Revamp shopping period to fix its flaws
Entering Brandeis just three short weeks ago was a harrowing process. Figuring out all the ins and outs of living on campus was even harder. But the silver lining on the whole situation was the idea of navigating the world of shopping-shopping classes, that is. While I concede that there are benefits to the Brandeis shopping system, such as giving students the opportunity to meet their professors before committing to a class or allowing us to see which areas of interest we most want to pursue, the cons definitely outweigh the pros. I'm not advocating that the University eliminate the shopping system altogether; rather, I think that the University should revamp the system to make it run more smoothly in order to have a relatively happier and more peaceful start of the school year.To start, first-years sign up for classes early on in the summer, practically while we're still in high school. Because the significance of the shopping period isn't impressed on first-years beforehand, a majority of first-years are too intimidated by the process to actively look for alternatives to the classes they have signed up for, and instead, find safety in sticking to their pre-existing schedules. This means that by the time the first day of class rolls around in August, we are utterly committed to each and every one of the classes we have signed up for and have practically memorized, though we will consult our folded-up schedules countless times in a single day. Even if first-years wanted to shop classes, there is such a vast number and variety of classes that too easily intrigue students that it can easily overwhelm and intimidate a student of any class year. And then once students decide which classes to shop, they must then reconfigure their whole schedules around the classes they eventually decide to keep, an undesirable feat considering the complexity of the sage system despite its recent reconfiguration. Another particularly confusing part of the process is whether to buy one's required materials as soon as the syllabus for the course appears online. If you act quickly, you can look for them online and hopefully get them at a discounted price, but if you decide later to drop the class, you find yourself having to choose between sticking with a course you don't like and dropping it and having to find a friend in the class who will buy your books. On the other hand, if you wait to buy your books until after you have attended the class a few times and know you want to keep it, it may be too late to order the books online, since they are more often than not needed sooner than a store would ship them. While on the topic of books, another issue that arises from the shopping period is the supply of books available to students in the Brandeis bookstore. Many students buy books for their classes from the bookstore before deciding to remain in the class, since the bookstore allows students to return the textbooks up until a certain time within this period. However, since at times more students buy the books than are signed up for the class, there are students who come to the bookstore too late and must place a special order for the books they need, while being forced to use a classmate's copies until their orders have arrived. In short, the shopping period causes students to waste money or show up to class unprepared because of the long interval of time students are given to shop.Now, Brandeis' intentions are good, and with work and a lot of student input, the University could solve the problems presented by the shopping period in its current state. For instance, one good element is that students are told early on that there is an official last day to add classes. So, why not implement a standard time for when courses will start having graded homework and tests? This way all departments would be on the same page, and students transferring into classes would know what they are getting into and thus can judge if it is too late to add a class. Another suggestion would be to either better advertise the shopping period to first-years early on so we know what we are getting into or else not require first-years to select their classes so far in advance.Additionally, the sage system should be reconfigured so that it does not prevent students from signing up for multiple classes during the same time block for the duration of the shopping period. Although it is helpful to see which classes conflict with one another, this technical feature does not take into account students who are trying to choose between classes with limited enrollment and want to reserve a spot in both for the duration of the shopping period. By implementing some of these suggestions and others the student body doubtlessly has to offer, Brandeis can hope to make its first few weeks of class an easier transition for both faculty and students, especially first-years.