<p>How does it work and when does it happen during orientation? What should I have prepared? Strategy to maximize that classes/professors that I want?</p>
<p>The friday of orientation, each student will have an appointment with their academic adviser. </p>
<p>Before meeting, since there’s not much time for everyone, it’s recommended that you prepare a desired schedule before your appointment to make your time most effective. </p>
<p>I came up with a tentative schedule online with: [CU</a> Directory of Classes](<a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb]CU”>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb) </p>
<p>PM with your email if you’d like me to send mine to you as an example.</p>
<p>Wait, what? I don’t think you need to make an appointment with your advisor in order to register. You have a registration appointment online (which you can check on SSOL). When your time comes, you enter the registration numbers of the courses you want. If they’re full, you can’t add them. Use the CU directory to build a tentative schedule while paying attention to which classes are already full.</p>
<p>For classes with multiple sections, you should write down the registration numbers for all the sections that would fit your schedule (in case you don’t get your first choice). </p>
<p>Once registration starts, your appointment will last until something like 9:30 pm, but obviously, you want to register as early as possible. Sometimes desperate refreshing will get you into a class that’s already full (because someone just dropped out or switched).</p>
<p>You’re supposed to meet with your advising dean at some point before registration to go over your tentative schedule. S/he will let you know if it’s feasible or if you’re being too ambitious. However, the general advising here is pretty terrible.</p>
<p>So,
- Wait for registration appointment to be given to you
- Add classes on SSOL
- goto classes?</p>
<p>Should I add more classes than I really think I will take so I can try them out for the first week?</p>
<p>I dunno whether or not it’s a good idea (some current students could better answer that), but I’m pretty sure the system won’t let you register for more than 22 points, so you can’t register for every class you might want to take and then drop half of them.</p>
<p>^You’re right. You can’t register for more than 22 points, but some classes are more likely to fill up than others, so you should add those to your schedule first (if you really want to take them) and then add/drop if necessary.</p>
<p>are freshman already registered with their CC class? they are all full.</p>
<p>Uh, freshmen take Lit Hum, not CC (Contemporary Civ). You should be pre-registered for it. You can see which section you’re in by logging in to SSOL (ssol.columbia.edu). The professor isn’t displayed yet, though.</p>
<p>right so those are all sophomores, my bad. </p>
<p>I’m confused about which classes to take. I would love to compare some poli sci classes, but with only the title, how am I suppose to judge what the class covers?</p>
<p>Go to the Columbia bulletin (look around on the Columbia website). There should be more detailed descriptions of the classes there. If that doesn’t work, try directly going to the poli sci department’s site. It might even have a syllabus archive that you can browse. If you still don’t have enough information, search your professor’s last name or the title of the course on Courseworks (courseworks.columbia.edu). Courseworks is basically the online syllabus/filing system used by professors. You can drop off assignments in the dropbox, check what’s due for each class, etc. Some professors rely on it more than others, and you can sometimes see the Courseworks site for past classes (depending on if the professor enables public viewing).</p>
<p>Also, you can find out more about the professor by looking him/her up on CULPA. </p>
<p>You can also use the first week of classes to shop around. If you’re afraid a class will fill up quickly, you can register for it, go to the first lecture, and then decide from there if you actually want to take it. A lot of people course-shop during the first week.</p>
<p>I’m still kind of confused. So when does this “registration appointment” come out? Are you supposed to make the appointment yourself, or do they give it to you? That… or are you supposed register for classes during orientation?</p>
<p>I hate how Columbia doesn’t make these things clear for incoming students. <em>sigh</em>.</p>
<p>The appointments are announced August 7th. </p>
<p>I don’t care for it either…</p>
<p>The registration appointments are posted on SSOL several weeks in advance. You can register at any time during your appointment but not before or after (obviously). These appointments are given.</p>
<p>thanks for the information…</p>
<p>Most other students I know already got class schedules… figured I might have missed something.</p>
<p>Are they continuing students or entering students? Continuing students register in the spring; that’s why some classes already have students in it or are nearly full.</p>
<p>After your registration appointment (and everyone’s), is it open to everyone to add and drop classes?</p>
<p>The add/drop period extends for a couple of weeks (I think about a month or so) beyond your last registration appointment. If you want to add/drop a class after the online registration period, you have to fill out a form signed by your advisor and the professor. The add/drop deadline for Core classes is much sooner than the one for regular classes, since there’s a higher demand for them.</p>
<p>If you want to take the accelerated physics class (2801) and Honors Math, there are only one class/section of each. Can you then switch out of “pre-registered” Lit Hum and/or Frontiers of Science classes in order to take the Accel. Physics and Math? Can you get into other Core class sections? Or are they all filled then? Is it crazy to think of taking
Physics 2801
Honors Math
Lit Hum
Frontiers of Science
and a language - Chinese? probably intermediate level?<br>
Do you need to speak with an advisor before registering? Or can you register before you speak to your advisor?
So many questions…</p>
<p>The only thing I know about accelerated physics is that it’s insanely difficult and not to be taken with other time-intensive classes. I know nothing about honors math, but it also sounds difficult. I think Denzera would know more about this, but you can always search for “accelerated physics” on this forum.</p>
<p>It is possible to switch out of your Core sections. You just do it during your regular registration appointment. There’s a function that allows you to search for other open sections of the same class, and then you can switch sections (if any are open). If you can’t find an available section, try going to the Core office to petition a change in section.</p>
<p>You’re supposed to meet with your advisor before you register, but they’re really useless. I don’t think their advice is very good for judging your own schedule. But it doesn’t hurt to meet with him/her, if only to ask more specific questions about bureaucratic processes (like dropping a class, getting AP credit, etc).</p>
<p>Are there certain subjects we must take besides University Writing and Lit Hum?</p>
<p>Can we pick classes that meet the Core Curriculum in any order throughout our four years there?</p>