Priority registration may seem like an unfair advantage, but it is a well-deserved necessity for many students. And those students should be able to sign up for whatever classes they want, up to the 18 units per semester El Camino allows all students to register for, according to the 2011-2012 EC Catalog.

Students who receive priority include the handicapped or disadvantaged students “for the purpose of providing equalization of education,” according to EC’s catalog. Next, continuing students have priority based on the number of units they have completed and are currently enrolled at EC. Continuing students with a GPA over 2.0 are given priority over those who do not stay academically eligible.

The point of priority registration is to level the playing field. Many student athletes are limited to early classes because of afternoon practices.

These students should be able to register for the maximum number of the units, regardless of whether or not they keep all of their classes.

It would be unfair to limit all priority registration students because some might take advantage of the system. These students have the benefit of registering early in order to fit the classes they need into a busy schedule.

Students who receive priority based on their involvement in athletics, campus clubs and Associated Student Organization will likely not register for the maximum amount of units, as they are often very busy and receive priority based on the difficulty of scheduling classes around these activities.

But if they are able to handle a heavy course load with their activities, they should be allowed to attempt it. And if they discover they can’t handle it, they cannot be penalized for dropping a class. They deserve that opportunity.