How To Get The Classes You Want

By Sophia Pei ‘22

Winter break flew by and here we are in the second week of Spring Semester. The add/drop deadline is fast approaching. Missed your registration? Didn’t get into the classes you want? Unhappy with the times of your lectures, labs or discussions? Here are some tips to get the classes and sections you want.

1) Get the USC Schedule Helper Chrome Extension

Get the USC Schedule Helper from the Chrome Extension store. With the USC Schedule Helper extension, you can get notified by email whenever a spot opens up for a closed section. It’s also super handy when you’re scheduling classes in advance. It highlights classes in orange if it conflicts with another class and has direct links to professors’ Ratemyprofessor page.

2) Know when classes open for registration

Certain classes open for registration at different times, often times after your registration starts. Many GEs, for example, open up more spots on a rolling basis throughout the registration period to guarantee spots to people who may have later registration so it’s good to check on the Dornsife. If a class was full during your registration period, it’s good to check back both an scheduled dates and at the end of registration.

3) Get D-Clearance early on

The sooner you get D-Clearance the sooner you can register for classes. Email the department of the class you’re trying to get at least 2 weeks before your registration deadline so you can enroll in the course right as your registration begins.

4) Contact your professors

Let professors know as soon as possible if you want to either add, drop, or switch their classes/sections. The sooner you express interest in joining a class, the more likely a professor is to accommodate you. The same applies for switching lectures, discussion or lab sections. The sooner you contact your professor or Lab manager about your desire/need to switch, the more likely it is they can assist you. As for dropping classes, it’s always good to give the professor a heads up so they can give your spot away to someone else who may want the class more.

5) Get in contact with students who are in the section you want to switch into

Use your connections! If you have friends in the section you want to get into you can ask them to ask around that section to see if there’s people willing to switch out. Many professors are willing to let you make a public announcement during lecture to see if other students are willing to switch sections with you. Furthermore, you can ask the professor to give your contact info to the students of the desired section so they can reach out to you if they too are looking to switch (they can’t give you the other students emails for confidentiality purposes). Chances are, at least one other person isn’t completely satisfied with their time slot and would prefer yours.

6) Sit in on desired classes

If you sit in on the first couple of sessions of class, it’s very likely that the professor will give you a spot. However, keep in mind that classes do get capped at a certain number of students. This means, if the class is full, the professor would need to drop another student. In many situations however, the professor simply drops students who didn’t show up to the first few lectures and add the students that showed their dedication by sitting in.

Best of luck getting into your desired classes and obtaining your perfect schedule!

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