Starting your academic journey

LAS new student orientation & registration

In the College of LAS, we value diversity of thought and experience; a design mindset toward your academic, personal, and professional development; and engaged learning throughout your time at Illinois. This summer, you’ll begin to see how we practice our values.

Through this online orientation, you will:

Be introduced to your education
Explore what you can learn about at Illinois
Begin to imagine and prepare for your life as a college student

Please watch each of the videos below and complete the activities listed within each video. You should plan to complete this orientation and new student registration homework before you meet with your advisor for registration.

Admissions

Apply to LAS
Liberal arts & sciences majors
LAS Insider blog
Admissions FAQs
Parent resources
Pre-college summer programs

General education courses

As a student within the College of LAS, you will take a number of general education courses. These courses, which explore topics outside of your major, encourage you to understand your role and influence in the world from a diversity of perspectives.

Activities:

Please answer the accompanying questions through the new student registration homework form.

Write down, in 50 words or less, an answer to the question, "Why might understanding a problem from multiple perspectives be beneficial to providing solutions for the problem?"
Examine the general education requirements page on the College of LAS website. Think about what you have enjoyed learning, whether it’s in high school or through some other venue, that pertain to those categories. Explore the courses within each category and write down a few you think sound interesting just by the title alone.
- Don’t forget to consider pursuing the study of a language other than English and the cultures who speak it to enhance your career and global readiness!

Courses within your major

Your major is more than a collection of random courses: rather, it’s a set of courses to give you a new way of thinking; a disciplinary or topical perspective from which to understand and engage the world; and a highly structured means of problem-solving and knowledge creation.

Activities:

Please go back to the new student registration homework form and enter there your answers to these questions:

Review any email messages you have received from your major advisor and make sure you have done everything they ask you to do.
Write down 1-3 questions you would like to ask your advisor about your major. Remember, your new advisor’s job is help you get off to the best start possible, even if that means you’re thinking of changing or working towards a different major, so be sure to tell them everything you’re considering about your major!

Electives

The third main component of your LAS education are "electives," where students get to decide what topics they would like to learn about beyond their major. The purpose of electives is to allow you to develop your interests and knowledge beyond your major, allowing you to expand your mind as you would like.

Activity:

Please go back to the new student registration homework form and enter there your answers to these questions:

To ensure your advisor is fully prepared for your registration appointment, be sure to complete the pre-registration homework sections asking you to list your passions and favorite high school subjects. The more we know about you and your interests, the better we can help you craft an effective and manageable first schedule.

Already earned credits

You may have already earned some college credit or taken exams for college credit, including AP, IB, A-Level Exams. Your major advisor needs to know about what you have earned or what you think you may earn prior to your course selection and registration meeting.

Activity:

Please go back to the new student registration homework form and enter there your answers to these questions:

List any AP, IB, A-Level Exams you have taken or expect to take; your official or projected results; and any courses you may have completed at a community college or four-year university.

Your college experience

By completing this first phase of your summer orientation, you have made a great start in showing up prepared for your college experience, and specifically for your summer course selection-registration experience. We look forward to speaking more with you soon!