Point:

by Stephanie Ornelas

Transfer students are finding that it’s harder to get into the Universities of their choice. With budget cuts at an all time high, it’s no wonder why students are having a hard time getting into their classes.

Due to the high capacity of students enrolled and the number of classes that have been cut, students who wish to transfer to universities have to wait.

This makes it extremely difficult for students to progress in the real world.

“I have been waiting to go to Cal State Long Beach for three years,” said student Christina Lopez. “How am I suppose to get a job if I can’t even get to college?”

The point of going to community college is so you could eventually go to on to a four year university, graduate and get a job. In a survey taken out of twenty Fullerton College students, fourteen students said they didn’t get into the classes they needed to transfer.

Someone who would oppose this might say that in order for students to progress in their current jobs, they need associates degrees, therefore those students should have priority registration over transfer students but most jobs will not ever advance their employees without a bachelor’s degree.

“Our goal as community college students is to reach higher education,” said Cal State Fullerton student, Lauren Taylor. “Our success depends on it.”

Counterpoint:

by Genesis Miranda

Every semester students struggle with getting back in to their school routine. There’s the worry of buying books, finding parking, and registering for classes. Perhaps the most difficult and most important is finding the classes that students need.

The registration process at Fullerton College is based on a seniority system, meaning that freshmen get the later registration dates, while students who have been here get the first registration dates. Students who are accepted into EOPS get more priority when registering also.

“It doesn’t make sense because people majoring in a specific subject have to get priority for their major courses […] Students are required to take their major courses so if they can’t register they have to wait a semester or one year,” said JeongBin Lee, chemistry major.

When classes and wait lists are full, students are forced to petition for the classes they need, which is not always effective.

Students who have declared their majors seem the most frustrated when they can’t get into their major classes.

Majors like science, history and math have a harder time than other majors because their classes count as general education classes for other students.

“It is a problem because everyone wants to transfer as soon as possible […] It’s kind of cruel because it’s becoming like a chain, everyone is taking each other’s classes. It’s like a puzzle, everyone gets a piece but it’s not always the right piece for them,” said Sara Mofrad, chemistry major.

Students need classes in their major more than others because this is what they’re studying and these classes are required for them to graduate.

Most of the time, professors ask students to be realistic and drop the class if they know they will not commit to it. They ask this because they know that often times students register for a class as a GE and end up dropping out around the middle of the semester, after it’s too late for others to register.

A way to help these students would be to give them priority if the class is required for their major.

By giving students priority registration for their major classes, it will be easier for them to get the classes they need and they can graduate on time.

Point/Counterpoint gives voice to two sides of a recent news topic and encourages the reader to decide where they stand. You can send in your views at [email protected]