By Matthew Wright
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Some students at Camden County College are experiencing hardships in academic progress because of limited course availability and limited professors. As a result of this, some students have to overcome obstacles to get the education they need to graduate on time.
In a random survey of 10 Camden County College students, six said they had been unable to enroll in a required class because of limited availability. In another random survey of 10 students, seven said they had been forced to take a class with a professor they didn’t want.
David Mendez, a management information systems major at CCC, feels there needs to be more professor options in the mathematics department. When Mendez went to sign up for an applied calculus class, the only professor available who fit his schedule was a professor he didn’t particularly want. Mendez took the class anyway because he felt he had to so he could graduate on time. Mendez stated, “They need a variety of different professors for math classes for in-person classes.”
Many students feel the pressure of graduating from CCC after two years so they can transfer to a four-year university “on time.” The lack of available professors can make this difficult for students.
Bryan Perez, another student at CCC, felt frustration over the limited amount of professor options for a financial accounting class. Perez stated, “I was forced to take an online class because there wasn’t an in-person professor available I wanted.” Perez said he learns better from in-person classes but felt he had to take the online class.
Another student, Vincent Focht, a communications major at CCC, expressed his concern with finding available morning classes. Focht prefers morning classes but he found it difficult to find available morning classes he wanted despite going to sign up early. Focht also expressed his concerns about professor options in the mathematics and communications departments. He would like to see more available options, as he felt seeing the same professors every time can create a mundane, repetitive learning environment.
While some students are frustrated with these issues, there are steps they can take to help themselves.
John Steiner, dean of math, science and health careers, said, “Easiest way to solve it is register early.”
Steiner added that there is often a limited number of classes available because there is a limited number of students trying to take them. With a limited number of students, the college can’t hold too many classes open as it would create financial problems. Steiner also explained after the COVID-19 pandemic, the college lost many professors. If the college were to hire more professors, the cost for each class would go up, making students have to pay more money.
If students are worried about class availability hindering their ability to graduate within two years, they can follow their specific academic program guide, located on the Camden County College website under Academics, Catalog and Academic Program Guide.