During course registration periods, students do not always get the schedule they hope for. Instead, they are often disappointed, and as such, become sensitive and edgy over the registration policy for courses. Sookmyung Women’s University has its own unique registration system and policy that differs from other universities’ ‘first-come, first-serve’ procedure. Some students appreciate the registration method of the school, while others don’t. To hear both sides of the argument, The Sookmyung Times asked two students their opinion regarding the registration regulations at Sookmyung Women’s University.
- Debate Topic -
The Registration System at Sookmyung Women’s University is Efficient
In my case, I approve of the registration system at Sookmyung Women's University. First, I believe that our registration system is efficient because students have plenty of time to schedule their courses and the server doesn’t stop working often. At other universities, the registration system is “first-come, first-served”, so students need to visit internet cafés in the early morning in order to guarantee they get the courses they want. Also, the servers at those café often die, so some students lose their opportunities to register for any required lectures at all. In short, those students rely on their mouse clicking speed to make their schedules for the new semester. However, at Sookmyung Women’s University, students are given ample time to register for courses, which better ensures they obtain the schedule they want. Second, Sookmyung Women’s University’s registration system eliminates the buying and selling of courses that sometimes occurs at other schools. At those schools, the first one to enroll in a course sometimes sells their admissions seat at an expensive price to students who are desperate to take the course. However, at Sookmyung Women’s University, priority is given based on school year. In other words, every student in the same year group is given the same opportunity to register for classes. Thus, I believe Sookmyung’s course registration method is fairer than the methods at other schools. Last, Sookmyung Women’s University’s registration method can motivate students to study harder. When two students year group is the same and they have both taken the same number of credits, priority is given to the student with the higher GPA. This method establishes a reward system for students who did their best and got top grades in the previous semester. Indeed, there is a dark side to Sookmyung Women’s University’s registration method. Because the registration term is quite long, students must wait to view their final schedule until everyone has had a chance to enroll in courses. However, the school can easily manage this problem by developing small changes to the program that reflects students’ wishes, which would develop the good system into a better one.
I disagree with the present course registration system at Sookmyung Women’s University for three reasons. First of all, the current registration system is unfair. Even though there is a recommended year level beside course titles, students should be given the right to take courses they want, regardless of their year level. However, the system is not set up to deal with this issue, and if you wish to enroll in a course outside your year level, you must speak directly to the instructor. For instance, at the moment, it is difficult for a second or third year student to enroll in a liberal arts course that has a first year recommendation. Also, it doesn’t seem fair that priority be decided upon last semester’s previous credit enrollment. That is, there is no difference in tuition payment, regardless of credit enrollment, so taking the number of credits a student earned the previous semester is unwarranted.
Moreover, the current system is too complicated. There are too many rules and regulations that first year students and transfer students have a hard time understanding the registration system. Though Sookmyung Women’s University provides help with the program, an information document named ‘Guide to Registration’, it is neither easy to navigate through its entire content nor comprehend it fully. Furthermore, it takes too long before students can view their finalized schedules. Other university students, whose registration system is “first-come, first-served” receive a copy of their timetable the very day it’s created. However, Sookmyungians need to wait until the end of registration and worry about whether they made the correct choices or not.
It’s not all negative however, but I believe the flaws outweigh the positives. Therefore in my opinion, the registration system at Sookmyung Women’s University is, inefficient.
