Course Selection and Pre-Reg

Whether a student is entering their first year or their senior year, crafting a well-balanced schedule will help them stay engaged in their coursework, while also allowing them to allocate time to extra-curricular activities.

Organized by Taylor Dillon '19

Visit the Registrar's page for more information on Course Registration!

Timeline

Refer to the Academic Calendar for specific dates and deadlines.

Course registration includes:

  • Key Resources

    The Advising Guidelines page provides key information about the general pre-registration process, AP/IB Credit, Placement Tests , advice on creating a balanced schedule, and the General Education Expectations in both text and video.

    The Faculty and Student Advising Handbook helps students get the most out of their advisor-advisee relationship, detailing the major declaration process, graduation requirements, and more.

    Requesting accommodations for any learning, physical, sensory, health, or psychiatric disabilities is made possible by contacting Accessibility Services.

    Wesvising was developed by faculty members to showcase each department. Some departments have videos while all show FAQ and give a brief overview of courses offered or ideal paths through specific majors.

    The Pre-Professional Concerns page offers insight into how students planning their post-graduate trajectory can approach course registration.

    The Building Codes and Locations page is useful for students who are unsure of where their classes are being held.

    Contact your faculty advisor or class dean to set up an appointment regarding course selection.

    You can also contact a peer advisor to set up an appointment or ask questions about course selection by emailing peeradvisors@wesleyan.edu.

  • Pre-Registration Planning
    • Students will build a ranked course plan of the next semester courses via WesPortal
      • Students should:
        • Consult the resources available (see above)
        • Search for available/appropriate courses in WesMaps
        • Create a ranked plan of seven courses
        • Meet with their faculty advisor
      • A student may rank a course as long as:
        • There are seats available in the course
        • The student's class bin is NOT equal to 'X'
        • The Permission of Instructor (POI) is NOT required
    • After Pre-Reg Planning closes, the ranked plans will be run through a scheduling algorithm that will attempt to enroll each student in their ranked courses. Note the following regarding the scheduling algorithm:
      • Students can be enrolled in a maximum of four full credit courses, but more if the additional courses are partial credit
      • It is appropriate for ranked plans to include time conflicts, but students will NOT be scheduled into a time conflict
  • Pre-Registration Scheduling / Adjustment Preparation
    • Scheduled courses will be posted and available to students and advisors in WesPortal
    • Students should access the adjustment system before their official adjustment time to prepare
      • It is important for students to take the time to search WesMaps for courses to add to their 'not scheduled' list BEFORE adjustment begins
      • Adjustment happens in real time! Students who wait to find courses risk losing available seats to other students
    • During this time, students can:
      • Review course enrollments
      • Assign ranked Drop/Add requests
      • Submit POI/prereq requests
      • Add courses to 'not scheduled' list
      • Search WesMaps for courses to pursue during Adjustment and Drop/Add
  • Pre-Registration Adjustment
    • During this time, students can:
      • Enroll in available courses
      • Drop enrolled courses
      • Assign ranked Drop/Add requests
      • Submit POI/prereq requests
      • Search WesMaps for available courses
    • During this time, advisors can:
      • Take action electronically/remotely
      • Approve enrollments/drops
      • Deny enrollments/drops
      • Request a discussion regarding enrollments/drops ('See Me' option)
  • Drop/Add

    In order to be eligible to participate in Drop/Add, all students are required to click the 'Enroll Me' button in WesPortal after arriving on campus for the current semester.

    • During this time, students can:
      • Submit unranked Drop/Add enrollment requests for instructor approval
      • Drop enrolled courses
      • Register for tutorial courses and student forums
      • Discuss the four full credit course limit with their faculty advisor
      • Finalize crosslistings, grading mode and general education designations
    • Per the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) Policy on the First Class Meeting, unless registered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class (in writing, by email or in person), the instructor can drop a student from his/her class list. View the policy on the EPC website.
    • Additionally, students are encouraged to make use of electronic enrollment requests to express interest in a seat in a class that is full. For more information, see the Enrollment Request Statement.

    Additional Resources

  • WesMaps
  • Things to keep in mind
    • Some majors require requisite courses, while others do not. To explore each department, as well as any requirements within them, visit the majors, minors, and certificates page.
    • Some majors require the fulfillment of Stage I or Stage I & II General Education Expectations.
    • The more courses a student ranks, the better. If a student ranks a class during Pre-Registration and doesn’t get in, the computer system will then give that student a leg up on getting in to that course during the next round of Pre-Registration should they rank that same course again.
    • Keep in mind the percentage of students who ranked the course and ended up getting a seat. Each course page specifies this percentage beneath each course description. If a course a student is interested in shows an above 90% chance of getting a seat, that student should consider ranking the course lower on their list and moving a course with a lower percentage to the top of their ranking.