Transcript
Student: Hi, I was told I should come here if I could not register for Biology 214. The online system says the lab is full, but the course is required for my environmental science major.
Advisor: Let me pull up the section list. Biology 214 lecture still has seats, but you are right, the Tuesday lab is full. Are you trying to take that specific lab because of another class conflict?
Student: Yes. The Thursday lab meets at the same time as statistics, and statistics is also required. I thought I could just join the lecture and wait for a lab seat to open, but the system will not let me register for only the lecture.
Advisor: It will not, because the lecture and lab are linked. Let's not solve the problem twice, though. First I want to check whether you actually need Biology 214 this semester or whether it can move to spring.
Student: My department checklist says it should be completed before field methods, and I planned to take field methods in spring. If I delay 214, field methods would move to next year.
Advisor: That makes sense. In that case, you have two realistic options. One is to place yourself on the Tuesday lab waitlist and keep checking for movement during the first week. Students often change lab sections once they see their work schedules. The second option is to ask the instructor for a capacity override. It is not guaranteed, because labs have safety limits, but sometimes one extra student is possible if equipment allows it.
Student: Should I email the professor directly, or does this office send the request?
Advisor: You should email the professor. Include your major, your graduation plan, and the conflict with statistics. Keep it short. If the professor approves an override, forward the approval to this office and we will process the registration manually.
Student: OK. And if I stay on the waitlist, will I lose my place if I also ask for the override?
Advisor: No, those are separate. Stay on the waitlist today, then send the email. If neither works by next Friday, come back and we can talk about adjusting the spring plan.
Question 1: Purpose
Why does the student go to the advising office?
Answer: B. The student's first line gives the purpose: he cannot register for Biology 214 because the lab is full, and the course is required.
Question 2: Function
Why does the advisor say, "Let's not solve the problem twice"?
Answer: C. The advisor checks whether Biology 214 can move to spring. If it could, there would be no need to solve the lab conflict immediately.
Question 3: Detail
What does the advisor recommend that the student include in his email to the professor?
Answer: B. The advisor gives this list explicitly while explaining the capacity override request.
Related listening practice
- Practice Test 2 includes student support and advising-style passages.
- Art history lecture sample practices lecture note-taking.
- Biology lecture sample targets inference and detail questions.
- TOEFL Listening question types explains what each question asks.