Life as a college student can be stressful. One concern weighing heavily on students’ minds each term is signing up for classes. The University makes this process more frustrating than it realizes. The course information the University provides is not enough for students to make informed decisions.
Trust is a value the University should not handle lightly. Students trust the University has their best interest in mind, but this belief will slowly dissolve if students continue to get blindsided by unexpected fees. Hiding textbook and material prices from the students until they get the syllabus makes the University look like crooks. These actions are shady and concerning at best.
“Knowing what you are getting into will be beneficial for anyone, especially for a freshman,” said sociology sophomore Kayla Brown.
Biology freshman Piper Bordes agrees. Bordes said she paid $600 for textbooks and supplies.
“Last semester, I was like, ‘Woah.’ You don’t expect to spend that kind of money,” Bordes said. “It would be a neat feature for people to see, especially for those who are on a budget.”
Although textbooks and supplies can be expensive, the price tag is not the main issue. Students already pay hundreds of dollars in fees. Students paid, on average, almost $650 in fees for the fall semester, according to the University. The difference is this information is made available in advance.
The University owes the students more than just textbook and supply costs. Students should also have access to who the definitive professor will be for the courses posted. Instances of courses being listed without a professor and last-minute changes to a course’s professor are not uncommon. The past two semesters, I have signed up for a class and did not find out who my professor was until the day before. These late notifications disallow any possibility of getting to know a professor beforehand.
Students showing the initiative to contact a professor makes a strong impression. Having a one-on-one conversation with a professor can give you the idea of whether to keep or drop a class.
Many students know a syllabus doesn’t always accurately depict what a class will be like. The first few interactions with the professor usually gives you answers. Even for the courses who do list the professors in advance, their email is not readily available at the time of registration.
If you ask any of the University’s professors or advisers the key to success in college, I’m sure they will agree preparation is essential. The University is being hypocritical when they don’t disclose necessary information about course from the beginning.
The University needs to stop taking advantage of students because they know the options and time to schedule a course are limited. Most companies wouldn’t dare practice this non-transparent habit. Who do you know that would take an item to the cash register not knowing what it will cost? Would you fill your basket with things that did not have a price tag? The University will soon lose its students’ trust — if it hasn’t already — if course registration is not streamlined and made more transparent.
Donald Fountain is a 21-year-old mass communication sophomore from Saint Francisville, Louisiana.