Students in the Honors College have a leg up on others as they are able to register for classes early.
Under the current system, students with priority registration register ahead of other students, given that Honors College students have 18 hours of additional coursework to complete, Jim Bailey, assistant director of student services at the Honors College, said.
With registration in full swing at the University, two campus representatives explained the justification for a tier-based system when registering for classes.
“The registration system is predicated on the assumption that students with more constraints in scheduling classes need to register prior to students with fewer constraints,” Bailey said.
Bailey went on to explain that because Honors College students have requirements in addition to their undergraduate curriculum, priority registration provides those students an opportunity to complete all of their responsibilities.
While some students not enrolled with the Honors College complain this practice gives other students an unfair advantage, this hierarchical-based registration system is used on several other campuses.
“Priority registration is a standard practice in Honors Colleges across the country, including multiple SEC schools, to assist Honors students in completing their Honors coursework,” Bailey said.
University Registrar Michael George confirmed that priority registration has been in place for a number of years and is managed by the Office of Academic Affairs. Registration time slots are allotted on the basis of earned hours only, George said. Other factors like grade point average or specific course work do not affect a student’s registration availability.
Registration for Spring 2013 classes started Oct. 22 for graduate students, and the last time slot opens Nov. 9 for students with no earned hours.
George also explained that once a student’s registration window becomes available, it is not limited to just one day or time.
“The window openings are spread out over a three-week period,” he said. “Once a registration window opens, it remains open until the last day to add.”
Beth Terry, a senior majoring in psychology, urged non-Honors College students to apply for acceptance to utilize this unique advantage in registration.
“Being in the Honors College allows me to get into the classes I have to take in order to graduate on time,” Terry said. “This should encourage other students to join the Honors College once they arrive to campus to reap the same benefits I do.”
Another student, Lauren Powell, a junior studying advertising, suggested the University could change the process to impact even more students.
“Even though I benefit from the current registration system, I think it would benefit more students if the University based time allotments off seniority through earned UA hours,” Powell said. “Even if Honors College seniors registered a few hours before non-Honors College seniors, that seems more fair than making a senior student wait an entire week to register.”
