Hi! I’d like to ask a question about waitlist. I am currently waitlisted on two MAT133Y5 classes, one is at #10 out of 150 class size and the other class is at #37. I kinda of prefer the latter since the teacher seems to have a better rating. But I’m not sure if I should give up my #10 spot just in case I can’t get in the latter class. But I’m also afriad that once I reach #1, I’ll automatically lose the spot for the favorable professor since I’ll be enrolled in a class already. Should I wait?
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hey there,
thank you for waiting for this answer!
the general rule of thumb for waitlists is that, if you’re in the top 10% of the waitlist, you have a good chance of getting into the class. in other words, for a class of 150, you’d want to be somewhere from 1-15 on the waitlist.
this is a bit of a tough case here, in the sense that you’re deciding between two different waitlists. all i’ll say about that is, for me, it’s typically a red flag for a class if a waitlist moves too quickly — once, i got into a class of 30 after being 7th on the waitlist, and the professor ended up being really difficult. so if you end up getting into a class of 150 after being 37th on the waitlist, that may actually not be a good thing.
so, personally, i’d stick with the class in which you’re #10. but you’ll need to weigh the factors you’re looking at and see how you feel about the situation. i don’t feel comfortable definitively telling you what to do, since this decision may have a significant impact on your experience of the semester.
i hope that my explanation makes sense, and i trust that you’ll make the best decision for yourself!
be Boundless,
aska
