Be sure you're using your colorado.edu email address and checking it regularly.

Go to Buff Portal to set up your CU email account.

Email is the official form of communication at CU Boulder. Any correpondence to a party on campus should come from your university email address. Emails sent from an outside source may fall under spam and be ignored by the recipient. Announcements from your advisor will be sent to your CU email address.

If you experience issues setting up or using your CU email address, please contact OIT by calling (303) 735-HELP or emailing help@colorado.edu.

Find out what AP/IB/transfer credit(s) count for CU Aerospace.

Advanced Placement with AES Equivalent
International Baccalaureate with AES Equivalent
Transferology

Be sure that you have requested your AP scores, IB scores, and/or transcripts be sent to the Office of Admissions.

Map out your classes for your first year.

The department recommends you take the following courses during the fall and spring semesters of your first year on campus: Recommended Aerospace Engineering courses for Freshmen

Create a Humanities & Social Science plan. Do the same if you have a MAPS deficiency.

You are required to complete 9 hours of lower-division humanities & social science (LDHSS - 1000 or 2000 level), 6 hours of upper-division humanities & social science (UDHSS - 3000 or 4000 level), and 3 hours of upper-division writing (specifically WRTG 3030, 3035, HUEN 3100 or HUEN 1010 if taken in the freshmen year).

  • It often helps to begin making a H&SS plan beginning with the UDHSS classes you'd like to take and working backwards since most UDHSS classes have course pre-requisites of LDHSS classes. When making your plan you should also include AP/IB/Transfer credits if they fulfill the HSS requirements.
  • Information on selecting H&SS courses.

If you have been informed that you have a Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) deficiency you need to plan out how you'll fulfill any missing requirements prior to graduation. If you have questions about MAPS, please email your academic advisor.

Find out if you'd like to declare a minor or certificate.

A minor or certificate is not required, but you may find that there is a subject you enjoy and would like to learn more about. Minors and certificates can be good additions to your transcript and resume. Depending on the minor or certificate you choose you can often fulfill either humanities/social science or Professional Area Elective requirements. Your academic advisor can provide additional information about how certain requirements can be fulfilled depending on the minor or certificate you choose. Every minor/certificate is different and will require some research on your part to find out what courses you would need to take to fulfill the requirements.

Make sure you choose the right Calculus class.

Even if you have AP/IB/transfer credit for Calculus, it's best that you base your decision on which calculus course to take by how well you score on one of the old APPM finals. For example, if you've taken AP Calculus BC (which could give you credit for Calculus 1 and 2) you'll want to start by taking APPM 1350 and 1360. To take the exam, you'll want to allot 2 & 1/2 hours with no calculator or notes. You'll then want to grade yourself with the solutions to see how well you did. If you score well on the exam then you probably have the knowledge to go to the next level of APPM classes. If you do poorly it is highly suggested that you take the APPM class. A strong foundation in Calculus is critical for your success in AES. It's better to take a step back and repeat calculus than to try and rush. Rushing tends to lead to low grades and GPAs, which can result in academic probation and/or suspension.

Choose an Engineering Projects course.

GEEN 1400, ASEN 1400, ASEN 1403 and ECEN 1400 are all options you have for an Engineering Projects course.

Course Descriptions:
GEEN 1400
ASEN 1400
ASEN 1403
ECEN 1400

Transfer students: There are additional options for transfer students. Check with your academic advisor for information.

Familiarize yourself with your Degree Audit in Buff Portal.

Please run the degree audit that is available through Buff Portal. A degree audit will show how your courses will toward your degree plan - specifically if you have AP/IB/transfer credit. The audit will tell you if you have or still need certain degree requirements. This is also where you can find the full list of acceptable professional area electives.

Instructions on how to run a degree audit can be found here.

Read the College's Academic Policies, Calendar/Deadlines, and Engineering Student FAQs.
Familiarize yourself with the resources on campus.