Freshmen

Freshmen students face many challenges in a university environment.  Most need to learn "college speak" and the rules and regulations of the university. Just gaining an understanding of a large bureaucracy and where to find help can be overwhelming. This may be the first time in your life that you will be making important decisions such as choosing your own courses, declaring a particular major, developing social connections, or choosing a career path consistent with your interests and values. Your decisions will have powerful effects on your success as a college student and your persistence to graduation.

CSULB offers much to help you succeed including a highly qualified faculty, an outstanding library, and comprehensive campus resources like the Academic Advising Center.  The Center can assist you in realizing your expectations and meeting your educational goals.

Entering freshmen must contact the SOAR program to enroll in your first semester classes.

The Academic Advising Center assists freshmen students by providing the following services:

• Information about how your Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores articulate with courses taught at CSULB.
• Freshman Mandatory Advising workshop sessions are provided to guide and assist you in second semester course selection.  Entering freshmen are advised in the workshop format during their first semester on campus (you will receive an email from the University on or about September 29, 2008) and are then seen in one-on-one half hour appointments beginning in the second semester. During the fall Mandatory Advising Program, freshmen are advised about appropriate general education courses, electives, academic policies, and how to register for spring courses. All freshmen are encouraged to seek advisement about their majors from the undergraduate advisors in their major department.
• Academic Advising Center intake advisors are usually available to answer your quick questions and assist you when problems arise.
• Advising for Second Semester Freshmen is designed for second semester freshmen who are undeclared or undecided about their major.  The University feels so strongly about insuring you have advising as you prepare for your sophomore year that all freshmen are required to participate in an advising program prior to registering.

Enrollment Services web site has valuable information for prospective, entering, and continuing freshmen students.  Additionally, there is an excellent web site which was developed for freshmen by University Academic Projects.  If you're a freshman, we highly recommend a visit to this site. You'll also be interested in visiting the other pages on our Academic Advising Center web site.

The Academic Advising Center has prepared several informational handouts regarding topics of interest to freshmen. They include One Step Ahead, Smart Students Ask These Questions, and Undecided Freshmen Students Can Make Good Choices.