It’s everyone for themselves.
A furious game of concentration and contingency plans that is crafted over weeks.
It sounds like the Hunger Games, but really, it is just enrollment at UCLA.
UCLA’s current enrollment system is failing due to limited class options and availability, as well as a lack of administrative support.
Administrators must alter the current enrollment system to ensure students can take required classes in tandem with those that pique their interest, while seeking to minimize overall stress.
Surekha Selvaraj, a second-year mathematics/economics student, said the process takes away from the classes students are currently enrolled in.
“You can’t really focus on classes because it (enrollment) is in the middle of the quarter,” Selvaraj said. “So you’re doing midterms and other things, but you’re stuck here stressing about enrollment for the next quarter, not even knowing if you can actually get the classes that you need.”
Some students experience such stress since they fear they will not be able to graduate on time.
According to the Los Angeles Times, less than 50% of students nationwide graduate college on time. The Times attributes this partially to difficulties students face while enrolling in classes. This trend aligns with findings from the National Center for Education Statistics, which show it takes around 37% of students more than six years to graduate from traditional four-year public institutions.
Cecilia Choy, a third-year English, labor studies and political science student, said in an emailed statement that among political science students, it is common to stay over the summer to finish your degree.
Choy, the scholarly engagement director for the Political Science Undergraduate Council, added in the statement that many students are able to get the classes that they need to graduate. However, she said it often takes away from a fulfilling academic experience and instead is more akin to checking a box for graduation.
“A critical part of college is not just taking classes for the sake of meeting degree requirements, but also finding different interests and possible career fields that students may ultimately fall in love with,” she said in the statement. “Even if students are able to get the classes they need, they may have to sacrifice their curiosity in content.”
This problem is compounded by a lack of administrative support. Many departments do not offer resources such as Permission to Enroll numbers.
Departments such as political science – one of the largest on campus – do not even currently have a counselor to help with such requests.
“Many peers have texted me about their concerns with the lack of Political Science counselor on staff,” Choy said. “Many ask me questions that I would normally defer to the department.”
The UCLA curriculum is flexible enough that students should be able to graduate within four years, said Corey Hollis in an emailed statement, the assistant vice provost of undergraduate academic support.
Hollis’ other suggestions for optimizing enrollment included prioritizing classes that fill up quickly or are necessary to graduate, contacting departmental advisors for assistance and enrolling in classes with short waitlists.
These are all notions that are entrenched in Bruins’ minds since they first learn about enrollment at their orientations. Still, students expressed difficulties with enrollment and departmental support, considering how large departments, such as political science, curently function without a permanent advisor.
UCLA must make structural changes to our enrollment processes to benefit students.
Selvaraj said guaranteeing classes in students’ majors could be a first step.
“Any form of trying to at least guarantee one or two courses that apply to the major per quarter would be extremely helpful,” she said. “That would take off most of the pressure.”
The Political Science Undergraduate Council is currently working on a letter that demands enough classes provided to meet graduation needs, diverse course options and greater support for professors, Choy said in the emailed statement. Having these options within all departments is imperative to easing the enrollment process. The letter is also currently taking student signatures.
There are undeniably structural barriers in place that prevent such shifts. For instance, it would be unfair to increase teaching assistant workloads without greater support. UCLA must reform the enrollment process so that UCLA students can have the most fulfilling education experiences.
[Related: Unions hold strike authorization vote, urge UC stand up to Trump administration]
There is no easy fix, but UCLA administrators must acknowledge the issue and work to make enrollment processes less taxing for the student community.
“As a student at one of the top public universities, it is baffling to me that many of us have to choose between our mental health, interest in class content, and time to degree requirements,” Choy said in the emailed statement. “I hope the administrators will see this letter and make a change.”
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