Peyton HendricksonMC3321March 27, 2019Beat IssueWord Count: 614

Getting into honors courses requires “mild obsession”By Peyton Hendricksonpmh48@txstate.edu

Vigilance is required for students looking to get into their first choice honors courses in the upcoming registration because of the limited space offered and popularity of the courses. Getting into a popular honors course is a feat that many students face and frustrations arise when spaces are full.

Michelle Sotolongo, student development specialist at the Honors College, encourages students to become mildly obsessed with getting into their first choice honors course during the upcoming registration.

“Stay on (CatsWeb), refresh and see if anything opens; become mildly obsessed,” Sotolongo said.

Meet the Professor was held on March 13 and gave students their first opportunity to reserve a spot in their preferred class. At the event, students were able to walk between booths to learn about the upcoming classes, professors and course work; put their names into drawings and better their chances to save a spot in their top choice.

Some students, though, would prefer if there were other opportunities to reserve spots.

“It’s not that flexible and not fair for people with other requirements. I had work and could not go,” said marketing sophomore Courtney Hudson.

Meet the Professor is only offered once before every long semester. This poses issues for students that have jobs, class or extracurriculars that may prevent them from going to the event.

Hudson said that some of her experiences with registering and trying to get into honors courses have left her with a negative feeling towards the honors college.

“It just sometimes feels like more trouble than it’s worth,” Hudson said.

Though Meet the Professor increases your chances of getting into a class, it does not mean you won’t get in, Sotolongo assures. This is where Sotolongo encourages that students are vigilant in checking CatsWeb for spots to open if they are not immediately chosen for the class. More popular classes, usually core credits, will fill up faster, while upper-level courses are more available because of their specificity.

Business marketing junior, Chloe Mohr, is disappointed that she is not able to take any honors courses this upcoming semester.

“I did not go to Meet the Professor because there were not any classes that were to be offered in the fall semester that fit into my major being an upper level business student, which is honestly really sad because I love honors classes,” Mohr said.

This is another issue that many students face; there are less major-specific courses offered once all core classes have been taken.

Mohr said she only had trouble getting into her first choice class freshman year because there were not many options during New Student Orientation, so she chose a random course.

“It didn’t deter me, though, because I ended up loving the class,” Mohr said.

Students also have to keep in mind that spots have to be reserved for incoming freshmen, so sometimes spaces may seem open, but are being held. This guarantees that freshmen have the opportunity to take honor-level courses.

Popular classes are usually repeated each semester, so there is more than one opportunity to take some classes if a student does not get into their desired course when registration first opens. Some courses can also be taken during the summer when there is less competition than during the long semesters.

Sotolongo also said faculty at the Honors College are thinking about creating a waitlist in the future. She said that CatsWeb has the feature, they are just in the process of figuring out the logistics.

Registration is 8-11 a.m. on Monday, April 1, for honors students. Registration time depends on credit hours. Don’t miss registration time for the best opportunity to save a spot. CatsWeb can be accessed at this link.