How the new course change system affects students

As students settled into their schedules this fall, many also found themselves navigating a new approach to changing courses. Rather than processing course change requests on a first-come, first-serve basis, the high school now requires students to submit their requests by a specific deadline and wait almost two weeks before switching classes. 

According to Margaret Walendin, the Head of the Guidance Department, the policy was implemented to eliminate the stress and uncertainty caused by the previous first-come, first-serve system.

“In previous years, people would be in my office super early, or emailing - but does email count?” Walendin said. “It was panic — panic would ensue.”

Under the new system, students have designated time periods to request changes. The school then reviews the requests all together, instead of individually as they arrive. This allows administrators to see where demand for particular courses is heightened and potentially make adjustments, such as adding a section.

“When it just trickles in and it’s first come first serve, you don’t have the opportunity to see the data as a whole,” Walendin said. “We don’t really have the opportunity to make significant changes if we need to, to meet student needs.”

The school also has a summer period for course changes, ending mid-August. Walendin said this period has been particularly useful for students who develop new interests or experiences over the summer. For example, a student might attend a summer program, such as an art camp, and realize that they want to take an art course they had not originally selected.

However, once the summer change period closes and schedules are released, students must attend their classes before requesting another change. This year, students had until the end of the first six school days to submit those requests, with changes made on the seventh day.

For some students, that waiting period has added stress to the beginning of the school year.

Will Barrett ’28 said the process can be frustrating for students who immediately know that they want to switch a class.

“If you know on the first day that a class isn’t going to work, it’s annoying to have to sit there for almost two weeks and wait,” Barrett said. “It feels like you’re losing time in a class you already know you don’t want to take.”

Walendin acknowledged that waiting until the end of the first cycle can be stressful, particularly for students who already know they want to switch courses. At the same time, the school wants students to experience their classes before deciding to leave them.

“We would like students to experience the classes they picked,” Walendin said. “But we also know that if you know for certain that you want to make a change, not being able to be in the class on the first day is stressful.”

Sloan Marmer ’27 believes the issue is further complicated by how far in advance students have to select their courses.

“We make the class decisions months before you actually take the classes, so obviously people are going to change their minds,” Marmer said. “I know that the school needs a system, but it feels like it doesn’t account for how different your priorities might be by the time September comes.”

Students currently select courses in February and March, months before they actually begin those classes. Walendin said this early timeline allows the school to build schedules based on student demand, but it also means students are making decisions about the following year very early.

“As time passes and you grow and have new experiences and think more about the future, you might want to change things,” Walendin said.

The large number of course offerings may also contribute to students’ uncertainty. The school has many specialized and single-section classes, giving students a wide range of choices. But this has the potential of making schedules more difficult to adjust, and makes choosing classes overwhelming. 

Walendin compared the situation to choosing ice cream flavors: having more options can make it more difficult to know which one to choose.

“We have so many choices for students,” Walendin said. “The more flavors of ice cream you have, the less certain you are about which one to pick.”

The school has already made some changes intended to help students make more informed decisions on their classes. For example, sophomore seminar was moved to the third quarter so counselors could work directly with students on course selection and discuss the implications of different choices.

Another challenge arises when students request to change into a course with summer work. Students who want to move to a different level or subject may find themselves completing work for two courses simultaneously. 

Walendin’s recommendation is to complete the summer work for both courses when possible. Even if a student appears likely to get into a requested course, there is no guarantee that the change will be approved so the safest option is to do both classes’ work.

“If you get in, or if we have to make a new section because we have enough demand, you’re still going to  have to have done the summer work,” Walendin said.

Marmer said that while the process can be frustrating, she understands the reasoning behind making students experience their classes before switching.

“There’s definitely been times when I thought I wanted to switch out of something and then actually went to the class and realized I liked it,” Marmer said. 

Ultimately, the school is still evaluating the course-change system and has not settled on what, if anything, will change next year. Walendin, along with other councilors, know the system is not perfect. 

“Our practices aren’t permanent,” Walendin said. “We are definitely looking to make changes next year.”

Students who have suggestions about the process are encouraged to share them with the guidance department.