First Article

Of all the great things Cabrillo College has to offer, there are three constants that never cease to aggravate the student body: Parking, books, and a lack of available sections. New semesters bring with them a flurry of frustration that echoes throughout the main quad and cafeteria, as students struggle to cope with whatever obstacle they are facing.

Lucas Bailey is just beginning his third year at Cabrillo College. "It's not always a fair system," said Bailey, regarding registration for classes, "I'm an English major and I couldn't even get into English 1A when I first came here, because students concentrating on certain subjects don't get priority when they register. Universities do that, and it should be considered here at Cabrillo."

The most 'popular' classes generally turn out to be those that provide transferable General Education credits, such as Math, English, Psychology, Political Science, and the like. Many students come to Cabrillo to get a great education for less money, with the aspirations to transfer to a four year university in [generally] two years' time.

Students studying other subjects face similar issues, but are most concerned with fulfilling a UC or CSU requirement.

"I couldn't transfer at the time I had planned, because the classes here were so full," says Elysa Weber, whose major is currently undeclared. "I'm here for another semester just to finally get science and basic math out of the way."

Enrollment has increased nearly seven percent in comparison to last year, bringing over 15,000 students to Cabrillo College. Now, the hundreds of sections available to students are not always enough.

"There aren't always going to be the resources to open a new section," said Jay Jackson, a Cabrillo counselor, "The very best thing to do is register early - take advantage of early registration."

The Division Offices are another way to make sure you get into the classes you need. When every section has a full waitlist, the Division Office may open a new section to ease the demand for any particular class. If these sections are opened, they get posted on Web Advisor, rather than in the printed Schedule of Classes.

"A lot of students might not know about new sections because they don't check for online updates," said Jackson, "I don't think students are really aware that the Division Office even does that kind of thing."

Tim Moore, a former Cabrillo student, explains how he remained successful during registration. "I generally registered early, and I didn't always try to get into a class with the most popular instructor. That's where the trouble lies, when everyone wants to be with the 'cool teacher.'" He laughs, "Most schools have the same issues, so there are some pretty basic survival tips: Register early, and if something comes up and you end up on a waitlist, contact the instructor of the course! Let them know your situation, and though they may not make any promises, they will remember you on the first day of class. That's always beneficial, because they know how hard you tried."

Once students get into classes, the trouble then lies within affording books and finding parking.

"I spent all of my scholarship money on just books," said Cassandra Berot, a Marine Biology major, "I can't believe how expensive they are. Parking is just a nightmare; I don't even drive to school anymore."