i need some help please!

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

<p>hi!
the deadline for registeration for classes is approaching but i still have no, no clue at all.
first of all, i don't even know where to start.
what can freshmen take? what should freshmen take? 15credits? 18 credits? whats all this? how would i know the rigor of courses, how would i know and how do you guys know about it? i know nothing from the beginning to the end.</p>

<p>i thought the college will give freshmen a list of classes that freshmen can take and limit how many classes we can take and let us choose from the list or something? or something really simple like that.</p>

<p>i want to think about classes that i am going to take......please help me on how to get started!!</p>

2

<p>Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!</p>

<p>1.) You can only pre-register (register online) for up to 11 credits. So, about three classes. You register for the other 1-2 classes during Orientation. You can also add/drop classes and switch your schedule around if it doesn’t work.</p>

<p>They “recommend” 13-15 credits, however, even my peer adviser says taking 5 classes won’t hurt. But if you’re worried about settling in to W&M and the academic rigor, go with 4 classes.</p>

<p>2.) What do you want to take? What are you majoring in? You also need to tackle some GERs freshman year (especially language classes if you need them).</p>

<p>[Here</a> are the things you should look at for first semester.](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/firstsemester/index.php]Here”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/firstsemester/index.php) </p>

<p>Make sure you look through all the GERs, and try to pick out the ones you’d like to get done first and second semester. Then pick which classes you want to take to get them done.</p>

<p>You know how you use myWM? </p>

<p>Log in > Go to “Banner” > Student and Finaid > Registration > Look up Classes to Add</p>

<p>You can use the search to find a list of all the freshman seminars and you can pick the ones that you like the most. </p>

<p>Then you can look up classes that fit the GERs you want to take. </p>

<p>If you want to fit any classes for your major in, look up the intro level courses that correspond to it and note them down.</p>

<p>(However, if you have AP/DE credit, check in “Student Records” (right below Registration) > Academic Transcript > Choose “Undergraduate” for level > Submit to see which classes you’re already getting credit for.)</p>

<p>3.) Make a list and alternates of the classes you want.</p>

<p>There are 5 digit numbers (CRNs or something) that’ll be in the description for every class when you look them up. </p>

<p>Note those down along with the class names and times and such.</p>

<p>When registration opens and you go to add classes, there will boxes to type the numbers in. If there’s a class that comes up full when you try to register for it, then pick an alternate, and so on and so forth.</p>

<p>Hope this helps! </p>

<p>By the way, on myWM, make sure you watch the “Registration Video.” It’s on the New Student tab. =)</p>

<p>(Also, we should get the whole catalogue of classes and majors at Orientation, I believe.)</p>

3

<p>preauxlife, was an upperclassman assigned to you to answer your registration questions online before the first registration date? My d, a rising junior, was assigned to help 4 incoming freshman, and I believe that all freshmen have these informal student advisors. My d emailed “her” freshmen a couple of weeks ago, and plans to email them again tonight in case they have last minute questions. </p>

<p>I know a bewildering amount of information comes in from the school before your first semester, but I’d suggest you look through yoiur emails again and see if you received something like this.</p>

<p>You could also PM me - my d might be able to answer any general questions you have when she gets home from work this evening. These students don’t do academic advising, of course - they just answer questions about the process of registering, what courses can help fulfill your GERs, etc. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Oh yeah! Thanks Frazzled. I mentioned peer advisers in my post and didn’t even think about it!</p>

<p>Did your adviser never email you, preauxlife? </p>

<p>Let me shoot you a PM real quick!</p>

5

<p>you can take whatever there is space in that you have the prereqs for.</p>

<p>I recommend you take some GER classes. And at least 1 class in the subject you think you might want to major in.</p>

<p>Do you know what you want to major in?</p>

<p>If there’s a seminar you want, you should try to get it on the first sign up where you are limited to 11 credits. Leave the bigger classes for later.</p>

<p>Spend some quality time with the course catalog online looking at what is available and what you want to take (and what you can fit into your schedule).</p>

6

<p>I usually have all these windows when I’m looking at classes.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Microsoft word to copy and paste classes that look interesting. You know, to try and make some sort of schedule.</p></li>
<li><p>The courses available for registration. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Log into myWM > Banner > Student & Finaid > Registration > Lookup Classes to add > Fall 2010 > In the “Campus” part make sure to select “Main Campus” and in the “Course Level” part make sure to select “Undergraduate” Besides that, you can leave everything alone. Unless you want to generate classes by GER or by type in which case you’d go to “Attribute Type” and filter your classes through there.</p>

<ol>
<li>This window
[William</a> & Mary - Academic Advising and Fall Registration](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/orientation/tribeguide/checklist/registration/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/orientation/tribeguide/checklist/registration/index.php) </li>
</ol>

<p>which is just a brief synopsis on Academic Advising and Fall Registration. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>The Amateur Advisor
<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/Amateur_Advisor.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/Amateur_Advisor.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
This document sort of breaks down everything in common terms</p></li>
<li><p>IMPORTANT ONE. Course selection guidebook.
<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/course_selection_guidebook.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/course_selection_guidebook.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ol>

<p>From page 8 onwards, it has a list of classes available for you that fulfill each GER. </p>

<ol>
<li>THE UG Course catalog.
<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/documents/catalog/2009-2010_UG_Catalog.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/documents/catalog/2009-2010_UG_Catalog.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ol>

<p>This is just last year’s course catalog that has pretty much every single class ever. Sometimes it can be helpful if you are looking for a certain class under a major.</p>

<ol>
<li>Academic Worksheet
<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/AcademicWorksheet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/advising/documents/AcademicWorksheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ol>

<p>Helps you coordinate and figure out what classes you are going to take as well as shows you how to meet the basic requirements.</p>

<ol>
<li>Rate My Professors.
[College</a> of William and Mary - Virginia](<a href=“http://ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=269]College”>http://ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=269)</li>
</ol>

<p>This site has ratings and reviews by students that have taken a particular class. This helps you know which are the great professors and which are the terrible ones. If you really are unsure about a class and you find out that the professor is remarkable (as they often are) then it’s worth it no?</p>

<p>Also, make sure to go to banner > student&finaid > Student Records > Degree Evaluation > Fall 2010 and submit > Generate New Evaluation (Found in the bottom) > Select and press Generate new evaluation > General Requirements</p>

<p>This will tell you, based on your DE, AP and other credits, what GERS you are already done with and/or exempt from. Make sure the information is correct. And plus if, for example, you are done with GER1 then you don’t have to take any math course! :smiley: So this will help you plan as well. </p>

<p>Hope that helps, if you need any more help. Let me know! Through this or message or whatever. </p>

<p>But yeah, I gotta agree. This stuff is confusing. Can’t wait to get it over with!</p>

7

<p>Lots of good advice here. I’ll try to fill in a few more bits.</p>

<p>-For the most part, 100 and 200 level courses are intro-level, and 300-400 level courses are more advanced. It’s probably a good idea to start with the intro courses; most upper-level courses have prerequisites in the 100-200 level anyway (the course catalog will tell you this). Your situation may be different if you have a strong background (or transfer/AP credits) in a given area.</p>

<p>-Like soccerguy said, try to grab a seminar in the first round. There are some seminars in the spring, but most are in the fall so you’re more likely to have a wide selection. You’re more likely to snag an empty seat or a capacity override for a large course than a small seminar, so save the big courses for later registration periods.</p>

<p>-If you still don’t have a seat in a big course you want, email the professor to ask about an override and then show up to class to reiterate your interest if they haven’t granted you one by the time August rolls around. This works upwards of 75% of the time.</p>

<p>-15 to 16 credits (a normal load) is by no means unmanageable, but many opt for 13-14 to give themselves a semester to adapt to the college environment and workload.</p>

<p>-I would recommend taking a seminar, one GER, one intro-level course in your intended major, and one class outside of your intended major that just looks interesting. This is a good start toward getting your requirements out of the way and gives you some room to explore. It’s not uncommon for students to change their mind when it comes to majors, so explore a little bit early on while you can still switch without delaying your graduation. I went in thinking I would definitely be government, then I switched to computer science, and finally decided on business.</p>

<p>-RateMyProfessor is a great resource. Don’t only choose classes based off the Easiness rating though. Avoid challenging and unhelpful professors, but seek out challenging and helpful professors. These are usually classes where you learn a ton, and you can still earn a good grade because you are motivated to put in the work. Unless it’s in a GER area that you despise or are terrible at… then save your GPA and pick an easy one.</p>

8

<p>Lots of great advice here. If it hasn’t already been mentioned, remember that there’s a video through the myWM New Student tab that assists you with registration. Additionally, the Office of Academic Advising and the Registrar are useful points of contact.</p>

9

<p>thank you so much everyone!
was a big big help! thanks!</p>