Hi all and welcome to a very helpful and super informative post about waitlists and the shopping period!
Please note that before the shopping period, registration is open Friday, September 1st from your registration time until 9:45 pm ET and Saturday, September 2nd from your registration time until 9:45 pm ET. It will then reopen for the shopping period on September 5th; registration will end on September 15th.
The shopping period is a time during the first two weeks of classes in which you can add/drop/shop ‘til you drop! Kidding, please pace yourselves; you have 4 years to take everything you need to take! That being said, read on for shopping period and waitlist information for the upcoming semester.
What the shopping period is all about:
You have an opportunity at the beginning of each semester to visit classes for which you are not registered so that you can learn more about the class content and format to help you decide if you would like to enroll.
During the “shopping period,” CourseWorks sites will be set to show most posted course material, including the syllabus, assignments, and the course zoom link.
How to view course information before being registered
For many classes during the shopping period, you can access the CourseWorks and evaluations through Vergil.
- Find the class in the CU Directory of Classes
- Click "View in Vergil"
- Scroll down and click "View in CourseWorks"
- If you want to view course evaluations from past semesters for Columbia courses, click "Evaluations" (you have to be logged into Vergil using your Columbia credentials to view this)
Remember, Fall A and B courses have two different shopping periods:
The registration and “shopping period” courses will take place between Tuesday, September 5, and Friday, September 15.
At the end of the shopping period, the Courseworks site of a class will be automatically closed to all students not officially registered.
Waitlist information:
Waitlists: Students are only allowed to be on 3 waitlists. If you want to add another class to your waitlist, you must drop one of the existing 3.
You’re only officially accepted in the class from the waitlist once you receive an email from Columbia’s Registrar account. You will be registered within 2 business days on Barnard Student Planning and the course should turn green.
Some courses are set up as “full block” waitlist: everyone must join the waitlist.
Some waitlists are self-managed by the instructor. If the instructor advised you that you are registered, you should still receive the official email from CU. If you don’t receive the email within 24 hours, you can contact the instructor and CC us on the communication. You are only registered for a course if it is green in Student Planning.
If you receive special permission to join the course after the course has reached its capacity, you will need to fill out the add form with the instructor's approval.
Waitlist FAQs:
How the heck does the waitlist work? When do I get put on a waitlist? Why are classes already almost or all the way filled? Can I still sign up for them? Is it worth putting myself on the waitlist?
You'll be added to waitlists during the registration period in September when you register for other courses besides FYW/FYS. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors have already registered for classes, so if it says on the Columbia Directory that 11/12 spots are filled it’s most likely because upperclassmen already signed up for them. Don’t panic! Many intro classes will have spots saved for first-years so you might still be able to get into them.
There is also no limit as to how many classes students can register for so, as described above, many students will sign up for way more classes than they’ll actually enroll in or even sign up for as back-ups in case their first choices fall through. This means that in the weeks of shopping period, a lot of spots will open up in classes as students start to nail down which ones they actually plan to enroll in. Absolutely sign up for the waitlist because there’s a good chance you’ll get into many of those classes as upperclassmen drop out. However, you'll only be able to sign up for 3 waitlists during registration.
Do note that as first-years, many professors will give seniority to upperclassmen and ask that first-years try again the next semester if it continues to be over-enrolled. The good news is that you’ve got plenty of time to take that class if that does end up happening, so don’t be disheartened! It’s happened to all of us. Also, keep in mind that the Columbia Directory of Classes is not updated in real-time, only at night. The registration numbers for a class may be accurate first thing in the morning, but not in the afternoon. Go by what myBarnard says when you register for your class. If it says it’s full and has a waitlist and asks you to join the waitlist, do so. For some classes, you'll be able to view your position on the waitlist on ssol.columbia.edu. This is not available for all courses, so don't worry if you can't see your position on the waitlist. If you get off the waitlist you’ll receive an email from the Columbia Registrar saying as much, and that you’re enrolled in the class. It will then ask you to resolve any outstanding time conflicts, for example, if you’re registered for a backup class that you signed up for in case you didn’t get off the waitlist for the other, you would need to drop the backup class to make room for your waitlist class. It's also a good idea to double-check myBarnard when you get this email to make sure the formerly-waitlisted class is now green on your schedule -- if it's not, you should contact the Barnard Registrar for help.
If you’re waitlisted for a class that’s required for your major or you’re really passionate about, feel free to reach out to the professor before the first class or go up and speak to them directly afterwards to communicate your interest. They sometimes will take that into consideration when deciding on the roster for the semester.
How to view your position on waitlists
To view your position on a waitlist for a course, you’ll need to log into SSOL (Student Services Online) using your Columbia UNI (same as your Barnard UNI) and password.
Once you log into SSOL, click on the “Registration” link on the home screen under the Academic Records section of the Your Data tab.
From there, click the “Continue with Fall 2023 Registration” button on the following screen.
You will be taken to a screen with both classes you are currently registered for and classes you are on the waitlist for. On SSOL, classes under the “Fall 2023 classes” refer to classes you are registered for and classes under the “Fall 2023 Wish List” refer to classes you’re on the waitlist for.
When you’re on the waitlist for a class, SSOL will tell you either your position on the waitlist or it will say “Pending Approval.”
If a class gives you your position on the waitlist, this indicates that the waitlist is automatic. This means that the waitlist for the class is managed by the online registration services. If a person drops the class, the student who is in position 1 on the waitlist will automatically be added to the class.
If a course says “Instructor Managed” under the waitlist, this means that the professor for the course is self-managing the waiting list. Rather than students automatically getting into the class from the waitlist, the professor is individually reviewing students for admittance to the class.
As a reminder, by September 15th, you must be registered for a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 19 credits, unless you have received adviser’s approval to remain above 19 credits. If you would like permission to enroll in fewer than 12 credits for the fall semester, please speak with both your adviser and class dean.
If you have any technical questions with registration or the shopping period, please contact the Registrar at registra@barnard.edu. And as always, email first-year@barnard.edu with any general inquiries you may have.
