New Student Checklist

Welcome to The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S)!  You have a few things to do before arriving on campus in August and this website and our academic advisors and counselors are here to help you get ready.  One of the most important things you will be doing this summer is selecting the courses that you would be interested in taking during your first semester of college.  Beginning May 27th through June 15th, you will be able to make these selections on the College’s interactive course planner—iPlan.

Before you log onto iPlan, please follow the steps below as doing so will make your course selection process on iPlan much smoother.

	Go online and activate your Net ID so that you’re able to check your Syracuse University email, which we will use to contact you throughout the summer.
	Review and begin to understand the Liberal Arts Core (page 2 of the Core Guidebook).
	Go online and take the Math, Spanish or French placement exam. Placement exams in other languages are not offered online; they are only offered when you arrive (see link above for more information). If you are an international student whose native language is not English, then you must take the “English to Speakers of Other Languages” assessment exam offered when you arrive in August.
	Make a list of courses that you hope to take, keeping in mind the following: Review the list of “Courses Available to First-Year Students.” Do you have, or intend to receive, AP or other credit (eg, IB, SUPA, or transfer credit)? If so, then do not select the SU equivalent courses for which you intend to receive credit. It is your responsibility to insure that all transcripts and score reports are sent directly to SU’s Undergraduate Admissions Processing Center, SU, 621 Skytop Road, Suite 160, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290. Are you a Pre-Health student? Health professions schools generally advise against applicants completing their prerequisite science courses through AP, summer, or community college credit. This can particularly impact Pre-Health students who choose to major in an area outside the natural sciences.  Therefore, before accepting AP credit for courses in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), Pre-Health students should consult with their academic advisor.  Note: SUPA or other college credit taken during high school for college credit is acceptable. Unless your math skills (particularly in precalculus and/or calculus), are very strong, you should not keep math AP credit. Are you in the Renée Crown University Honor’s Program? Students admitted to the Honors Program will receive special registration instructions in the mail that supplement those from their school or college.  Please wait to receive these instructions before making your course selections in iPlan. Are you thinking about a particular major within A&S? For more detailed description of all majors/minors at SU and their requirements, see the Online Course Catalog. We recommend selecting one course from each of the three different divisions (ie, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics)? You must select alternative courses in case your first choices are not available.
	Complete iPlan: User name: iplan Password:   orange (case sensitive)

If you still have more questions about…
Course selection, iPlan, transfer credit, or other concerns?

• Talk to an Academic Advisor in Academic Advising and Counseling Services by calling
  1-800-295-0994 or emailing Welcome2CAS@syr.edu.

Majors, minors, and career paths?

• Talk to a Career Counselor in Career Exploration Services by calling 1-800-295-0994. 

Law school and the legal profession?

• Talk to a Pre-Law Counselor in the Pre-Law Advising Office by calling 1-800-295-0994.

About academic life in the College?

• Our current students, in particular, are enthusiastic about greeting our newest and brightest. Click here to see a welcoming video, produced and hosted by five Arts and Sciences undergraduates who offer an unscripted “hello” to you. Enjoy!

As you get closer and closer to your arrival here, the staff in Student Services is here to assist you in making your academic experience a success.  If you have any questions between now and when you arrive, please feel free to call 1-800-295-0994 or email Welcome2CAS@syr.edu.