New Year, New Semester
Chaffey student Kelsie Vargas poses for a picture. Photo by Jessica Lynn Murray.
Chaffey College kicked off the 2019 spring semester with a lot of rain. Parking lots were not only flooded with cars and people, but water as well.
Chaffey students had mixed feelings on returning to campus after the long winter break. One student, Glynnis Hernandez, seemed indifferent returning to Chaffey for the spring.
“The first week was fine, nothing eventful happened,” said Hernandez when asked how her first week went.
"Loving it so far! Lovely people and teachers. Also love the beautiful mountain views," stated Kat Murray.
Another student, Rachel Dorn, sounded ecstatic to be back at school.
“My first week was great! I was able to get the math class I need and I really like the teacher", stated Dorn.
Dorn later said she felt her math professor “genuinely wants to help his students, and he is so passionate about his job.”
Dorn relates to many other students in that a teacher can really make or break a class. Luckily for Dorn, she was full of optimism for the new semester.
With each semester, students become stressed if they are waitlisted for a class. Most professors try their hardest to accommodate all students, and try not to turn someone away from a class they need. Sadly, professors have restrictions placed on how many students are allowed in a class.
Some students will wait through an entire class session hoping to secure a spot in the class, while waitlists can sometimes be 25 students long. Some students have to create a backup plan with different courses if they do not make it pass the 'waitlist'.
Hernandez mentioned how students sat on the floor of one of her classes with the hope they could join. Many teachers will fill every seat possible, even if desks are crammed together. Even if open space is available in the classroom, fire hazard laws prohibit the addition of more students beyond capacity.
Luckily for Hernandez, she was able to get all the classes she needed. As a mechanical engineering major, Hernandez has a course load full of science and math courses. She usually gets an early registration time, which makes it easier to register in the necessary classes.
“It has always been really easy for me to get classes. I’ve never been waitlisted." said Hernandez when asked about her registration experience.
Dorn was waitlisted for two of her classes, and on her portal were numerous courses she stated she would “try to get into" if her first option did not work out. Dorn was able to get into the math class she was waitlisted for, but sadly not an ASL class she wanted.
“This is my second semester trying to get a sign language class . . . they fill up very quickly,” said Dorn.
Dorn did not let that rain on her parade, as she still enjoyed her first week.
"It was fairly easy to get the classes I wanted . . . especially after being taken off the waitlist," mentioned Kelsie Vargas, a student on Chaffey's Rancho campus.
If a student does not like the class they are in, they have until February 3 to drop without a 'W', which stands for withdrew, and the class will be not be used in computing average GPA. April 9 is the deadline to drop with a 'W'.