This semester's add/drop/swap period will commence on Monday, Dec. 3 rather than Thursday, Nov. 29, the date that it was originally scheduled to begin. The period will stay open until Tuesday, Jan. 22.
University administrators made this change to add/drop/swap after recognizing that they had made a scheduling mistake when they originally planned it.
According to Steve Savage, the communications specialist for the Office for Undergraduate Education, administrators traditionally schedule the add/drop/swap period to open on the first Monday that follows the enrollment appointments for first-year students.
However, he noted, during this year's scheduling meetings, administrators accidentally moved the date to the day after pre-registration for classes – which they corrected after "one of the College departments noticed the error."
"The primary reason for us correcting this date is to give departments time to review their enrollments and work with their declared majors to ensure that they are enrolled in courses that will allow them to fulfill major requirements," Savage explained.
During add/drop/swap, students are able to add open classes to their schedules or drop classes in which they are currently enrolled that they no longer wish to take.
Additionally, students can switch classes in their schedule that they no longer want for those that have opened.
Citing the economics department as a "prime example," Savage remarked that the date revision is especially important for "departments with high enrollments and large numbers of majors."
"Additionally, the added time for departments to review enrollments allows them to see where they have the greatest demand," Savage said. "In the past, this time has allowed departments to work with the faculty members to add additional sections of courses where there is significant demand."
– By Stephanie Fang
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