As I anxiously refreshed my email for what seemed like the hundredth time on Monday, the long awaited message finally arrived: "Your Fall 2013 schedule is available!" I quickly logged on to the DePauw e-services page and was astounded by the results.
Miraculously, I had gotten into all of the courses I had requested. The times, the classes and the professors all matched the ideal schedule I had spent weeks intricately designing and maneuvering into the e-services form - the complexity of which rivals an alien mathematical matrix. I logged out of e-services relieved, having narrowly escaped the SPAC attack frenzy that usually accompanies scheduling.
This semester, I got lucky. But there are many students who didn't fare as well as I did. How is it that DePauw students do not always get the courses that they request? From personal experience, I know that it is unusual for DePauw students to get the classes that they want.
Whether it's a discrepancy in time, professor or subject matter entirely, DePauw students are forced to consistently rework their schedules every single semester when course request time rolls around. In some instances, students may not even gain access to more than two classes, and their standing as a full time student can be compromised if their courses are not adjusted.
In theory, getting enrolled in an unexpected class may not seem that bad. After all, aren't all classes at DePauw supposed to be intriguing and relevant, enriching the liberal arts experience? Why would it matter if you don't get the specific courses that you want? Shouldn't you be exploring beyond your interests anyway?
Short answer to both questions: yes. But the issue becomes problematic when a student is denied access to a course that may serve as a necessary prerequisite for medical school, law school or other graduate program. Graduate institutions will not understand that a student spent a month emailing and virtually harassing uncompromising professors to no avail. Without certain prerequisite courses - despite your extracurricular, academic and social success at one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the nation - your application simply will not be considered. No stunning extracurricular record or 4.0 standing can compensate for the failure to complete a checklist of necessary classes.
This is not to say that there are not professors, departments and advisors here that are more than willing to work with students to achieve these goals and to help make sure that students' schedules comply with graduate school admission requirements. But the stress and uncertainty that accompanies scheduling can become overwhelming for students who plan to pursue graduate work.
Not only do these students have to struggle to fit the fluctuating distribution and competency requirements into their schedules, but they also have to organize their schedule in such a way that it fits future school admission guidelines. To top it off, virtually no two graduate school admissions criteria are identical, and there is a big difference between simply applying with the necessary requirements and applying with a well-rounded, competitive schedule that just might land you an acceptance letter to that dream school.
The remedy is twofold. Students need to be more proactive about seeking pre-professional advising opportunities sooner rather than later during their four years at DePauw. But scheduling needs to be modified to help these driven students fulfill these requirements without the "SPAC attack" hassle. Additionally, courses that often serve as prerequisites for graduate programs should be designated as such and made easily accessible to students who absolutely need them first. With these small adjustments and the strengthening of pre-professional advising here at DePauw, scheduling classes can become a less stressful process for students.
- Grauer is a sophomore from Rocky River, Ohio majoring in art history.