The Shopping Spree

Shopping period is a rare perk of Harvard life--most other schools require students to register for classes weeks or even months before they start. One of the few joys of a new semester comes from visiting a fistful of classes and making an informed decision of which to take. But there are significant stresses in shopping period, and professors and the College should act to give students a better opportunity to decide their course choices.

Shopping two or more classes that meet at the same time can be exceptionally difficult. Students rushing from class to class may miss important sections of their professors' introductory lectures. Some professors discourage students from leaving in the middle of lectures, even if they need to visit another class. Others give assignments that are due during the first week, when students may not have even had a chance to buy the required reading. The result is that students who miss the first shopping period lectures of a class can fall so far behind as to be discouraged from even considering it.

Many of these problems can be fixed by the professors themselves. Professors should devote their opening lecture to a series of short, 15- to 20-minute class introductions that allow students to shop multiple classes in the same time slot. A similar system of allowing students to shop classes without fear of falling behind is already in use at the Kennedy School of Government. Most College professors already give shortened lectures during the beginning of shopping period, and some repeat their presentations during the same class period--the College should urge more professors to do the same. With the exception of continuing language classes, in which daily homework is the norm, professors should also refrain from making papers and problem sets due before study card day--especially when late assignments will not be accepted.

The College should also ensure that students have a full week between initial class meetings and study card day. Last fall only five days were allotted between the start of classes and the study card due date--we are glad to see that the Faculty's tentative calendar for the next two academic years allows students seven days to select courses.

And as a final aid to students who must make important course decisions based on only one or two class meetings, the CUE guide should incorporate a question on whether the shopping period introduction gave an accurate taste of what the class will be like. That way, students will be able to separate shopping period flash from long-term substance.

Neither students nor professors benefit when courses receive a hurried or distorted first impression. The better course information students receive, the better their academic experience will be.