Once you have submitted your preferences for the First-Year Tutorial on the New Student Checklist, you need to consider what else will round out your schedule. Most students take about 16 credits per semester, but between 12 and 18 is a full load.
Resources for Choosing Classes
Your faculty adviser (your Tutorial professor) is your primary resource as you make decisions about your academic plan. You will register for your classes upon arrival to Grinnell during New Student Orientation. Whatever planning you do will help that process go smoothly.
Before meeting with your adviser, consult these three essential resources:
- Departmental Advising and Registration Suggestions describes each academic subject in alphabetical order by department. It gives suggestions for courses to take and in which order, with an eye towards the possibility of majoring in that discipline.
- The Schedule of Courses displays the courses — with descriptions and prerequisites — offered in a specific semester. It is searchable by subject, level, time of day, and instructor’s name. (See Courses Available to First-Year Students for instructions.)
- The Grinnell College Academic Catalog contains the official list of all courses offered at Grinnell and also lists the departments, majors, and concentrations. The catalog does not indicate which courses are offered in which semesters; for that information, check the Online Schedule of Courses (above).
In addition, once you have your Grinnell online credentials, check out the student planning tool in Colleague Self-Service and begin adding classes there. Review Creating an Academic Plan Via Student Planning (login required) if you want a little more guidance.
Assess Your Skills and Background
- Do you have prior experience in a language? Take the survey in the New Student Checklist this summer and follow the instructions there.
- Be sure to work through the math placement diagnostic to determine which class you should start with. You will get an email this summer to take it in July. More information is on the New Student Checklist.
- Did you take AP, Cambridge A-Level, CAPE, or IB exams? Look at how your exam performance will equate to courses you get credit for at Grinnell and the level it entitles you to.
- Do you have prior experience in computer science, physics, or statistics? During New Student Orientation you will have a chance to speak with faculty in these departments to determine the right course placement if you intend to take more classes in these fields.
Courses Available to First-Year Students
To identify which classes are open to first-year students, do the following:
- Go to the searchable Schedule of Courses.
- Enter these parameters for your search in the “Advanced Search” fields:
- Results View: Catalog Listing shows course descriptions and prerequisites, while Section Listing offers a more compact view (and you can still see those details by clicking on a particular class); you can use whichever you prefer
- Term: select a semester, e.g., “Fall 2024”
- Location (about halfway down): “Main Campus”
- Course Type (at the bottom): select “Open to First Years”
- Click “Submit.”
This will display a very long list of classes to choose from.
To narrow the parameters of your search, use the “Filter Results” options on the left side. Under “Subjects,” you will find each of the majors and programs offered at Grinnell. It is important to plan for the possibility of several different majors in your first year as you explore coursework.
You will also find interdisciplinary areas of study. Many of these classes are open to first-year students. Interdisciplinary studies offer a way to investigate intersections across fields of knowledge and are sometimes the gateway course to one of the concentrations.
Dates for Advising and Registration
- Between June 1 and 15, provide your top five preferences for the Tutorial on the New Student Checklist.
- By July 15, complete the Advising Information form available on the New Student Checklist after considering what classes you want to take to complement your Tutorial. Your comments on this form will give your faculty adviser an idea of your background and interests.
- Between Aug. 23–28, you will meet with your adviser during New Student Orientation (NSO) and finish registering for the rest of your fall classes with your adviser’s guidance.
- Classes start on Aug. 29.