With the spring semester halfway through, that means course selection for next year is already here! Courses open for enrollment in the fall semester of 2023 are now available for viewing and the Academic Advising and Exploration Center is here to help students make some important choices for taking the next step in their academic careers. The academic offices are found in the Roseman Building and in Laurentide Hall. Their meetings (required) are available online and in person, and students are encouraged to visit at least once a semester. Each student has an adviser for their major, such as Annie LaValley who advises in the College of Letters and Sciences. They help keep students on track with their goals for undergraduate and graduate school graduations. 

To enroll in classes, students should read the PDF version of your Academic Advising Report (AAR) to know which classes you need to in order to fulfill graduation requirements. Choose classes and check the prerequisites to see if you meet them. Then go into WINS and choose the course(s) you want to take. The course catalog for the upcoming semester can be found at http://uww-public.courseleaf.com/, and if you need more assistance or information, visit the Registrar’s Office. 

Even though the choosing process for classes is relatively simple, there are many common mistakes that the students can make that will slow their enrollment process. Of these mistakes, the most common one is that students will not complete the enrollment process, according to LaValley. Completely enrolling requires you to see your classes once your date arrives for “submitting the classes.” Many students will put their classes in the cart and not go in on their day to fix them.

Another common mistake is that students won’t check their AAR, which contains the requirements for not only their major but for the UW-W System. Without completing all of these requirements, students won’t be able to graduate.

The final mistake LaValley mentions is that student’s won’t ask questions. Students are in a stage of their lives when they don’t have everything figured out, so if students don’t ask, they won’t know. Sometimes there are technological issues in the WINS system or in the schedule of classes, so if students see something that seems wrong, it’s important they look into it further and not assume everything will work out on its own. 

“It is okay and encouraged to take a class just because you want to and are interested in the topic. Being in college is about learning and growing as a human being and global citizen,” said LaValley.”

Academic advising is meant to give students accurate information on institutional policies, requirements, and resources. They are there to aid students in choosing not only their classes based on their interests, but also that are required for their majors. Meeting with advisers is important for students because this is a time when the advisers will be able to seat them down one-on-one and focus on their class options. LaValley makes sure to mention that advisers and their staff are here to support students. Their jobs are to help students work within their majors toward future career goals and knowledge for life. 

Classes open for fall 2023 registration March 13, and on March 27 the fall shopping carts begin to open. Fall priority registration begins to open on April 3rd for students. To find more information about academic advising visit https://www.uww.edu/aaec.