 "Photo: Keith Wurtz - Institutional Research Dept. Chaffey College")
If you are thinking of adding a class this semester, think again. A new study might just change your mind.
According to a study by Keith Wurtz, a Senior Research Analyst at Chaffey, adding classes after the start date is often more harmful than helpful to a student’s academic aspirations.
With demand for classes rising, and less classes available, the ability to add classes has become necessary to keep some students’ two year plans from turning into ten year plans.
“All the important classes get filled the first day of registration. I always end up having to add,” said psychology major Charles Virgle.
To successfully add a class that’s already full, the best method is to wait until others have dropped. This usually only takes 1-2 weeks, but according to the study, this amount of time is more than likely to have a negative impact on a student’s chance of passing the class.
The study takes into account student registration dates from the primary terms fall 2007 through spring 2009. Wurtz compares the week in which each student registered with the likelihood of their success in the course. He found that students were “statistically significantly and substantially less likely (than average) to successfully complete a course when they registered for that course in the third week after the start date.”
Other dilemmas faced by students during the registration process involve insurance requirements, financial aid, family life, work schedules and bus schedules.
“I need the class to afford the insurance, so I have money for the gas to drive to work, to pay for the class. If one thing gets messed up, they all get messed up,” said Katlin Stillwagon, a humanities major.
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