Your guide to navigating our academic programs.
Every new student at Occidental is paired with a faculty adviser, who helps guide and support them through the College’s academic program. Students are matched with advisers who teach the major(s) that they express interest in, or intend to pursue. You will first meet with your adviser during orientation, when they will assist you in selecting courses for the fall semester. In order to help your adviser get to know you, you will fill out the Advising Information Form, which opens early in the summer.
In addition to your assigned faculty adviser, the Advising Center provides support for students with questions related to the curriculum and other academic issues. The Advising Center staff is available to answer questions by phone or by email.
Preparing for Advising
To help you prepare for advising, we recommend you watch the following short videos, which will introduce you to some of the requirements you will need to complete during your time at Occidental:
- Intro to Advising, Part 1: Graduation Requirements
- Intro to Advising, Part 2: Core Requirement
- Introduction to Course Counts
After you've watched these videos, start looking at the courses that are being offered this fall semester. To do so, visit Course Counts, our online hub of all courses available at Occidental in the spring.
New students can enroll in up to 18 units during their first semester. Most students take four, 4-unit courses, for a total of 16 units. There are also many optional 1- or 2-unit courses you can sign up for as well. To make steady progress toward finishing your degree, we recommend taking at least 16 units each semester.
During the summer, you'll receive an email from Edmond Johnson in the Advising Center introducing you to your faculty adviser. When orientation starts in August, you'll have an advising session followed by course registration in the afternoon.
If you have already taken courses in a subject at a prior college or university, you do not need to take a placement exam. If you are planning on taking calculus 1 or a foreign language course and have not previously taken a course in that area at the college level, you may wish to take a placement exam prior to orientation.
Here are few more resources that you'll find helpful:
