Start preparing for your academic experience at Occidental!
The Advising Center is a great resource for your questions related to the curriculum and other academic inquiries. There are a number of tasks to complete over the summer to prepare you for advising and registration for your first semester.
Advising Form
Each Occidental student is assigned a faculty adviser who will help guide you through the College’s academic program. Your first meeting with your adviser will take place during orientation (August 2025), when they will assist you in selecting courses for the fall semester. In May, an advising form will be available for you to fill out. This form will gather information about your academic interests and will be used to pair you with an advisor.
First-Year Seminar Registration
The first class that you will register for is the First-Year Seminar (FYS), a signature element of the College’s Core Program. FYS courses are 4 units, fulfill graduation requirements, provide a shared intellectual experience with other new students, and help you transition to the College with college-level writing and critical thinking skills.
FYS registration will be open June 16-20 and you will receive detailed instructions about how to prepare and register for your fall FYS.
Placement Exams
Placement exams are available in several subjects–calculus, chemistry, music theory, and languages. Whether you need to take a placement exam depends on several factors, including the major(s) you are considering, whether you have taken AP exams in certain subjects, and so forth. The placement exam webpage has more details to help you figure out if you need to take a placement exam and how.
