Orientation Information

student walking down street smiling with overlaid text saying You're Here! Welcome New Students

Welcome to Columbia!

We’re so glad to meet you! We can’t wait to help you navigate your Columbia journey, whether it’s in person, on Zoom or Teams or by phone.

Start Strong! Your first semester at Columbia!

Every student has an academic advisor assigned to them based on their major.	Academic advisors guide students through their academic experience from Orientation to Graduation.	Students should meet with their advisor at least once a semester.
Students can make appointments with advisors through MyColumbia: my.colum.edu	The College Advising Center website is a great resource: www.colum.edu/advising	Full-time registration for Fall and Spring is between 12 and 18 credits.
On the course schedule, M means Monday, T means Tuesday... and R means Thursday.	Instead of dropping a class, students should try to swap a class.	Many scholarships require students to be registered full-time, or at least 12 credits.
Courses marked “WEB” and “no set time” are asynchronous, with no set meeting days/times.	The Add period ends on Monday of week 2 of the semester.	The Drop period ends on Monday on week 3 of the semester.

Set yourself up for success:

Go to class every day
Turn your work in on time
Check your colum.edu email daily
Utilize your resources
Meet with your advisor regularly

Who is my advisor, and how do I contact them?
Your advisors work in the College Advising Center. Our goal is to provide you with information, guidance, and support to create and implement an integrated educational and professional plan in the arts and media fields.

You are required to meet with your advisor during your first year at Columbia. We recommend you meet with your advisor at least once a semester in order to graduate expediently!

You can always email us with quick questions, and for longer questions and conversations, or to make a graduation plan, please make an appointment.

Meet your advisor

Steps to make an appointment:
1. Log in to my.colum.edu (MyColumbia).
2. Click the Academics tab in the top navigation bar.
3. Scroll through your dashboard and select the Schedule an Appointment block.
4. Follow the prompts to schedule a 30-minute appointment
5. Appointments are available in various formats: in person, on Zoom or Teams or by phone.
During business hours you can also call our front desk in order to make an appointment: (312) 369-7645 and for better convenience, you can also contact your advisor via email.
What can I expect of my advisor, and what do they expect of me?
What can you expect from us, your advisors?
1. We will help you plan for graduation: clarify degree requirements and help monitor progress towards completion
2. We will help you interpret academic policies: assist in understanding institutional policies and procedures necessary to navigate the college
3. We will refer you to on-campus resources: connect you with appropriate offices, faculty, and staff on campus when additional assistance is needed
4. We will provide a respectful environment where you can express yourself and voice concerns: support you through your academic career through responsive listening skills, confidentiality, sensitivity, and respect
5. We will be responsive and timely: we are accessible through appointments, walk-ins/drop-ins, and responsive to emails and phone calls in a timely manner
What do we expect from you?
1. Meet with your advisor: schedule an appointment with us or see us during walk-in/drop-in time, best practice is to come in or check in at least once a semester.
2. Understand your advising tools: we will help you navigate them
  1. The uAchieve Degree Audit is a checklist of all requirements for your degree and breaks down everything you have accomplished and everything you have left to accomplish
  2. The Four-Year/Transfer Plans are a semester-by-semester breakdown of suggested courses (25-26 Four-Year and Transfer plans: 25-26 Catalog)
  3. MyColumbia Tools (my.colum.edu):
    1. The Unofficial Academic Record shows final grades of all courses taken at Columbia and transfer credits; also shows the name of your advisor, your declared major and minor, your semester and cumulative GPA, and number of credits earned
    2. The Course Schedule is a list of all courses offered at Columbia in each semester, which is helpful if you want to see what is being offered before course registration begins
- The Search Criteria button allows you to filter through all courses offered; you can search by section status, number of credit hours, example: Liberal Arts category.
1. Check your official colum.edu email address and use a calendar: make note of course Add, Drop, and Withdrawal deadlines and your advising appointments
2. Be proactive, not reactive: use your resources, understand requirements, and take responsibility for your decisions
3. Become an active member of the Columbia community: get to know your fellow students and reach out to faculty and staff
Goals for First Year Success
1. Schedule an appointment and connect with your advisor at least once in your first year
2. Get to know faculty in your major: these are the industry professionals who are happy to mentor and advise you, both in class and for the rest of your career!
3. Earn at least 30 total credit hours and aim for at least 12 Liberal Arts and Columbia Core credits.
4. All students should be enrolled in Writing and Rhetoric in their first semester. If you are not and you have not already transferred in credits for English, please email your advisor to get this worked out. You can see if your credits have transferred by looking at your unofficial academic record in MyColumbia.
5. Understand your degree requirements: while planning for your Liberal Arts, Columbia Core, major, and minor requirements, we’ll help you maintain a balanced schedule that keeps you on track for timely graduation.
6. Transfer students: meet with your advisor individually during your first semester.
7. Major declaration: all Columbia students must declare a major by the time they have earned 45 credits. Transfer credits with 45 credits or more will need to make this declaration at the end of their first semester here.
What other campus resources can assist me in my academic progress?
- Administrators in your department/major
- Academic Center for Tutoring: tutoring@colum.edu or 312-369-8130
  - https://students.colum.edu/academic-services/academic-center-for-tutoring/index
- Career Center, for internships and other opportunities: careercenter@colum.edu or 312-369-7280
  - https://www.colum.edu/careers-and-alumni/career-center/
- Columbia Central, for tuition and fees, financial aid, and scholarship information: columbiacentral@colum.edu or 312-369-7140
  - https://www.colum.edu/columbia-central/
- Academic Coaching: ltarg@colum.edu or 312-369-7645
  - https://students.colum.edu/academic-services/coaching/index.html
- Residence Life, for housing: residencelife@colum.edu or 312-369-7803
  - https://students.colum.edu/residence-life/index
- TRiO: triocap@colum.edu or 312-369-8135
  - https://students.colum.edu/academic-services/conaway-achievement-project/index
- Services for Students with Disabilities: ssd@colum.edu or 312-369-8296
  - https://students.colum.edu/ssd/
- Counseling Services: counselingservices@colum.edu or 312-369-8700
  - https://students.colum.edu/handbook/support/counseling-services
- Information Technology, for assistance with Outlook 365, Canvas, MyColumbia, and wifi access: clientservices@colum.edu or 312-369-7001
  - https://students.colum.edu/information-technology/index.html
What will the first year in my major look like?
If you filled out your Registration Questionnaire, your advisor has crafted a first semester schedule for you. We did our best to honor your preferences and to balance your major and Liberal Arts classes. You’re welcome to make changes, and be sure to review the New Student Orientation module in Slate if you need help navigating the MyColumbia registration system.

Classes are being offered in various formats. Some classes are all in person, some are Hybrid and some are Web. For in person classes, you will be on campus and in the classroom. Hybrid classes are a mix of in person and Web. Your instructor will let you know the schedule. Web classes meet entirely on-line.

Check out the Four-Year Plans in our catalog to see what your next semester will look like, and to take a sneak peek at what’s to come over the next four years (24-25 Four-Year and Transfer Plans: Click here)

Transfer students: the transfer plans are in the same PDF as the Four-Year Plans linked above. Since you are all bringing in different credits, make sure you make an appointment with your advisor once the semester begins to make a graduation plan.