How To Bid for Classes in OPUS
Getting Started:
Go to https://www.opus.emory.edu/
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Login with your OPUS ID and Password. If you have trouble logging in, help is
available from Computing - Tanisha Hill or the lab in Cox Hall.
Once you are logged in, select "Academics", then “Graduate Business Bidding”,
and term (5089 for Fall 2008, 5091 for Spring 2009).
The Bidding Class Entry screen is displayed. Scroll across and down, if necessary, to
view the entire screen.
a. Back = takes you back one screen.
b. Search = takes you back to the search screen.
c. Insert = inserts a new class request row.
d. Delete = removes a class selection, see below.
e. Reset = will clear a row of information without saving the information.
Enter the information for each of your Primary and Alternate Classes. You must
enter the 4 digit OPUS number for each class. If you want to use bid points, you
must enter the number of points. If you have an alternate, please list its 4 digit
number. The credits, associated labs, grading and other fields can be left blank.
Click “Insert” to get an additional row and enter the next class.
Save when you are finished.
During your bidding period, you may change your bid as often as you like. Bids will only be
sent to the registration system when bidding closes for your class. All bids are processed
after bidding closes for your class. This means that getting your bid in early gives you no
advantage.
Using your Bid Points:
You will be allotted 60 points to bid on your classes. You will need to use all 60 points for your
bids to be accepted by the bidding system. Students will be assigned to a course based on the
combination of their class priority level and the points they allot. Courses are scheduled in the
following order:
Starting with the course with the highest number of points on your schedule:
1. Primary choice course (and section).
2. If this is closed, the system uses alternate course or section entered on the same line as
the primary course listed by the student.
3. If none are listed, or if all alternates listed are closed, the system randomly chooses an
open section of the primary choice course if one exists.
4. If all possible alternate courses/sections are closed, the student receives a “dummy”
course. This is a placeholder only, and can be deleted once drop/add is open.
5. The process then starts again on the course with the second highest number of points.
The computer does not know the difference between core and elective courses. It will not place
you in a core course above an elective if they conflict in time and you have more points on the
elective. If you did not get a section of a core course, you must rearrange your schedule during
drop/add.
Example:
Here is an example to demonstrate how the bidding will work.
Sample Course Schedule
1111
1112
1113
1121
1122
1131
1132
1133
1141
1142
1151
1152
1161
BUS 513
BUS 513
BUS 513
BUS 636
BUS 547
BUS 514
BUS 514
BUS 514
BUS 649
BUS 649
BUS 628A
BUS 628A
BUS 635
Managerial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Brand & Prod Mgmt
Financial Statement Analysis
Financial Statement Analysis
Financial Statement Analysis
Marketing Strategy
Marketing Strategy
Investment Banking
Investment Banking
Multinational Enterprise Strat
MW
MW
MW
TT
TT
MW
MW
Th
MW
MW
TT
TT
TT
8:15 - 9:30
10:00 - 11:15
1:00 - 2:15
10:00 - 11:15
10:00 - 11:15
10:00 - 11:15
11:30 - 12:45
6:30 - 9:30 pm
11:30 - 12:45
2:30 - 3:45
11:30 - 12:45
1:00 - 2:15
11:30 - 12:45
Scenario:
A second year MBA student has the following requirements for next semester’s schedule:
 Must take Managerial Accounting
 Top priorities for electives are Financial Statement Analysis and Investment Banking
 Would also like to take Multinational Enterprise Strategy
 Wants to take one Marketing elective
Number
1152
1132
1142
1161
1112
Course
Day
Time
Points
Investment Banking
Financial Statement
Analysis (FSA)
Marketing Strategy
TT
MW
1:00 – 2:15
11:30 – 12:45
24
15
Left blank
1131 (FSA at 10 am)
MW
2:30 – 3:45
12
Multinational Enterprise
Strategy
Managerial Accounting
TT
11:30 – 12:45
9
1161 (Multinational
Enterprise Strategy)
1122 (Brand Mgmt)
MW
10:00 – 11:15
0
1113 (Mgr Acct at 1 pm)
Total Points Used
Alternate
60
Here is what the computer will do. It looks for class with most points listed – and tries to place
student in that course first.
1.
If Investment Banking at 1:00 is full, then it will put the student into the other time. If
both are full, it will give the student a "dummy course" meaning that you have an
unscheduled course for 3 hours. You would have to pick up an additional course in
drop/add.
2.
Goes to FSA next. If the 11:30 is full, then it knows to look at 10:00 next, because it
was listed as an alternate. If you left this blank - it would randomly choose a time that
is open for FSA.
3.
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5.
If Marketing Strategy is full, instead of the other time - which conflicts with FSA, it will
look for Multinational Enterprise Strategy. This allows the alternate to take on the
points of the primary course and elevates your next elective in the scheduling.
Just in case you get Marketing Strategy, you still want Multinational Enterprise
included in your bids. So it’s a good idea to include Multinational Enterprise as a
primary course on the next line. If you got Multinational instead of Marketing Strategy,
when seeing Multinational as a primary, the computer will go directly to your
alternate. You should list a completely different course in this case. By listing
another marketing course, you can accomplish your goal of one marketing course.
You are indifferent to what time you take Managerial Accounting - and 2 of the
sections fit fine in your schedule, so you bid 0 points.
Additional Tips on Bidding:
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Talk to your classmates, so you can get a sense of which classes are going to be the
most popular, and will need more points to get them on your schedule.
Look at the number of spaces available in a class / section to help you decide how
many points to bid. During bidding, refer to the latest schedule from the Registrar’s Office
for the number of available spaces. First years – be sure to look at the revised class
schedule, once the second years have completed their bidding. The number of
spaces available in each class will have changed. Think about your own priorities
for the upcoming semester, and adjust your bids accordingly.
Core classes are scheduled so there are enough spots for everyone to take the class
who needs to take it. As such, the only reason you should use bidding points on a
core class is if you have a strong preference for the TIME you take that core class.
Examples: avoiding an early morning class, selecting a specific section since it is the only
section that does not conflict with your particular elective choices.
It is fairly uncommon to have a waitlist for a class, but it does happen. If we do have
to start a waitlist, the MBA Program Office, the Registrar’s Office, and the Faculty work
together to either open additional spaces, or let people on the know when a spot has
opened up that they may take. By the end of the drop/add period, all waitlists are
resolved.
Once Drop/Add Opens:
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Bid points are no longer used. If you find an open space in a course, you can add it to
your schedule.
You may make as many changes as you like, until the drop/add period closes on the
Friday of the first week of classes.
You will need to look up the available spaces directly in OPUS, as this number will
change as soon as someone adds or drops a class. You can do this through a class
search in OPUS.