Here at RGSLL, we do our best to accomodate as many students as possible into our language and literature courses. However, there will invariably be students every semester - particularly freshmen and sophomores - who find that the courses they need are full. Here is everything you should know about RGSLL's policies if you find yourself in this situation:
The best advice we can give you is to continue checking the GWeb Info System as often as you can. Students can add/drop classes at any point during the scheduled registration periods (see Registrar's website for exact dates). This is particularly true right before the start of each semester, when students return from the holidays and try to create better schedules. Students who check often will be the first to see if a course opens up.
We have two different types of waitlists: an electronic waitlist for French and Spanish courses levels 001 - 010, and paper waitlists for French and Spanish courses level 030W and above, as well as all German, Italian, Portuguese, and Slavic courses. The procedure for each waitlist is different, so please read the instructions below carefully.
FRENCH AND SPANISH COURSES (LEVELS 001 - 010): This semester, we will be using for the first time an online waitlist system developed by the Registrar's Office. More information on this system can be found here. To sign up for the waitlist for a closed class, go to the "Register, Drop, and/or Add Classes" menu in GWeb. Enter the CRN of the course(s) you want to sign up for the waitlist. You will receive a message saying that the class(es) are closed and it will give you the option to add yourself to the waitlists for those classes. Once a waitlist is created, no one else can register for the course, even if someone drop it. This way, students on the waitlist get first priority for those empty seats. If a space opens up in the course, you will be contacted by our department to fill out a Registration Transaction Form and bring it to the appropriate French or Spanish coordinator for their signature. Once they have signed the form, take it to the Registrar's Office. You must then log back into GWeb and remove yourself from the waitlist. Please remember to remove yourself from all the waitlists if you signed up for more than one section of a course.
ALL OTHER COURSES: For any French or Spanish courses level 030W or above, and for all German, Italian, Portuguese, and Slavic courses, we maintain paper waitlists here in the department. To sign up, please e-mail rgsll@gwu.edu. Include your name, e-mail address, and the section(s) that might work with your schedule. Because these waitlists are not connected to the GWeb registration system, they cannot automatically add you into a specific course if a space opens up. You should continue checking GWeb over the course of the registration period. However, if at the beginning of the semester you are still closed out of the class, we will attempt to work down the waitlists and manually register you in over the cap, as permitted by the fire code and other factors. You will be contacted by the department shortly before the start of the semester if we can find a space for you. If you manage to register online, please let us know so we can take you off the waitlist.
NOTE: For both types of waitlists, being on a waitlist does not guarantee you a spot in the class. We will, however, do our best to accommodate you.
After reviewing the waitlists, we will attempt to accommodate as many students as possible into the closed sections. If you are selected, you will need a Registration Transaction Form (RTF-EZ) . Despite the policies of other GW departments, in RGSLL the approval for adding you into a class can only come from the language program coordinator for that language, not the instructor for the course. Your instructor may not know the fire code capacity (see below) or other registration restrictions for their classroom, which could cause you to be dropped from the course at a later date. Only the language program coordinators can sign these forms.
Every classroom in the university has a seating capacity limit imposed by the DC fire department. This number is the maximum number of students who can legally be registered into the course, even if in reality there are still empty seats in the classroom! If the fire code capacity has been met, there is no way to add additional students into the class.
801 22nd St. NW, Suite 513, Washington, DC 20052
Phone: (202) 994-6330 ::: Fax: (202) 994-9126
E-mail: rgsll@gwu.edu
