July 2018:
As registration is nearing, our inboxes are filling with frantic emails regarding all issues registration. So aptly, our inaugural Dear Sophie is here for all of your registration questions and concerns! Take a peek at these questions and hopefully, some of your worries can be wiped away.
Well hello! So glad to find you here. If we haven’t met before, my name is Sophie Rock. I’m an undergrad (probably like you) and am going into my second year at UBC. Although I’m not an Asian Studies major, I know a bit about the ins and outs of the Department since I started working here as a Work Learn Student last year. As an undergrad, I totally understand that the formalities of a degree can be confusing! We started this column as an attempt to answer some of your most common questions – from course registration to assignment submittal, we hope to answer it all! But don’t fear if your question hasn’t been answered yet, you can always contact our Undergraduate Advisor, Shirley Wong, for further clarification. And, don’t forget… Google is a wonderful tool! The majority of answers can be found online, or here at our site, asia.ubc.ca. So, get to reading! And hopefully, we can answer some of your most asked questions.
HELP! My course filled up before I even had a chance to register!
No need to worry! People add and drop courses all the time, so chances are, some seats will open up before the term starts. The first thing you should do after you notice that the course is full is register for the waitlist. No, I’m not kidding. You should really do it NOW.
Registered for the waitlist? Okay, good.
Once you’re on the waitlist, just sit back and relax, because we take over from there! Based on the Department’s waitlist priority, you will be added to the course accordingly as seats become available.
But, I neeeeeeeeed this course to graduate!
Chances are, if you really do need the course to graduate, you fit within our Department’s waitlist priority! Remember, the Department adds students from the waitlist to the course based on a declaration of either an Honours, Major, or Minor in any of our Asian Studies degrees, ranging in priority from 4th to 1st year. If that sounds like you, then you have priority on our waitlists! If you don’t fit into those categories, don’t worry! There’s no need to drop the waitlist and find something new to take its place. We add students without priority based on their waitlist registration date – the earlier you register for the waitlist, the higher your chances of being added to the course!
Okay, I heard what you said above… But the waitlist has 200,000 people on it, and I KNOW I am in the last place… What now!?
Most importantly… Do NOT drop the waitlist! You never know how close you are to being added into the course. However, it is true that waitlists can be long, and despite priority, sometimes we just don’t have the space to add you to the course. If classes have begun and still haven’t been added to the course, attend the class and speak to the instructor! Some instructors have some room in their courses and are willing to accommodate students who really want to take their course.
Got your own burning questions about registrations or academic advising? Send your questions over for the next Dear Sophie at sophie.rock@ubc.ca with the subject “Dear Sophie”
