UCSD concurrent enrollment - easy to get in?

[aspiring20]

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i need to take additional science courses in order to increase my sGPA, and UCSD seems like a good choice.

i understand that you can take any classes you want through the school's concurrent enrollment process. i am wondering if it is easy to get into the typical science classes like upper level biology?

i've tried to take physics 2 at a cal state through their open university program, but wasnt able to get into the class since it was already full

thanks!

 

[letusgothen]

I'm taking Metabolic Biochemistry (BIBC 102) as a concurrent enrollment student this semester, and the whole process has gone very smoothly. Like you, I was worried that there would be no available seats, but the administrative people in the Biology department and at UCSD Extension made it sound very unlikely that I wouldn't get in, and in fact I had no problem at all. Clearly my experience is anecdotal, and it is possible that you could get unlucky, but everyone I spoke to made it sound like getting completely shut out is very rare.

You should make sure, however, that you are talking to these people ahead of time and meeting all applicable deadlines. One good resource is this site:

https://bookstore.ucsd.edu/launch/scheduleofclasses.htm

It lets you know the available classes and times, as well as approximately how full the enrollment is. However, even if the class says it is "full" don't necessarily assume you can't get in. I was told that they administratively hold seats aside for UCSD upperclassmen, to ensure that they have priority, but that by the end of the registration period spots almost always open up.

You will have to deal with a little bit of uncertainty, unfortunately. While my professor signed my concurrent enrollment form after the first class, the biology department policy is to sign it on the Monday of the third week of classes. So until then I was going to lectures with no guarantee that I would get credit for the class, and I had to jump through some hoops to get provisional access to online materials. The positive side of this is that I wasn't asked to pay anything until I was officially enrolled, and all of the administrative people I worked with made the hoop-jumping as painless as possible.

Good luck!

 

[PartyAnimal]

Yes, it is pretty easy, I did it.

 

[aspiring20]

thanks so much guys!

i have another question: UCSD's summer school is much easier to get in than concurrent enrollment, right? since many non-UCSD students take summer courses as well

also, is UCSD on a traditional semester system?

i was on the triton class-schedule website and it lists fall, winter, and spring sessions. are they are some sort of weird trimester system?

thanks again

 

[Fivo]

thanks so much guys!

i have another question: UCSD's summer school is much easier to get in than concurrent enrollment, right? since many non-UCSD students take summer courses as well

also, is UCSD on a traditional semester system?

i was on the triton class-schedule website and it lists fall, winter, and spring sessions. are they are some sort of weird trimester system?

thanks again

They're probably on the quarter system. And no one can really tell you the probability of successfully enrolling. College attendance is going up year after year, UC Regents is facing a budget problem and classes/class sizes are getting cut. So it really is hard to tell how your experience will turn out.

 

[aspiring20]

I'm taking Metabolic Biochemistry (BIBC 102) as a concurrent enrollment student this semester, and the whole process has gone very smoothly. Like you, I was worried that there would be no available seats, but the administrative people in the Biology department and at UCSD Extension made it sound very unlikely that I wouldn't get in, and in fact I had no problem at all. Clearly my experience is anecdotal, and it is possible that you could get unlucky, but everyone I spoke to made it sound like getting completely shut out is very rare.

You should make sure, however, that you are talking to these people ahead of time and meeting all applicable deadlines. One good resource is this site:

https://bookstore.ucsd.edu/launch/scheduleofclasses.htm

It lets you know the available classes and times, as well as approximately how full the enrollment is. However, even if the class says it is "full" don't necessarily assume you can't get in. I was told that they administratively hold seats aside for UCSD upperclassmen, to ensure that they have priority, but that by the end of the registration period spots almost always open up.

You will have to deal with a little bit of uncertainty, unfortunately. While my professor signed my concurrent enrollment form after the first class, the biology department policy is to sign it on the Monday of the third week of classes. So until then I was going to lectures with no guarantee that I would get credit for the class, and I had to jump through some hoops to get provisional access to online materials. The positive side of this is that I wasn't asked to pay anything until I was officially enrolled, and all of the administrative people I worked with made the hoop-jumping as painless as possible.

Good luck!

this is great to hear. it says on the extension/concurrent website that you dont have to contact anyone beforehand. all you have to do is show up on the first day of class and have the professor sign a form. of course, for science classes, you also need the departmental stamp, which requires an extra step.

also, summer sessions are treated separately from concurrent enrollment, right? i looked at the summer classes offered this summer, and most of the sciences were half empty. some extra sessions had to be cancelled because there weren't enough people taking them.

i tried the open university system at the cal states, and i didn't have any luck getting into physics 2, my last prereq still need to be checked off. so i am a bit wary about UCSD extension

however, it seems the process isn't that bad.