First- Year Registration for Undeclared General Studies Students
The Advising and Learning Assistance Center (ALAC) advisors are here to assist you through advising and registration process. Many students don’t know what major to choose, we will assist you in exploring all of your options.
All students will register online before the Fall semester begins. To prepare for registration, students should review the timeline listed below and look at the Rensselaer Catalog http://catalog.rpi.edu/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=496
for particular majors.
*For more information on how to register on SIS please click on the following link: https://mediasite.mms.rpi.edu/Mediasite5/Play/b4d330c5e72549f1b648e3d930c06d631d
Timeline:
July 11th - July 20th: Advising Consultation starts
This is a time when students begin to review the majors offered at Rensselaer and begin to have a conversation with one of our academic counselors about your interests, and possible majors. Students should also review the Advanced Placement (AP)/transfer policies, https://admissions.rpi.edu/undergraduate/high-school-preparation#AdvancedPlacement
Also familiarize yourself with the use of the Student Information System (SIS) https://sis.rpi.edu/rss/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin . One of Academic Counselors (listed below) will help you develop a list of potential majors and courses for fall registration.
Additional Planning for Undeclared Students
Advising and Learning Assistance Center are the assigned advisors to Undeclared General Studies students. Since undeclared General Studies Students do not have a degree template, ALAC will need to build one that suits your interests and needs. First, we want to get to know who you are. What are your goals, expectations, and wishes? After an in-depth discussion, we will then help build your schedule. You can communicate with any of the advisors listed below:
Consult Summer Orientation Schedule here to get more details about deadlines and activities: (link)
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July 21st - August 3rd: Course Registration
Registration for fall courses will be available. The registrar will send first year students an email, indicating the date and time course registration will begin. Please view the FYE video on course registration and if you have any questions, please contact one of our academic counselors.
A few tips when putting your registration together:
- Plan on registering for 17 credits (4 -4 credit courses and 1- credit Seminar)
- Plan and choose on a math class – Engineering and Science majors take a different Calculus class than HASS, Architecture or Management majors.
- Plan and choose a science class- Any of the 1000 level science classes( Bio, Computer Science, Chemistry, Earth & Environmental, Physics) will be fine. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate IB /transfer credits might change your course selection.
- Plan and choose a Humanities, Arts, and Social Science class(HASS) and or an Interdisciplinary Humanities, Arts, and Social Science Class (IHSS).
- Plan on enrolling in ADMN 1962- First Year Seminar. This is a one hour weekly seminar required of all undeclared students.
- There might be some restricted classes that ALAC advisors will need to get approval from the particular school or department before you can register for that class. We will help you through those steps.
When you are here in the fall, you will be enrolled in a first year seminar that meets weekly throughout the first semester. The seminar provides students with information about the different majors available at Rensselaer. There are presentations from various offices and departments from each of our five schools to provide more in depth information about the different curricula, career and research opportunities.
July 22nd and Beyond
When you come to campus, students will have a chance to review their course schedule with an academic advisor. You have the first two weeks to add and drop courses. Please see an ALAC staff member during the first week of classes if you need to change your schedule or want to declare a major. Students may contact ALAC office at any time to ask questions and make changes to their schedule.