Advising and Registration: Freshmen and Transfers
Freshmen
A large portion of your CalSO program will focus on the information and
resources you need to register for your first 10 units. By meeting in
small groups with academic advisers and CalSO counselors, you’ll
learn about University and college academic requirements, and you’ll
develop a good list of course options to take for your first semester.
By the end of CalSO, you will have your schedule approved by an adviser
in your college, know how to use the Tele-BEARS course registration system,
and receive your Adviser Code (AC) and Phase I appointment time.
Extension/FPF Students (L&S)
If you have already attended one of the July CalSO programs, you will only need to sign up for one of the Schedule Planning Workshops
with your college advisers to review your schedule and prepare you for
Tele-BEARS course registration. Log on in mid-September to calso.berkeley.edu
to choose a date.
Transfer
students
You’ll be spending more than half of your CalSO program learning
about University, college and major requirements which will help you make
informed decisions about your course selection and schedule planning.
Your advising experience can vary greatly due to the popularity of specific
majors, availability of departmental advisers, and the number of students
who attend any given program. Some students may receive personalized advising
sessions, while others may get more general advising in a group setting
(25-30 students).
Before you come to CalSO it is helpful to do some research on your intended major and course options. Review and bring your unofficial transcripts from your previous institution, as it can take several months before your previous coursework transfers over to Berkeley. For students transferring from a California community college, you can visit www.assist.org to see what requirements your previous coursework has satisfied.
If you are in the College of Letters & Science, you officially enter the University as undeclared (regardless of what major you indicated on your application to Berkeley), and you’ll need to declare a major during your first semester. If the adviser in your intended major is not available for the CalSO program you signed up for, we will try to contact you beforehand to let you know.
Schedule of Classes and access to computers at CalSO
The Schedule of Classes is only available online, so we highly recommended that you visit http://schedule.berkeley.edu before coming to CalSO! After you’ve made a list of classes you’d like to take (by reviewing your College Announcement and the General Catalog), you’ll need to check the online schedule for when and where particular courses will be held (download this two page planning guide to help you plan worksheet.pdf). You may even want to print out specific portions of the schedule to bring with you.
You will not have access to computers at CalSO, so it’s important to do as much research on the courses you’re interested in beforehand, and come prepared with your questions.
Registering for classes
You will register for your first 10 units (Phase I) after your CalSO program. You will receive your Phase I appointment time and your Adviser Code (AC) at the end of the program once you have had your schedule approved by an adviser and have learned how to use the Tele-BEARS course registration system.
All new students register for classes after continuing students, and classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Before you start worrying that there won’t be any available classes after CalSO, remember that all students (new and continuing) are limited to only 10 units during the Phase I period. This is done to help ensure that everyone, regardless of when they register, will get some of the classes they need. And, at CalSO, we’ll teach you a few tips and tricks along the way.
Access to staff, students and campus resources
At CalSO, every session is geared toward providing you access to the resources, information and people who will make your transition to Cal the smoothest it can be. From the start, you will be in small groups led by current Cal students who have all completed a rigorous 230 hour training program designed to serve your specific needs. Departments and units from across campus come together during your program to answer your questions and help you through what we know can be a very anxious time.
Fun!
At CalSO, we also believe in having fun…it’s one of our Core Values. Don’t be afraid to meet your fellow Cal students, cheer on your CalSO counselor, or dance the Time Warp a little. It’s all part of the fun, and you don’t even have to be a rah-rah type to have a good time!