clambering to get into that class with the great instructor? Or you need a class to fall into a certain time slot? Whatever your deal, here are a few simple rules for spinning your class schedule your way:

Hound your professor. Notice how I don’t use the world stalk. Because it's not quite stalking. It's more like just being pesky, annoying and persistent, calling his house or her cell, lurking by the doorway, hanging out at their favorite lunch spot and ... OK, scratch that entire last part. Basically, as long as a professor has explicitly stated that he or she is not accepting more people into the class, it's perfectly acceptable to keep hounding. Your perseverance will be noted -- and it could land you a spot in the class if someone drops early on. Make sure you've introduced yourself and talked to the teacher though. And remember -- I am just kidding about those phone calls.

Lean on your friends. Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest sources of info on a college campus. That counts for parties, cafeteria grub of the day, homework, free stuff and yeah, even classes. Check with your friends or roommates about unforgettable teachers, or gut courses or lectures with a bunch of eye candy. Whatever you’re after, get your most reliable sources to spill.

Take to the Internet. Surely, by now you've heard of RateMyProfessors.com. (It’s quite the reliable mini-manual when it comes to seeing which professors make the course-selection cut.) If you’re not privy, you should check it out. It can be really helpful in choosing cool classes. School-specific sites can be even better. University of Virginia (my school) has such a vehicle: Only UVA students can register by using their email addresses, and from there they can post opinions about classes, view grade breakdowns from past years and see exactly what other kids are saying about profs. Not like you would see any of my scathing posts on there ... because it's anonymous.