What does "crashing a class" mean?

'Tis the season of a new college semester.  Until the past few years, the standard procedure for staring a new semester was fairly simple: register for classes and then show up on the first day.  But for the majority of today's college students there is often another nerve-racking step called "crashing a class."

Gone are the days at most colleges (especially large universities, state schools and community colleges) when a student could register for all of the classes they need in any particular semester.  Gradually, these institutions have taken in more and more enrollees but haven't increased their course offerings accordingly.  This has resulted in what is called "impaction"--the complete filling (or more precisely, overfilling) of a particular major or entire campus.

This dilemma has led to an increase in what students call "crashing a class."  You can think of it as similar to crashing a party.  You show up even though you're not invited, or your name isn't on the list.  The difference is that unlike crashing a party, crashing a class isn't considered bad manners.  In fact, in most schools, crashing classes is now standard procedure, rather than being able sign up for all of your classes ahead of time.

Sometimes it helps a student's chances for crashing a class if they email the teacher first and exhibit enthusiasm for the subject matter.  Sometimes it doesn't.  Teachers are generally allowed to establish their own "add" policy, so like everything else in life, you just have to try and hope for the best.  There are no guarantees.  But that is the nature of higher education today.  Like everything else, you have to be open to the journey and not just eager to arrive at the destination.

(For a little more detail about the impaction of community colleges, please see my previous post.)

WSJ Article: High Enrollment Strains Two-Year Colleges AND Why This Should Encourage You to "Go Private"

I think it's important to link you directly to a Wall Street Journal article (published yesterday) about the growing problem of overcrowding in community colleges.  Please take a moment to read it when you get a chance, if your child is considering this educational path.

In my position as a college counselor for high school students, I am intimately aware of the ebb and flow of changes in our local community college system.  However, it makes sense that parents are usually not privy to changes in budgetary or enrollment policies and other things that can ultimately affect their children, so I want to lay out some important considerations here.

More and more students are enrolling in community college each year.  There are a multitude of reasons, and the weak economy has driven many of them.  For example, an obvious one is the cost difference between a junior college and a university--even a state school.  Also, many adults who are either unemployed or feel their employment is tenuous are returning to school to improve their job skills or train for a new career.  These adults, or "non-traditional students," are competing for the same seats as your teenager.