Crash Policy

I hate crashing; it disrupts the class and wastes time.  If, for whatever reason, you did not manage to enroll through RBT, yet you are desperate to take one of my classes, here are my crash policies.

  1. If you want to crash the class, you must attend every class meeting and do every assignment until you are either admitted or rejected from the class.  Crashing is a privilege, not a right--to earn your way into a class, you need to do the work.  I will make a decision by the second week.
  2. Under no circumstances will I admit more than 25 students to a writing class.  Writing classes are already too large, and lose their effectiveness dramatically with every student admitted over the limit.
  3. Seniors do NOT have priority, no matter what you need to graduate this year.  You know the rules and how RBT works by now.  If it had been important to you, you would have enrolled already.  If you're still desperate to crash, see Rule 1.
  4. I don't need to hear the story.  I am a sympathetic person, but I am not in a position to evaluate and verify the reasons that you couldn't get the course through RBT.  Everyone who crashes has a story like this.  If you really have some extraordinary extenuating circumstances, get a dean or your academic advisor to tell me about them.
  5. If I offer you an alternative, take it.  Sometimes I recommend other classes to students trying to crash one of mine.  Do everyone a favor and take that class instead, even if it meets early in the morning.
  6. If you are fortunate enough to get a crash code, use it immediately.  Some of the worst bureaucratic tangles happen when a student waits too long to use the code.
  7. If you really want to get in, you usually can.  I rarely have to turn students away, and I try very hard to find room for everyone.  Rule 1 and normal attrition usually weed out enough people to make space for anyone who really needs the course.
  8. I reserve the right to close a class, or use any means I find appropriate to decide who, if anyone, gets in.  If there really isn't any chance that crashers will get in, I'll let you know.  If I have to choose people, I'll try to be fair and do what's best for the class.
What are my chances of crashing?  It depends.  Some courses are routinely jammed; others usually open up.  W2LK and W109HU often have space; W109L and W50 almost never do.  Have a look around the room when you get there.

Good luck--you'll get a writing course somehow.