hey, I just got put in rank 9 in a waitlist of a first year class of a course i need with about 190 people. I was wandering if i should just wait it out or enrol in the a different lecture of the same course.

Thank you 🙂

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hey there,

i feel for you, buddy. waitlists are truly one of biggest grievances that ACORN has to offer. checking your spot in the waitlist compulsively and having stress dreams about not getting into a course you would sell your left arm for are just some of the EXCITING ADVENTURES you can have while on a waitlist.

it’s not all doom and gloom, however.

the acknowledged wisdom when it comes to waitlists is this: if your spot on the waitlist is less than 10% of the total number of spots in the course, you have a reasonably good chance of getting in. since you’re within spot #19 in a class of 190, yeah, you’ve got a shot.

that being said, the lower the number of total spots in the course, the more iffy this rule becomes. for example, if there are 10 people in a course and you’re #1 on the waitlist, it becomes a lot less certain that one of those ten people is going to drop the course.

a class of 190 people is kind of on the small side*, and so the 10% rule is a little bit shakier in this case. if there is another lecture section you can enrol in, i would do that, just to be safe.

best of luck with it! i hope you get a spot! and i hope that all the rest of you noodles aren’t panicking too much about your course enrolment. just breathe. it’s going to be alright. i’m almost certain.

cheers,

aska

* i recognize the absurdity of a class of nearly 200 people being “small,” and yes, i realize that this is oh-so patently uoft. what can i say? you like small groups of people? leave the downtown core.

Hey! I’m ranked #2 in a waitlist for a class that has 350 students. Is there any chance that I’d get in before September 20?

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hey there,

the general rule of thumb is that if your spot on the waitlist is within 10% of the total number of spots in the course, you have a good chance of getting in.

now, if you put your impressive, university-level analytical skills to work, you may notice that the number 2 is less than the number 35, which in turn is 10% of 350. so yes, you will probably get in.

ooh! nothing like a little bit of math on a friday to put a spring in aska’s step.

xoxo,

aska

hey, I was wondering what the chances of uoft (at both utm and st. george) opening up another section of classes if there is a big waitlist number of students are. At utm, I have encountered this happening before where they opened up more sections to accommodate the large waitlist. It would be great if they consider this, would save a lot of the poor souls such as myself from anxiously waiting.

Thanks!

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hey there,

i have never heard of that happening. that could mean either that i just have never heard of that happening, OR that it is more common at UTM than at UTSG.

honestly, i would just call the department and ask them if this is something they would consider, or if it’s something they’ve done in the past. like i said, i’ve never heard of that happening, but hey – i don’t know everything.

i mean, i know a lot. but not everything. alas.

cheers,

aska

I’m on the waitlist for a course, at 4th rank so I’m assuming that’s good? But since I’m not in the course yet, is it acceptable to still attend the lecture?

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hey there,

you can definitely attend the lecture if you’re not enrolled yet. hell, you can attend lecture if you’re just some rando off the street looking for a place to sit for a couple of hours (assuming the class is big enough that the instructor won’t take attendance). this is a public university, you know – you can just wander in and out of the buildings. that’s how i got this job. i just walked in and started acting like i knew the place. i’m not even a student here.

your likelihood of getting into the course off spot #4 on a waitlist all depends on how many total spots are available in the course. if your spot on the waitlist is within 10% of the total number of spots, then you have a very good shot of getting in.

and unless you’re trying to get into some teeny tiny, specialized seminar on the anatomy of marsupials native to southwestern Australia, or something, i’m guessing your rank is a pretty good one. (not like me; i’m spot #2 on a waitlist for a class of 8. i don’t know why i’m even holding out hope.)

keep checking your status on ACORN, and if you don’t get in by the time class starts, feel free to keep going until you’ve run out of options for getting into the course (i.e. trying to enrol after the waitlist drops).

hope you get in!

aska

I’m a first-year, and to be honest during our course enrolment on July 30, as a first year, I didn’t understand why people were freaking out about course enrolment in general. It’s August 7 today, and I think I understand now why upper years compare it to the hunger games. Anyway, moving on with my question… I got waitlisted for two courses that I really need (both fall and winter bios). If I’m ranked 17 and 26 right now… please be honest with me… do I have any chances of getting in?

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hey there,

it all depends on the course size. the rule of thumb is that if your spot on the wait list is within 10% of the total number of spots in the course, you have a very good chance of getting in.

if by “both fall and winter bios,” you mean BIO120 and BIO130, that means you’re 17 on a wait list for a course of 1520 students and 26 on a wait list for a course with 1324 spots. that puts you at 1% and 2%*,respectively.

which means you’re probably getting into the courses. but, you know, never say never – it’s a good idea to have backups just in case. i wouldn’t tear my hair out over it – plenty of time for that when midterms roll around.

cheers,

aska

* these were supposed to be milk puns. i’m not so sure they work.

Hi there! I just enrolled for my courses, but unfortunately one of them was full so I got waitlisted for the lecture. I’m number 6 on the list and it’s not a required course so I’m not that worried but there’s no waitlist for tutorials and there are no more tutorials available for the course….what should I do?

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hey there,

ahh, waitlist time. isn’t it just the darndest fun? love waitlists. love ’em.

the best thing to do would be to contact the department. see if there’s a possibility of getting into the tutorial (on Blackboard, perhaps) after the class starts.

if you get into the lecture, it’s possible that you might be able to back-door your way into the tutorial, depending on the course. BUT the department will know for sure, so i would beg desperately on your knees ask them politely about it.

best of luck,

aska