Prospective First Year Students

Thank you for your interest in the College of Charleston. We know you have many questions that are advising related. While we may not be able to address all of these questions through our website, the resources below are a good start.

Prospective first year students should consult:

• Admissions
• Course Catalog
• General Education
• Find Your Program
• AP/IB Credit

Dual Enrollment

High school students that are enrolled in Dual Enrollment courses at the College of Charleston with questions about how college credit is earned and applied to a future degree at the College of Charleston can consult with the faculty member teaching the course, the Office of Admissions, or your high school guidance counselor. Bring any documentation or academic records with you to facilitate the discussion, if necessary.

The Advising Process for First Year Students

First year students will meet with an academic advisor during new student orientation and at least once per semester in their first year. 

Orientation Advising

Prior to arriving on campus, new first-year students are expected to complete an Advising Learning Module in OAKS, the online course delivery system for the College of Charleston. We will send an email to all students before their orientation session. This Advising Learning Module is packed with several short learning modules that will lay a strong foundation for the orientation experience. 

Advising and Registration are part of the two-day campus orientation process, which occurs in a number of Orientation Sessions over the summer for students enrolling for the Fall semester or January for students enrolling for the Spring. New students are advised in the morning of Day 1. Advisors cover graduation requirements, general education requirements, the rigor of college, and other essential information in small group advising sessions. Students are provided with personal placement scores already available to the college at that time and will chat briefly with an advisor about their specific questions or concerns. 

Day 2 consists of actually registering for the fall courses (Summer orientation) or spring courses (January Orientation). Again, this is in a small group environment and will be held in a computer lab. The same advisors from Day 1 will be with students on Day 2. All students must check out of the computer lab with their assigned advisor. The advisor will check the student’s schedule for appropriateness based on their discussions from Day 1 and Day 2. Students can make changes to their semester schedule after orientation is over, but it is strongly encouraged that students check in with their academic advisor when making changes.

Visit our Preparing for Your Orientation Advising Session page for more information.