Course Registration Process Shifts to Lottery System

By Sabrina Kearney and Kiesse Nanor

Scrapping a previous “first-come, first-serve system,” Director of Student Information and Registrar Sarah Herrick announced a new lottery for course registration on April 20. The lottery, which grants each student an equal chance to join limited-enrollment courses, applied to registration for the 2020-21 academic year. Results of the lottery, submitted May 3, are forthcoming.

This change to the course selection system is one of many adjustments the Academy has made amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing that students are now facing extraordinary circumstances, “it was necessary to revamp the course registration process so as to provide equity to all students, regardless of time zone or home/family responsibilities,” Herrick said. 

These changes have the most weight in the registration process for electives. Previously, enrolling in electives depended on the order in which students registered in LionLinks. This created a rush for students to enroll in desired courses. The new measures established an asynchronous, non-time-dependent process.

Instead, “if the number of students interested in an elective course exceeds the capacity, all students will be entered into a random drawing to determine who is registered for the course,” Herrick said. This process is similar to the Senior English course lottery system, which has been utilized for several years. 

Unlike previous years, students submitted their desired courses on an online form. The first page asked that students list all courses they wanted to take, and a second page offered private music lessons.

The administration and Scheduling Office hope that this change will safeguard equity for students living in different time zones. The new changes were largely facilitated by Dean of Students Brooks Moriarty, Dean of Academic Affairs Laura Marshall, Director of Studies Scott Saltman and Herrick, according to Assistant Registrar Maria Korogodsky. In addition to the changes in the registration process, the window of course selection was also pushed back one week, and students were given between April 24 and May 3 to select their courses. 

The Registration Office hoped that students would “find the new process straightforward and efficient,” Herrick said. 

Members of the community tended to appreciate the change. “There’s a chance to really think through what my plan is, and without the pressure of the first come first serve rule, I’ve come to really appreciate this way,” lower Shantelle Subkhanberdina said.

Others noted that the lottery fixed a long-running issue with registration: lack of time to properly think through course selections. “Oftentimes, students, including myself, have difficulty in making tough decisions on [what] classes to take. I do not believe that because we have taken more time to think about our classes, that we should be given a lesser opportunity to be able to take these classes,” lower Nick Chiu said.

 Although most students agree that the new system is more equitable, some believe that the structure of the system could be improved. “In the old system, I could narrow down the options to course type (math, religion, etc.), course level (400, 500 etc), and more to see what courses fit my criteria. But now, I have to look through the COI and find the courses, jot them down somewhere, and then consider. [There is] less ease of access in my opinion,” upper Joseph Chen said. “Overall, it's made me open multiple pages compared to having everything in LionLinks.”

Despite positive student reactions overall, “it’s too soon to know how we’ll manage course registration next spring,” Herrick said. 

Many students welcome the new registration process as more equitable and less stressful. “I definitely think the new system does relieve some stress, at least for me, to not worry about doing my course selections late and not getting the classes I would like to take,” prep Cassie Perez said.

For the time being, the scheduling and registration office is determined to make matters as easy, efficient and equitable as possible for students, and is confident that Exonians will adjust to these changing circumstances.