Registration/Beginning of Class

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>On USC's calender, it says
April 2-26 Registration for continuing students
April 27-Aug. 13 Registration for returning students and continuing students
Aug. 16-20 Registration for fall semester continues
Aug. 20 Last day to register and settle without late fee
Aug. 23 Fall semester classes begin </p>

<p>So I understand that classes start on August 23rd, but what's the registration? Is it the same thing as the summer orientations? If not, does registration take many days or only one day?</p>

2

<p>You are looking at the registration calendar for continuing students. Based on a continuing student’s unit priority, they are assigned a registration appoinment time. That is the day and time they can go online and register for their classes. If they have not met with their counseor by then, they will not be able to register until they do. They also need to get any clearances before then or there may be classes with restrictions they cannot register for at their appointed time.</p>

<p>The “continuing registration” is for students who did not register at their appointment time - you can register at that appointment time or any time thereafter, and you can make changes during the continuing registration time.</p>

<p>As an incoming freshman, your registration time will be the day and hour of your orientation registration session. It is a group session where each student logs in to a computer and registers right then and there. You will be able to register then and get any clearances from counselors who are right there as you register. Some of the most popular freshman classes are set aside for each orientation session. You will also be able to make changes after that time if classes you wanted but were unable to get open up.</p>

<p>If you do not attend registration, your registration appointment time online will be after the last orientation session, and no classes are set aside at that point. You choose from what is left.</p>

<p>“Registration” for any given student actually only takes about ten minutes. The span of time accomodates the 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students who have to register in an orderly manner.</p>

3

<p>Even though classes begin Aug 23, Freshmen arrive on campus around Aug 18th for freshman move-in week. Check this link for info from last year: [Their</a> Adventure Begins > News > USC College](<a href=“http://college.usc.edu/news/stories/607/their-adventure-begins/]Their”>http://college.usc.edu/news/stories/607/their-adventure-begins/)</p>

<p>It may surprise some, but every college has different traditions and required events. It’s all part of the process of moving to this new phase of life. At USC, it’s important to embrace these events. They are organized to help you. The freshman move-in is great. Parents are often invited to receptions by your College. You’ll also get a great opportunity to meet people, get comfortable with the campus, find your classes, get books, hang with new roommates, make last-minute adjustments to schedules if needed, buy a bike, see some of L.A. with new friends, get stuff at the bookstore, go to some awesome concerts–and become a Trojan.</p>

4

<p>alamemom and madbean…I love your posts. You make the new parents feel so informed. Thanks. My daughter will be coming in the fall…SCA… and TO…how many classes do the freshman typically register for and are all of them the GE’s. (or TO classes). Can freshman take some of their GE’s and then also take a couple of electives in SCA? (if you know). And who will be the counselors with them as they register during orienation?..CLAS? SCA? or their Admin regional counselor. The USC system is very different than the system at the college where my oldest daughter attends. The information you are passing on is so valuable.</p>

5

<p>:)
Most freshmen register for four 4-unit academic courses and a 1 or 2 unit “fun” class or freshman seminar. Your standard tuition covers up to 18 units.</p>

<p>For TO, first semester will be CORE 111 Writing Seminar 1 and an attached CORE 102 Culture and Values course (two four-unit courses). You could also take CORE 103 or CORE 104, but students who have attempted three TO courses in a semester have found it to be a very heavy load.</p>

<p>Be sure you know your lower-division requirements for your major [USC</a> Catalogue: The Schools: USC School of Cinematic Arts: Degree Programs](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/cinema/degree.html]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/cinema/degree.html) and attempt to sign up for a required course - they are often the pre-reqs for other courses so it is good to get them done. Save electives for semesters when you can’t fit a requirement into your schedule. If you need a third semester of your foreign language, get that now. If you don’t need a language, look for a diversity course that double counts for your major. I don’t see any for SCA this semester, but there might be something of interest [Schedule</a> of Classes: Fall 2010: General Education Requirements: Diversity Courses](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/academics/classes/term_20103/general_education_requirements/diversity_courses.html]Schedule”>http://www.usc.edu/academics/classes/term_20103/general_education_requirements/diversity_courses.html) </p>

<p>TO handbook: <a href=“http://college.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/honors/Thematic_Option_Student_Handbook_.pdf[/url]”>http://college.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/honors/Thematic_Option_Student_Handbook_.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>So a freshman schedule for a student in TO might look like:</p>

<p>CORE 111 - 4 units
CORE 102 - 4 units
Language or Diversity - 4 units
Lower-division requirement for major - 4 units
Freshman seminar, PE, music, or other “fun” 1 or 2 unit course</p>

<p>Yes, there will be counselors. Students go to counseling by major. There is also a TO group in addition to the groups by major, and both SCA and TO will tell you you HAVE to go with them. Hopefully one of the SCA majors or moms will let you know which you should go to.</p>

6

<p>I agree the folks on here are awesome!!</p>

<p>For an engineering major what would the first semester look like - with 8 AP courses?</p>

7

<p>alamemom…fantastic post. We are getting to understand this a little better. Your help is much appreciated. Do you know the requirements for the TB test? Does it have to be administered in the USA? Is there a physical required for admission other than the TB test?</p>

8

<p>Here is the TB test requirement. It says it must be administered in either the US or Canada. IIRC, one also needs documentation for MMR.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Southern California - University Park Health Center](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ms.tuberculosis.screening.shtml]University”>http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ms.tuberculosis.screening.shtml)</p>

9

<p>pixeljig - my student is a CLAS major w/SCA minor and is in TO, so while I have some info about those areas, I am afraid I don’t know the specific requirements for engineering. I know there are some engineering students who post - you might try posting a new thread to get their advice.</p>

<p>I can link you to the catalogue for Viterbi which lists the requirements: [USC</a> Catalogue: The Schools: USC Viterbi School of Engineering](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/engineering/]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/engineering/) That is the 09-10 catalogue - I haven’t found a link to 10-11 yet, but the requirements are probably the same (double-check when the 10-11 catalogue is available!).</p>