In last week’s blog, I briefly mentioned how Liverpool Hope University has some classes both related and not related to my major which I was interested in. The way I got my classes was quite different from the processes I’m used to from Susquehanna University. (And I say ‘processes’ because it literally changes every year. An eye roll is implied.) Liverpool Hope University runs slower than Susquehanna University. I’m not sure if that is a United Kingdom thing or something specific to the university, but I couldn’t register until this summer even though my fellow students from Susquehanna University were registering for classes in the middle of the Spring 2022 semester.
It was strange to not have to worry about it at the same time as my peers though there were a few very cool classes on the roster for Fall 2022 (Why did they decide to have a Queer Lit class when I’m not studying on campus!? I’m so jealous.)
The steps to register for classes at Susquehanna University are fairly complicated.
Look at a list for when classes are available.
Check your Degree Audit, which lists the classes you need to complete your major(s), minor(s), and the Central Curriculum (aka Gen Eds). Professors recommend that students take the classes expected for your major(s) and class year, so you remain on the right track to complete them.
Find a set of classes that work towards credits you need to graduate that don’t happen at the same time and a backup set of classes in case something goes wrong, and you can’t get into the classes that you wanted.
When it comes time to register for your classes, you have to act fast in order to get the class you want; it gets competitive. People in your class get the same day to register, starting at 7 AM from the closest to graduate to the latest. Even if you’re studying abroad, you have to register at the same time as the rest of the people in your year, which I just know has led to some even earlier mornings and extremely late nights in different time zones. Luckily for me, I will be registering at noon for my Spring 2023 classes.
I’m unsure if the way international students like myself register for classes is what every student at Liverpool Hope University does, but I certainly hope that is not the case. On their website, there is a catalog of classes intended for study abroad and exchange students, each ranked by study level (Year 1-3) and the number of credits, which is typically fifteen or thirty. The higher the year, the more advanced the class is; fifteen Liverpool Hope University credits are equivalent to four credits in the United States. Students typically take sixty credits worth of classes in a semester. In order to register for classes, you have to give them a list of classes equivalent to forty-five credits because international students are required to take a British Life class, which is already worth fifteen credits.
The strangest thing about this is that I will be in Liverpool in two weeks, and I still have no idea what my schedule is or when my classes are happening. The only reason I even know what classes I will be taking are because two of my main choices overlapped, and I received an email asking me to pick one of my backup choices instead. Both Introduction to Fine Arts and Introduction to Graphic Design will happen at the same time, each worth fifteen credits, and I chose the Fine Arts class because I know there’s an Introduction to Graphic Design class at Susquehanna that I could take in Spring 2023. Instead of Graphic Design, I chose History of the Welfare State because I was interested in delving into social sciences as a leftist, or someone who shares left-wing political values, more so than a liberal. Another class I will be taking this semester, other than the British Life course, is Topics in Contemporary Theatre because of my interest as a theatre minor. It was a stressful process just like how it would be at Susquehanna University but in a more hands-off way, taking a level of control that I’m used to having. This allows international students, not used to the specific intricacies of Liverpool Hope University, to get classes without as many complications.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday (September 8th, 2022), which makes it such an interesting time to go to England. I'm considering talking about the British monarchy and/or specifically the Queen in my next blog, but no promises.
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