Finance Course Registration FAQ

Q. How do I get into a FNCE 200-level course that is closed in Penn InTouch?

A. The only way to enroll into a FNCE 200-level course that is closed in Penn InTouch is to use the Waitlist (students can enroll in open courses using Penn InTouch directly).

** Closed sections of FNCE 100 and 101 will be added to the Waitlist.

But, for Honors FNCE 101:001-002 or FNCE 101:301-303, please see here.

Q. Where is either Penn InTouch, or the Waitlist?

A. On the web (click links below, or type into web address field):

Penn InTouch: https://sentry.isc.upenn.edu/intouch/

Waitlist: https://waitlist.wharton.upenn.edu

Q. When does the Waitlist initially open for Fall 2007 courses?

A. Monday, December 10th, 2007, at 9am.

Q. Do I HAVE to place my request on Monday, December 10th, at 9am?

A. Not necessarily------while we highly recommend that you place your request as soon as the Waitlist opens, during the "initial period" (from Dec 10th to Wed Dec 12th at 5 PM), your requests are placed in random order (but still within your "status group"), in the interest of fairness.

Thus, any request during that initial period will NOT be date/time ranked (and thus, are NOT "first-come, first-served" among others with the same status. That is, you will still be ranked among others with the same status, but in random order within that status group).

However, requests AFTER the initial period above, WILL be date/time ranked (i.e., those ARE "first-come, first-served" among others with the same status).

Thus, ultimately, we still recommend that you submit your requests on the Waitlist as soon as possible.

Q. Do I need a Wharton email account for the Waitlist?

A. Currently, it’s not required, but it helps. You should use your Wharton email/password if you have one (required of all Wharton students). If you do not have one, you can alternatively use your PennKey, please visit the Waitlist to see.

**Or, more simply, registered non-Wharton Penn students may visit http://apps.wharton.upenn.edu/accounts/class/ to obtain a Wharton email account to use when logging into the Waitlist. Applicants must have already been enrolled in at least one Wharton course.

Q. Is there any other way to get into these courses?

A. Our apologies, but there is not.
If a course is closed in Penn InTouch, you must use the Waitlist.

Q. How is my Waitlist rank (or "status") determined?

A. Your Waitlist rank (or "status") is determined by a combination of 1) Wharton/non-Wharton status, Finance/non-Finance concentration, and graduation date. Wharton Seniors with a Finance Concentration whose graduation date is May 2008 have the highest ranking. Wharton Seniors with a Finance Concentration, who graduate in May 2008, have the next highest status.

Note: Wharton Juniors with a Finance Concentration will have priority over Wharton Seniors without a Finance Concentration.

Q. My waitlist rank looks very low. Or I was "pushed" to lower on the list. Why?

A. Simply put, there are many, many students who are also using the waitlist to register.

A more detailed answer: between from Dec 10th to Dec 12th @ 5 PM (which is "the initial period"), you will be randomly sorted, amongst those who had the same "status." Thus, during that period, students who had the same status as yourself, could have gotten a lower or higher random ranking (the randomization is the interest of fairness to all those in the initial sign-up period).

If you signed up AFTER 5 PM on Dec 12th, you were then put AFTER those of the initial sign-up period, and are "date-ranked" (i.e., requests of an earlier date have a better ranking).

Furthermore, students who have a higher "status" than yourself, will be placed higher on the waitlist than yourself (during both the initial and regular periods). Even though a "higher-ranked" student may request at a later time than yourself, as the student has a higher "status," this new entry would push your rank down as a natural result.

Thus, that said, please consider your Graduation Date! Wharton Seniors with a Finance Concentration whose graduation date is May 2008 have the highest ranking (you may have a later Graduation Date on you record).

Q. In the Waitlist, why do I have to tell you how many courses I want to register for?

A. The Waitlist Application uses that number to remove unnecessary course requests, thereby keeping spaces open for people who need the courses. Whenever you are registered for a course, the application checks to see how many courses you said you wanted. If you have gotten your prefered number of courses, the application deletes all of your requests that you have ranked below your lowest-ranked registered course.

Q. Are MBA courses on the Waitlist?

A. No. The MBA courses follow the MBA Auction system.

Q. As an undergrad, can I enroll into MBA sections?

A. No. Seats in MBA sections are controlled by the Wharton MBA / Graduate Division in their auction process.

Q. Is FNCE 101: 001-002 or FNCE 101: 301-303 available on Penn InTouch? Or the Waitlist?

A. No (you will receive the "permission needed by instructor" response), these were honors sections of FNCE 101 that were by application only, due in October 2007, and all available seats in those sections had been awarded back then; thus, no seats remain.

Q. I’m a Wharton Finance-Concentrated Senior. Why am I not ranked #1 or even in the first 5?

A. Your graduation date also is a factor. Wharton Finance-Concentrated Seniors WHO GRADUATE IN MAY 2008 have highest priority. Please consider your graduation date.

Q. But I do plan to graduate in May 2008! How come the Waitlist doesn’t rank me that high?

A. You may need to verify that your SRS record is actually what you think it is. The Waitlist checks your record in the SRS (Student Registration System) Warehouse that stores your transcript data. It can only read what is in the system, including your "expected graduation date" (i.e., the final semester in which you will take classes). We cannot make changes to student records. Therefore (as was previously stated in the email to all Wharton students), it is the student’s responsibility to make sure the record in SRS is accurate and up to date. We can check what it is, but if you need to make changes, you will need to see your Undergraduate Advisor (either Wharton Undergraduate, or your specific school’s office).

Q. How do I switch sections?

A. This may sound easy, but it is in fact not. Please consider a registered seat in a course to be a "reservation." If you yourself had reserved a seat, it should be there for you, unless you yourself (and no other person) cancelled it (i.e., dropped the course).

For instance: if you were using Penn In Touch, you would need to drop the section you have in Penn InTouch, and add the new section.

But what if there are no remaining seats available in the other section?
Someone would still have to drop a seat in the desired section, before you yourself can claim a free one.

SIMPLY PUT:
BEING ENROLLED IN ONE SECTION ALREADY,
DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING INTO ANOTHER SECTION.

** So, when using the Waitlist, it is wise to keep yourself registered in the course & section you already have (i.e., don’t drop), and request a seat in another section. If a seat becomes open (i.e., someone drops) in the section requested, that seat would be given to the highest ranking requestor for that section on the Waitlist.

Q. Isn’t there any other way to switch sections?

A. Our apologies, but there is not. Again, please consider that course enrollment is like having a "reserved seat" in a class, that we cannot simply "switch." Either you would use the Waitlist for closed FNCE courses; or you would merely drop/add in Penn In Touch for open courses.

Q. Penn InTouch says I need a permit to register for this class. Can I have one?

A. It depends on the course. For closed courses, please sign onto the Waitlist. If it’s for FNCE 101:001-002 or FNCE 101:301-303, please check the answer located here. For other courses, after checking this FAQ (which answers most questions), please email us.

Q. I’ve placed a request on the Waitlist. When/how do I see results?

A. Students will not be awarded open seats in Spring 2008 waitlisted courses until Monday January 14th, 2008. In January 2008, PLEASE CHECK YOUR WHARTON/PENN EMAIL FREQUENTLY. The Waitlist will email you if you have been enrolled, or if you need to claim a permit in Penn InTouch (e.g., if you are a non-Wharton student, the Waitlist will only award you a permit, and in order to be enrolled, you will need to "claim" the permit by "adding" the course in Penn In Touch. Wharton students receiving a permit can be auto-enrolled by the Waitlist).

MORE IMPORTANTLY, you may receive an email stating, "we are unable to enroll you in this course due to a scheduling conflict." If so, it will be stated in the email that you have UNTIL 12 NOON THE FOLLOWING DAY (NOTE: it is no longer a 24-hour period) to resolve the conflict (i.e., drop the conflicting course) or your Waitlist request will be deleted. Deleted requests cannot be restored (i.e., if you wanted to re-request, you would have to place a NEW request that will reflect the current (and thus a later) date, the date that you re-requested again).

Once you resolve the conflict (i.e., drop the conflicting course), you will need to reply to the email you received, stating that the conflict has been fixed, and request to please register you for the course. You can then be placed and you will receive a new confirming email of the enrollment.

We re-emphasize, that if we receive no response to the Waitlist email, your Waitlist request will be dropped. Once your request is deleted, you must reapply (and you would do so with a later request date).

The above also applies to "Credit > Max Load" responses (i.e., that you have the maximum amount of courses and that new ones cannot be added). You would need to drop a course, and then email us to confirm this was done. Without a response, again, your request will be dropped.

Q. Am I guaranteed to get the course/section that I request?

A. Please note: while every effort will be made to accommodate your preferences, there is no guarantee a seat will open in your first or second choice. You will be enrolled in the first seat that becomes available within your selections. Your course preferences will be maintained within the Waitlist system. If a seat should open at a later date in one of your higher prioritized courses, the Waitlist will notify you via e-mail just as in the question stated above.

Q. Should I go to the class that I've requested on the Waitlist (but not gotten into)?

A. Yes-----as you would not want to fall behind on the course material----- ** BUT, if all seats are occupied by registered students, then those students have the right to a seat in the course.

Site Maintained by:
University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School
Finance Department
Please send comments, questions and suggestions to:
fnce-webmaster@wharton.upenn.edu