First Year Students

As you explore course options, some will have linked components, such as recitations (REC), discussions (DIS), labs (LAB), clinicals (CLN) and additional lecture (LEC) sections. If you are considering one of these courses, you must register for all components required for that course.

When creating your first semester schedule, keep in mind that some courses are part of a sequence, including:

• Prerequisite: a course that must be completed prior to enrolling
  -or-
• Corequisite: a course that must be taken concurrently with another course, unless credit has already been earned

You can use the “validate” feature in SIS to check for pre/corequisite issues. If you’re expecting to use AP, IB or transfer credit as a prerequisite, you will need to wait until that credit is received and posted in SIS (in the "Course History" section) before you can successfully validate. Don't forget to send your official scores, and notify your advisor if they may not be received prior to registration.

Double check that you do not have any holds on your account in SIS, as these will prevent you from registering. 

If you have a “Roadmap Hold”, you must complete the following from your Roadmap.

• Information for your advisor 
• Math Placement, if applicable 
• Selecting Your First-Year Writing Seminar 
• Test Scores and College Credit Evaluations
• Completing a Meeting with your Advisor

Beyond the “Roadmap Hold”, the university also requires you to submit the following to register:

• Student Financial Responsibility Agreement
• Completing the emergency contact information in SIS

Each credit hour represents one hour of time spent in class each week, plus approximately 2-3 hours of associated effort outside the classroom (e.g. reading and preparation before class, review and practice after class, and self-study for exams and assignments). So, a 3-credit hour course would equate to 3 hours of class time per week, plus 6 to 9 hours of work outside of class per week (but sometimes more during peak times).  Take this into account when crafting your semester schedule!

Full-time status is enrollment in anywhere between 12-19 credit hours, while anything less than 12 credits is considered part-time.  We recommend that most students enroll in 14-17 credits in their first semester at CWRU in order to gain a solid academic foundation and experience, while leaving time to adjust and engage in campus life.

This is an individual decision - consider the following:

• How long has it been since you took the course? 
• How did you perform in the course? How do you feel about the quality of your learning experience? 
• Is this a course that is important to the study of your major? Might it be beneficial to reinforce your understanding of this material? 
• What does the rest of your schedule look like? Are you going to be overly-challenged by this course in addition to your other courses? 

If you do decide to “use” your AP/IB credit, you can choose to move ahead in a course sequence (if applicable) or use the space to explore other interests or take electives. Your four-year advisor is a great resource to discuss your particular plans.

You will be able to view this in SIS: click the "Grades and History" tile and then click on "Course History" - if the credit has been posted, it will show up there with the grade of “AP”, “IB” or "TR".

If a class is closed, you will not be able to enroll. Consider:

• Is there another day or time offering with available space?
• Is there a different course that would fulfill the same need?

You can submit a course permission request via SIS, and also contact your four-year advisor for additional support.

All students are expected to declare their major within their first year. Fall-admitted students can declare beginning November 1 (deadline is March 31) and Spring-admitted students can declare beginning April 1 (deadline is October 31). Learn more about the major declaration process.

As you begin to imagine your future at CWRU, consider some of the following questions:

• What classes in high school did you naturally do well in?
• Were there any topics you liked learning about even if the content was challenging?
• In your free time, what kind of activities do you do most often?
• When thinking through a problem, what kind of approach do you use?

If you’re looking through major requirements and see the same course recommended for a couple majors you’re interested in, that’s a great sign for you to take the class.

Your four year advisor is a great resource to discuss your interest(s), who can refer you to programs, campus resources, and even career assessments to explore your interests.

Minors are not required, and many students declare a minor later in their college careers. Students cannot declare a minor until they declare a major.