Chemistry Week 1 Enrollment Freeze

Chemistry Week 1 Enrollment Freeze

The following chemistry courses are subject to an enrollment freeze starting on the first day of instruction and continuing until the end of the add/drop period:

  •  CHE 2ABC
  •  CHE 8B
  •  CHE 118BC

This enrollment freeze occurs in Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters, as well as Summer Sessions.

This has two implications for students trying to register for these classes after instruction begins:

  • 1. Students are not able to add these classes to their schedule, even if there are open seats in the section they want.
  • 2. Even as students drop from these classes, students on the waitlist are not automatically registered for the class, as would be the case in other classes.

 

This policy is in place because it gives individual instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) more control over enrollment in the first week of class. This helps ensure that our lab classes can begin instruction on day one with a full class and minimal enrollment churn and confusion.

As a result of this policy, if you want to enroll in one of the classes listed above after instruction begins, please follow these steps:

  • 1. Email chemundergrads@ucdavis.edu and ask for the name and email of the Head TA of the class and section that you’re interested to add.
  • 2. Email the Head TA and ask them if they are able/willing to have you added to your desired section. You should also list some other sections that could also work with your schedule in case they can’t accommodate your first choice.
    • a. If the section is full, the Head TA may invite you to attend the first day of lab class in the event that a registered student does not attend. In this case, if a spot opens up, the Head TA will provide you with a provisional seat. These provisional seats are not a guarantee for a Permission to Add (PTA) number. These seats are provisional because we want to ensure that students who are enrolled and miss class do not lose their spot due to an illness, injury, or other emergency. If the enrolled student shows up late, you must vacate the provisional seat. In the event that an enrolled student does not attend the first lab and they are unable to provide an approved, excused absence to the Head TA, the Head TA can give that seat to a waitlisted student.
    • b. If the section has openings, and no waitlisted students are ahead of you, you will be asked to attend the first day of lab class, at which time the Head TA would provide you with a PTA number.
    • c. Students higher on the waitlist will be given priority. Schedule Builder may show zero waitlisted students and some open seats, but this is not always accurate. You must ask the Head TA if there are open seats still available regardless of what is shown on Schedule Builder.
  • 3. If you receive a PTA number from the Head TA, you will use that to register for the section, since a PTA number can override the enrollment freeze.

 

Please note that not all Head TAs will follow the exact same policy outlined here. Head TAs have discretion over PTA policy for their classes, so reach out to them if you have questions, since their decisions are authoritative and cannot be appealed.

If you are issued a PTA number, you will use it to register for the course. The first five digits of the PTA number are the CRN of the course. More information about PTA numbers can be found here.

While students not on the waitlist can try to get into a full section through this method, the chances of success are much lower compared to students who are on the waitlist, and of students who are on the waitlist, those who are higher on the waitlist have the best chances of success. Unfortunately, these chemistry courses are in high demand so we can never accommodate all students who want to enroll. If you’re unable to get into your desired chemistry class, reach out to your major advisor about how best to adjust your schedule so you can stay on track.

If you have questions about this policy, please email chemundergrads@ucdavis.edu.