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 up to 10.5 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 your first semester. On the first day of CalSO you’ll get your schedule reviewed by an adviser. On the second day we’ll help you sign up for some classes online through Tele-BEARS. Our goal is to prepare you for your first semester at Cal. To get ready for CalSO, check-out our Before orientation link.

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 size of specific majors, availability of departmental advisers, and the number of students who attend any given program. Some students may receive small-group advising sessions, while others may get more general advising in a group setting (50-60 students).

Before you come to CalSO it is helpful to do some research on your intended major and course options. Bring your unofficial transcripts from your previous institution(s). It can take several months before your previous coursework transfers over to Berkeley, so major advisers will find your unofficial transcript helpful. For students transferring from a California community college, you can visit www.assist.org to see what requirements your previous coursework has satisfied. To get ready for CalSO, check-out our Before orientation link.

If you were admitted to 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 so you have a chance to change your program date.

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 might like to take (by reviewing your College Announcements 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 guide to help you plan worksheet.pdf). You may even want to print out specific portions of the schedule to bring with you.

Due to the size of our programs (300-350 students per program), CalSO access to the computer labs will be limited to course registration only. There won’t be time to research all your course options at CalSO. But don’t worry! After CalSO, you can always make changes to your schedule from home. You can also contact your adviser after the program for further assistance.

Registering for classes
Our goal at CalSO is to help you learn how Tele-BEARS (our course enrollment system) works. CalSO counselors will help you enroll in classes (up to 10.5 units). Some students complete their enrollment at CalSO; others just get started and sign up for the rest of their classes when they get home.

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 when you get to CalSO, remember that all students (new and continuing) are limited to 10.5 units during this period (called Phase 1). This is done to help ensure that everyone, regardless of when they register, will get some of the classes they need. After mid-July, you'll access Tele-BEARS a second time to add the rest of your classes (Phase 2).

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 (CalSO counselors) who have all completed a rigorous 225 hour training program designed to serve your specific needs. Representatives from dozens of campus programs and departments will be on hand during your program to answer your questions. And chances are good you may even meet a faculty member or two during CalSO. We all work together to help you through what we know can be a very anxious but exciting 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!

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