Registration

Lecture

CHOOSING COURSES

Probably the most exciting part of the orientation process is choosing the courses you will be taking. When choosing classes think about your interests and your passion. It is a good idea to balance your specific degree and major requirements with course topics that intrigue you. Each student’s schedule is unique and depends on prior academic performance and future goals.

Below you can access a list of courses offered during orientation - this list represents courses that are appropriate for first-year students that are likely to have spaces open. Once you begin your career at CU-Boulder you will be able to search for all available classes on your own through MyCUinfo. Take the time to review the degree and major requirements of your chosen field, then choose at least two courses from each A&S core category that interest you. Some classes fill up during a given session so it is always wise to have an alternate or two in mind before registering. You will have the opportunity to review your course selections with an advisor during orientation.

Orientation Course Listings (Available Fall term only)- This list should be used when picking courses for your first semester at CU-Boulder. It will save you a great deal of time and energy when registering during orientation. Please come to orientation with at least two courses from each core category selected as possible schedule options.

Search Course Options - You can practice using the online registration system by searching CU-Boulder course offerings. Please be aware that you should use the list provided above to select classes for your first semester at CU-Boulder. Many of the courses you will discover when searching through all courses may have certain prerequisites or be restricted to a particular student population.

Majors and course recommendations - This lists the various majors and programs of study within the College of Arts and Sciences with some recommended courses for students new to CU-Boulder. It is highly recommended that you review these to get an idea of appropriate classes for your interests. Remember that you will be meeting with an orientation advisor to help you through the course selection process.

Once you have your Identikey and password for MyCUinfo, it will be possible to run a degree audit for your chosen major, as well as any others that interest you by selecting the "What If" option.

How To Use Your Degree Audit

Though you may think that an advisor's role is to help students register for classes, that's not quite right. Orientation is an exception to the norm in that orientation advisors will pre-register students for a couple of courses and will be very hands-on in helping students select other courses to round out their schedule.

Unfortunately, students grow to expect that routine when it's time to register for the second semester when, in fact, students register entirely independently, using their degree audit as a guide. Advising is not required prior to registering in most cases. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor before registering, but only to share ideas and take advantage of the advisor's vast knowledge base and ideas about creating a well-rounded academic experience. Students will select courses that meet remaining requirements by reading their degree audit and selecting the options that sound most interesting. Confirming that they're on the right path with their selections is always smart but, after orientation, an advisor will not play a directive role in a student's selections.

Follow Your Passion & Explore

Your Options

Your college experience is an opportunity to explore your interests, both inside and outside the classroom, and to build a strong foundation for your future. Your Arts & Sciences major should be a discipline in which you'll enjoy learning and be academically successful. A variety of opportunities to participate in internships, Study Abroad and undergraduate research will combine with your major to help enhance your career opportunites after graduation.

Career Services offers a variety of assessments to help you identify your interests and strengths. In fact, you can complete many of these assessments before you even arrive on campus! These can be useful tools in learning how your strengths and interests fit into majors offered at CU-Boulder. If you are undecided about your academic path, these types of activites can help to narrow the fields that most interest you.

If you're interested in self-guided exploration before you arrive for orientation, the Major & Career Exploration model, jointly developed by Open Option and Career Services, is worth checking out! You'll find specific steps and recommendations to help you decide which major or majors are the best fit for you.

Seats in Courses are Saved for Incoming Students

You do not need to worry about finding space in courses, no matter when you attend orientation. A select portion of courses (like those in the Orientation Course Listing) set aside space for the incoming group of students. These are spaces that were not available to the continuing population when they registered in April for the fall semester and they are spread equally throughout each orientation session. There are usually not enough seats in any one course for every new student but in total there are enough seats for new students to get a full schedule.

After a couple of semesters on campus, students will have an earlier registration time and will have much better luck getting those "most popular" seats.

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. ~David Frost