waltt@mako.UUCP (05/04/84)
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<munch, munch>
Portland State is an accredited State University with the campus located
in downtown Portland, OR. I don't have my handbook handy, but I think
the full-time enrollment is between 10,000 and 20,000 students. They
have a number of schools, and award both BSEE and BSCS degrees, as well
as other Bachelor and Master degrees. I am not familiar with the school
of engineering that much, since I am in business administration and work
through the school of business for my classes. I do know, however, that
Portland State does have a VAX 11/780 that the engineering department uses
(I haven't seen them on the net, though). Unfortunately, business students
use a cumbersome Honeywell System (66XX something or another) for application
programs. But, the business students have a whole lab of IBM PC's to
themselves.
Since Portland State is downtown, they have a heavy cross-professional
market in night classes. If I remember my statistics right, the average
Portland State student (counting both full and part-time), is 24, works
full-time, and is persuing a advanced degree to either advance professionally
in their own field, or to make a cross-over into another field. I also
beleive the Portland State accounting department was ranked 3rd in the
nation in 1982 or 1983. I have heard their engineering school is about
middle of the road (neither super-good nor super-bad; watch me get flames
from ex PSU engineering students).
Anyway, since there is such a large percentage of the student population
that work, PSU instigates a mail-in registration process. About the 6th
week of the term, the schedules and forms come out for the next term.
The form is one of these "Use number 2 pencil" forms that is machine
scanible. The form has room for up to twleve classes. In the box for
each class, you fill in the class code number, section number, and, if
you want, a second choice in case you don't get that class. You then
mail it in to the registrar. If you mail within the first couple of
weeks after the schedules come out, you have a pretty good chance of
getting the classes you want (in the last year and a half, I've only
missed getting one class; I went to the class the first night, and the
teacher let me in).
At about the end of the current term, you get your schedule and billing
mailed to you. If you don't show up the first night of class, you are
dropped. If you haven't paid your bill by the second week of class
(that is, if you haven't made arrangements for deferred payment), you
are dropped.
This system saves a lot of time, hassles, and headaches. I've attended
two other colleges that had a "arena scheduling". You know, visit all
the tables, and look for people to sign you in for the class, etc.
What a zoo. I like this much better. Best of all, you never have to
chase around for a sign-in signature. Since when you register by mail,
the computer automatically scans to see if you have taken the prerequisites
required for that class (I have transcripts on file that are from other
colleges; some of those classes have been accepted as prerequisites for
PSU classes). All the common stuff like challenging, etc still is in
effect.
-- Walt Tucker
Tektronix, Inc.
P.S. -- In case you were wondering, I do most of my work on a VAX for my
job. Syntax gets confusing sometimes when you jump back and forth between
about 4 computer systems sometimes.
P.P.S. -- I just have to throw this in (school pride, you know). Neil
Lomax, who is now the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals
was recruited from Portland State a couple of years ago, where he was
starting quarterback on the PSU team.