Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

A Right to Know

Navigating the murky waters of pre-registration has become clearer with the advent of MyAccess. The system still falls short, however, during the period between pre-registration and the start of the semester.

yAccess takes into account the fact that subject matter is not the only factor students consider when choosing a course, and allows users to also search for classes by time and day, attribute type, credit range and instructor. Unfortunately, the system does not include the courtesy of alerting students of professor changes that occur over the winter or summer breaks.

Professors constitute a major consideration for many who are divided between two classes, as shown by the popularity of ratemyprofessors.com. In some cases, the reputation of a professor can be the determining variable for a student. As such, an unexpected change in professor can cause an upheaval in a student’s plan for his or her semester.

While modifications in professor listings will always cause some inconvenience, especially when they occur in the immediate lead-up to the semester, students who fight for multiple semesters to win a spot under a particular professor will likely feel blindsided if they walk into that class and discover that the desired instructor has been replaced. With the add-drop period already underway, students who prefer to wait for the return of the professor will have to scramble to pick a new course.

yAccess, however, has the potential to mitigate some of the surprise. If the system was programmed to email all enrolled and waitlisted students as soon as an adjustment occurs, those students would have more time to decide whether to remain in the class. Granted, their time to switch courses will still be short. But equipping MyAccess with the capability to alert students of a change in professor will provide a valuable period for those who wish to devise a plan of add-drop attack.

It is a simple solution to an aggravating problem and should be instituted before the next pre-registration period begins in November.

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