Below are some of the most frequently
asked questions (FAQs) regarding the prerequisites and enrollment
procedures for
College Writing 151.
What are
the prerequisites for enrolling in College Writing 151?
Students can be in any university program
or department and, because this course does not assume prior
knowledge in business communication, no field of study is seen
as more or less credible than another in enrollment priority
for the course. In fact, College Writing takes pride in having
welcomed students in a range of colleges and disciplines, including:
Computer Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Neurobiology, Psychology,
Political Science, PEIS, English, Economics, Interdisciplinary
Studies, Business Administration, Mass Communication, Spanish,
American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Conservation Resource Studies,
Legal Studies, and Women Studies.
Students enrolling in either CW 151 must
be undergraduates with junior or senior class level, which
is not necessarily the same as class standing (see next
section for distinction). Students must also have fulfilled the
University's Reading and Composition (1A and 1B) requirements
prior to enrolling in the course; students cannot be simultaneously
completing their R&C requirements. Students must also attend
the first three days of class to retain their enrollment or wait
list priority standing.
(Click here to
return to top of page.)
Can I enroll
in CW151 if I have junior or senior class standing, even
if I'm only a sophomore?
Class standing is not necessarily
the same as class level. Class standing uses the total
number of transferable course units (which may include work at
another institution, AP credits, or other units earned through
high school programs) to determine freshman, sophomore, junior,
or senior level-status.
Class level, on the other hand,
refers to the number of semesters (or quarters) a student has
been engaged in full-time, university-level course work that's
applied to a particular degree; traditionally, one, two, three,
or four/five years on a campus corresponds to a freshman, sophomore,
junior, and senior class level, respectively.
CW151 requires a minimum junior
class level, but encourages students to have a senior class level
before enrolling in the course.
Here's why.
The materials and assignments for, as well as the overall
curriculum underlying CW151 assumes that students have satisfied
all of their lower-division requirements and that students have
been actively engaged in upper-level courses in their target
field of study. CW151 also assumes that students are aiming to
graduate in the next year or so and looking toward the next stage
of their career. In brief, the course assumes more than a unit-based
class standing.
In the past we have admitted second-year students who have
had junior class standing; these students, however, often struggle
with course discussions and assignments because their immediate
concerns tend to be getting into particular fields of studies
or programs and satisfying degree requirements, not post-graduate
work. This is not to say these students do not or cannot learn
something in CW151; it merely recognizes that these students
are at a different stage of their professional development than
CW151 aims to address. Therefore, although students who are interested
in CW151 may have met the class standing for the course, they
must also meet the class level.
Students who transfer from community colleges,
UC campuses, or other universities and enroll at UC Berkeley
as a junior or senior may enroll in the course, providing they
have satisfied all lower-division course work prior to entering
UC Berkeley and have completed some upper-division courses at
Cal.
(Click here to
return to top of page.)
Can I use
this course for the third literature requirement on my Haas application?
Haas recognizes College Writing 151 as
a course that satisfies the third literature requirement for
Haas applicants. Therefore, in theory, the answer to this question
is "Yes." In practice, however, using CW151 as a third
literature may not be possible, depending on when students apply
to Haas.
Many students apply to the business school
during their second year on the campus in order to start their
third year as a Haas student. Because CW151 requires junior or
senior class level (see previous question's explanation), most
students applying to Haas are ineligible to take the course prior
to enrolling in Haas. Students who apply to Haas during their
third year on campus (e.g., students who may have changed programs,
students who may be completing more than one major, students
completing a degree in five years) may be able to use CW151 as
their third literature prerequisite.
Although students may not be able to cite
CW151 as a third literature class in their business school application,
many Haas students do enroll in CW151, usually in their senior
year, but sometimes in their junior year. Therefore, if the course
seems of interest, we invite students to enroll as they meet
course requirements.
(Click here to
return to top of page.)
How do I
get the Course Entry Code (CEC) required for enrolling in CW 151?
CW 151 is heavily impacted; therefore, students who attend the
first week of class will be given Course Entry Codes for any
available openings in the course; CECs for CW 151 will be distributed
according to the students' placement on the wait list, assuming
students have fulfilled the following prerequisites:
- undergraduate students with junior or
senior class standing
- fulfillment of the university's Reading
and Composition (1A and 1B) requirement, and
Although CECs are not distributed before
classes begin, College Writing Programs may move students into
the class from the wait list (based on CWP, student, and enrollment
priorities) before classes start to help students confirm their
schedules before the term begins. If students are moved into
the class before the first week of class, they must still attend
the first three sessions to retain their place in the course.
(Click here to return to top of page.)
Why do I
have to add my name to the wait list?
Due to program-affiliation enrollment restrictions, students
cannot directly enroll into the course; therefore, they will
be processed from the wait list, according to the enrollment
requirements established by each program.
(Click here to return to top of page.)
How will
the wait lists be processed?
Before classes begin, wait lists will be processed according
to program enrollment requirements.
College Writing Programs has traditionally
given advance enrollment priority to seniors who have filed for
graduation at the end of the semester; students who have more
than a semester before graduating--even by a summer session--are
not included in this priority enrollment selection. Remaining
places in the course are reserved for students on the wait list
who attend the first week of class.
When CW151 is cross-listed with the Haas
School of Business, CW C151 gives priority to non-Haas affiliated
students. Haas processes the wait list for UGBA 196W according
to the priorities it has established for Haas students.
Once class meets, student attendance during
the first three days will override subsequent enrollment or wait
list rosters for the course. In other words, if students who
do not attend the first three days of class add themselves to
the wait list and/or the class, they are not guaranteed a place
in the course. Students who have been attending class have priority
over those who have missed any class during the first week. (Click here to return to top of page.)
If I'm on
the wait list, what are my chances of getting into the course?
In the past, there have been students who were bumped into the
class that didn't attend class during the first week, as well
as students who showed, but weren't on the wait list. The only
way the instructors can fairly determine who to add during the
first week of class is by having students add themselves to the
wait list and attend the first three days.
By adding your name to the wait list and
attending the first three classes, you better your chances of
enrolling in the course. If, for any reason, you find that TeleBEARS
does not allow you to add your name to the wait list, please
email the instructor as soon as possible. (Click
here to return to top of page.)
If I have
special circumstances, do I increase my chances of getting into
the course?
Presently, this course is viewed strictly as an elective--an
option among several courses students can take to fulfill their
university requirements.
Since this course is not mandated by any
major or curriculum (self-designed majors are not included since
this course is an option among other classes), College Writing
Programs and the university in general see no reason that students
must enroll in this course--even if students find this
course the most interesting or relevant option. Therefore, forthcoming
graduation expectations, exchange-student status, time restrictions
at Cal, upcoming curriculum constraints, internship prospects,
and so forth are not reasons for overriding other students on
the wait list.
(Click here to return to top of page.)
Why do I
have to attend the first three days of class to ensure a place
in the course, and what if I can't attend the first three days?
Some students enroll in more classes than they can attend during
the first week(s) of class, knowing they will ultimately drop
courses as they assess their options; other students attend numerous
classes--regardless of whether they're on the wait list--to assess
and decide upon classes. While both approaches to course scheduling
are understandable, the heavily impacted nature of this course
makes it impossible to hold spaces on the basis that a student
may show up later.
Because students show their interest in
and commitment to a course by their attendance, students who
want to enroll in the course must attend the first three days
of class to stay in or add the course. If a students cannot attend
the first day(s) of class--either in full or in part--that student
will loose enrollment or wait list priority and will be accommodated
only if there are still openings once all other students who
have met the prerequisites and attended the first three days
of class are enrolled. (Click here to
return to top of page.)
If I don't
add my name to the wait list but show up on the first day of
class, what are my chances for getting into the course?
Because TeleBEARS limits the number of classes students can schedule,
students may sign up for some classes but attend even more as
they work to assess and confirm course options. Given the heavily
impacted nature of this course, however, the wait list is the
only way to determine enrollment priority ranking once classes
begin.
In the past, students not on the wait list
by the first class have found a place in the course. The likelihood
of such enrollment is dwindling, however, as this course receives
more publicity each semester. If there are still openings in
the course once attending students on the class enrollment and
wait list have been accommodated, students who are not on the
wait list will be randomly prioritized for these openings.
To ensure a place on the wait list and
increase your chances of getting into the course as openings
arise, add your name to the wait list and attend the first three
days of class. If you cannot add your name to the wait list,
email the instructor of the course as soon as possible.
(Click here to return to top of page.)
If the wait
list is too long to accommodate the students, will College Writing
Programs open another section of the course?
Presently funding is not available to open additional sections
of the course. If funds do become available before classes begin,
another section will be listed on TeleBEARS and the same enrollment
procedures will apply.
If another section opens during the first
week of class, students on the wait list who attend the first
week of class will be given priority enrollment in the newly
opened section. (Click here to return
to top of page.)
Can this
course increase the enrollment to accommodate students?
Because of the writing- and revision-intensive nature of this
course is limited to 20 students, and this enrollment limit is
strictly enforced. (Click here to return
to top of page.)
Can I audit
the course if I can't get into the class--officially or unofficially?
While some early sessions of CW 151 are more lecture-oriented,
the course material is primarily learned and reinforced through
the individual and group assignments students write, submit,
and revise throughout the term.
Official and unofficial auditors cannot
submit work for instructor review or comments, attend office
hours for clarification or feedback, or participate in group
work; thus, auditors ultimately find themselves at a disadvantage
for understanding the communication principles that ground the
course. Therefore, auditors typically disappear from the class
around week three--despite the extreme commitment they express
to the course and/or it's content during the first class sessions.
Occasionally an auditor does stay, but
auditing is not a means into the course--even if a student later
drops the class. Because auditors are not submitting materials,
they are on a different path than those who are submitting and
revising assignments from the first day of class. Auditors thus
remain auditors for the term. (Click
here to return to top of page.)
Can graduate
students or UC staff members take the course?
In the past, graduate students have taken the course; however,
because this course was proposed as an upper-level undergraduate
course, undergraduate students have priority enrollment. If,
after accommodating all interested undergraduates who have fulfilled
the prerequisites, there are still openings in the course, graduate
students and/or UC Berkeley staff members can enroll in the course. (Click
here to return to top of page.)