"Yesterday, the New York Times ran a piece, 'Students Face a Class Struggle at State Colleges,' describing the dramatic shortage of places in classes at California state colleges. The crisis is nationwide: Public universities in economically-distressed states (not only California, but Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio come to mind) simply don't have enough available spots in many classes to accommodate a student population growing at 4 1/2 percent each year. What should students do? Here are our ten best tips for finding places in closed courses:"
1. Try an off-peak time. Consider taking the sections that meet at times students find most undesirable. Think late afternoons and evenings, 7 A.M, and Fridays. You know, the times that your cohorts would rather be doing anything else than going to class.
2. Come up with a really good reason you need the course. Hoof on over to the professor's office - during posted office hours - and explain your reasons for needing in to the course. Focus on academic reasons: You're a graduating senior, the course is a pre-requisite for something you want to take next semester, your transfer from community college to state university would be held up without this course, or your senior thesis would benefit, immeasurably, from this course.