There is no such thing as a standard Connecticut College education. You will be the primary architect of your College experience, although you will have many advisers and mentors to help. Never hesitate to ask for assistance. Each student combines a different set of General Education courses, major and minor requirements, and elective courses with various special opportunities such as study away, internships or interdisciplinary certificates. 

During Orientation, you’ll discuss your proposed course of study with your faculty adviser and then, with your adviser’s approval, register for your courses. (First-year students are already pre-registered for a seminar; see below.) A regular course load consists of four 4-credit courses each semester. 

Your goal for the first semester should be a combination of courses that is balanced, diverse and sufficiently challenging. It’s a good idea to spend some time this winter reviewing your options, since your first days on campus will be very busy. Read about the different programs and majors as well as course descriptions at www.conncoll.edu/academics. Please note that all courses are not offered every semester. Once you receive your user ID and password, you can view the spring schedule from home at www.conncoll.edu/academics/ registrar/class-schedules.

For first-year students

An important form in the Online Enrollment Guide is "Designing Your Education." Some students enjoy filling out this questionnaire; others find it challenging. Either way, we hope you will complete it carefully. These questions are designed to help you narrow down your course selections for your first semester and, at the same time, begin thinking about the “big picture” of your career here at Connecticut College. We’ll share your responses with your faculty adviser so that he or she can start getting to know you even before you arrive on campus.

All first-year students take a small, intensive course with your pre-major faculty adviser, Andrea Rossi-Reder, that will present opportunities for you to engage intellectually with Professor Rossi-Reder and your peers as you learn to synthesize information, write clearly, and participate in discussion and debate. In your first-year seminar, “Monsters and Madness,” you’ll exam literary works dealing with monsters and madness, including short stories, drama, poetry, novels, art, and film. The course considers themes relating to our perceptions of madness and monstrosity, as well as our fascination with and repulsion from these conditions. Readings include “Beowulf,” “King Lear,” “Frankenstein,” “Wide Sargasso Sea,” “The Bloody Chamber” and “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Dean Rossi-Reder will teach your first-year seminar and will be your primary source of academic advice until you declare your major during your sophomore year. Then you’ll choose a faculty adviser in your major department.

For transfer students

Your faculty adviser will come from the department in which we think you are most likely to major. This adviser will be your primary source of academic advice until you formally declare a major, at which time you may select a new major adviser, even if you are remaining in the same department. Try to meet with your adviser several times during the semester, and keep him or her apprised of your plans and progress. Your adviser can counsel you on courses, suggest academic resources, and answer questions about College policies and procedures. Faculty advisers often provide letters of recommendation for jobs or graduate or professional school.