Advising & Registration for New Students

New Students for Fall 2023 & Spring 2024: Preparing for Advisement & Registration During New Student Orientation

Advising & Registration for New Students

New Students for Fall 2023 & Spring 2024: Preparing for Class Advising & Registration

We are so glad you have made the choice to join us at RWU. Welcome to our community of active and engaged learners! The following information will help you prepare to meet with members of our community during New Student Orientation and course registration sessions.  

During New Student Advising and Registration, you will learn about the RWU curriculum, degree requirements, and academic opportunities. You will meet with the faculty, your school Dean, or an academic advisor to select your courses and learn how to register for classes using our student portal, Roger Central. Advising sessions will be held on the second day of your scheduled Orientation.

When meeting with the faculty/advisor/dean, we hope it will be a conversation where you can talk about your academic interests, goals, and strengths. Our goal is for you to leave this session with a class schedule for the semester that you are comfortable with and excited about! 

Since this is your first time participating in academic advisement, we ask that you prepare for this conversation ahead of time. We would like your advising meeting to be a conversation, so please be an active participant. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – we don’t expect you to know everything! 

To help prepare you for this first experience with academic advisement, we would like you to prepare a bit before Orientation. We want you to be an active participant in the conversation, so here is a checklist of things to consider before coming to Orientation:
 

  1. If you have decided on a major, get to know the major(s) and the required courses. You can go to the RWU website and visit the pages for your major. Many majors will list requirements or direct you to the University Catalog for more information. The University Catalog will also allow you to read descriptions for any required courses. Once you’re feeling acquainted with major requirements, log in to Roger Central and look at the requirements for your major under the Progress Tab. If you are undecided/exploring, look through the requirements for majors you might be interested in or go to the department’s web page to get an understanding of the requirements to graduate. Our Deans and faculty have created videos which you will find helpful in learning more about your academic program.
     
  2. If you have not decided on a major yet, we encourage you to watch the videos the academic deans have prepared as a way to explore different options. You can also make a list of potential majors or academic areas of interest. Think about what classes you have enjoyed in the past or classes you hope to take in the future!
  3. Make a course wish list. Look through the offerings of courses for the spring semester and make a list of the courses you might be interested in taking after looking at the requirements. Generally, you will want to look at classes in the 100 level.  When talking with an advisor, you can ask about the courses required for your major if you have picked one. 
     
  4. If you have taken AP or IB exams or any college-level classes, be sure to let your advisor know.  All transcript and placement scores should be submitted to the Admissions Department, but if they are not in the system at the time of your advising we can advise you to not take a course that you might end up receiving credit for. Please be sure you requested to have the AP or IB score reported to RWU. If you took a college course, please make sure we receive an official college transcript.

Questions and Discussion Items for Advisement During Orientation: 

  • What are the requirements for my major or the majors I am considering? 
  • Should I be taking certain courses in a sequence?  Are there prerequisites for certain courses that I should keep in mind? Are there certain courses I need to take in the spring because they are not offered in fall (or vice versa)? 
  • Make a list of the academic areas that interest you.   
  • Make a list or mental note of the courses that were your strength in high school/secondary school.
  • Make a list or mental note of the courses that were a challenge for you in high school/secondary school. 
  • If I am undecided or still unsure about my major, what can I take? Do you have recommendations to help me explore my options? 
  • If I would like to study abroad in the future, is there anything I should keep in mind in planning what I take? 
  • Keep in mind your personal strengths and weaknesses to prepare a balanced schedule. Think about what times you would prefer for your classes, but know that you always need to have a back-up plan should those classes be full. If you are a commuter, plan a schedule that takes your travel time into account. If you are an athlete, be sure to know when you are expected to be out of class for practice/games. If you will be working, be sure to allow time to get in the number of hours you need to. Be sure to let the faculty member working with you know whether you will need your schedule to be flexible for any of these reasons.  

Beyond Orientation: 

Students at RWU are assigned either an academic advisor or faculty advisor whose job it is to help guide you in your academic planning. They are available as a resource for you and we strongly encourage you to get to know them. You will be required to meet with them at least once a semester during the advisement period to discuss your registration plans before you register. Your advisor is assigned according to your major and will be listed in Roger Central before the start of the semester. 

If you have any questions about your course schedule or would like to make a change to it over the summer, please feel free to contact the Advising Office at advising@rwu.edu