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Academic Information: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to select the classes you will take during first semester at Randolph College

Your decisions about your academic program will obviously be among the most important you will make while in college. To assist you in making the most of the academic opportunities you have at Randolph College, we have prepared the following First-Year Student Academic Step-by-Step Guide.

Follow these steps to ensure that advising and registration for the first-semester of your first year goes smoothly.

Please note that all forms must be submitted online by June 1. Failure to submit them may prevent you from registering for classes. You will meet with your Faculty Advisor at your summer advising session and complete your course registration at the same session. You will register for classes officially at the Summer Advising Session or on-line this summer if you cannot attend the Summer Advising Sessions. You will receive instructions about registration via e-mail.

Deposited transfer students will be receiving a call from Lisa Davies, Transfer Counselor, to schedule time to discuss coursework either in a meeting or via phone.

If you have questions about the information offered, call Associate Dean Paula J. Wallace at 434-947-8126 or e-mail to pwallace@randolphcollege.edu.

 

STEP #1

Select 6 courses from the list of First-Semester Courses Open to First-Year Students. In reviewing the list, remember:

Only courses appropriate to first-year students have been listed.

  • Courses requiring placement or for which you have earned a prerequisite (upper-level courses) have not been listed here, but you may be able to register for them if you qualify.
  • You will register for an English writing course based on consultation with your Faculty Advisor.
  • Primarily full-credit courses, i.e., courses affording 3 or 4 semester hours of credit, are listed. A number of ½-, 1-, and 2-credit courses are offered in dance, interdisciplinary studies, music, and physical education. You will enroll in these courses in consultation with your advisor, but, for now, you will be choosing 6 full-credit courses only.
  • Foreign language departments determine placement based on your high school preparation and conduct placement testing during Orientation if a determination cannot be made based on that preparation. If you have had prior course work in a language you are planning to study, simply select the foreign language with the indication "continuing," e.g., French "continuing" or Spanish "continuing." If you plan to begin a language you have not previously studied, you should choose the beginning language course, e.g., Latin 101 or Chinese 101.
  • The Department of Mathematics also either provides placement or conducts an on-line placement test. You will be notified by e-mail if you must take the Mathematics Placement Test on-line. If you wish to take mathematics first semester, select the level you feel is most appropriate for you, based on your preparation. This selection may be adjusted during your advising meeting.

Step #2

File online forms necessary for advising and course selection.

  • When you deposited, you received a letter and an e-mail from our IT Department with instructions and password information on how to access our Randolph Portal: http://my.randolphcollege.edu. The portal, your access to all campus information, provides a one-stop resource for tracking required forms and actions. All your forms are located on the enrollment checklist. You will need to use your USER NAME and PASSWORD to access the portal. Once you enter the Portal, just under the "Alerts" channel in the left column, you will find the checklist entitled, "Enrollment Forms and Requirements." The academic forms can be submitted on-line and include:

    1. Advising Information and Course Preference Form (required)
    2. Math Information Form (required)
    3. Riding Questionnaire (only if you plan to ride at Randolph College)


POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PLANNING FOR YOUR FIRST SEMESTER

  1. Review the list of First-Semester Courses Open to First-Year Students. Normally, advanced-level courses (200-, 300-, 400-level courses) are not open to first-year students, so unless you qualify for advanced placement or complete a pre-requisite, the courses on this list are the only ones in which you can enroll in your first semester. You will be selecting from a listing of first-semester, or primarily odd-numbered, courses. Note that courses fulfilling the General Education Program requirements have roman numeral codes indicated in the course description. For this first semester, however, you do not need to worry about requirements. At your advising meeting, your advisor will explain the College's requirements and work with you to ensure that you are making progress to fulfill them.
  2. If you think you know the subject area in which you might major, include a course to explore that interest further.
  3. Choose a subject that is new to you.
  4. If you plan to continue any subject that you studied in high school, it will be to your advantage to include it in your first-semester program. Your Faculty Advisor will help determine the appropriate level of these courses.
  5. Choose courses that are balanced in terms of types of material and the work involved. Some courses require frequent writing outside of class; others require extensive reading but few written assignments. Some have assignments due each class meeting; others have primarily long-range projects. For most students, it is advisable to choose a variety of courses in each semester.
  6. If you qualify for credit or placement resulting from Advanced Placement (AP), the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, GCE A-Level and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) grades, or transfer credit, it will have an effect on the course level you elect in the discipline. In addition to discussing your course selections during advising meetings, your advisor will help you determine the level at which you should begin your college work in certain disciplines.
  7. Your first-semester program of study must include subjects in at least four different departments for both semesters of the first year. This is a degree requirement.
  8. The normal course load for a semester is 15 ½ hours. It may be that you will enroll in a few less or a few more hours for this first term, depending on your program of study.

Remember that the completion of all forms by the deadline (June 1) is critical to the enrollment process.