Registering for a fourth class

Recall that a full-time Whitman student typically takes about four classes per semester, not counting one-credit classes like labs, music lessons, activities, and so on. Before you arrived on campus for New Student Orientation, you should have already been registered for three classes: First-Year Seminar (GENS-175), plus two additional classes of your choice. What happens next depends on how you satisfy the college's writing proficiency requirement.

If you haven’t yet met the writing proficiency requirement:

If you took the Summer Writing Assessment in July and didn’t earn a passing score, you were automatically enrolled in your fourth class, a section of RWPD-170: Language and Writing, prior to New Student Orientation. By taking this class, you'll be on track to satisfy the writing proficiency requirement by the end of your first semester at Whitman.

If you’ve already met the writing proficiency requirement:

If you earned a passing score on the Summer Writing Assessment or have transfer credits for an approved writing course at a different college, then congratulations! You've already met the writing proficiency requirement. (To see whether this applies to you, log into my.whitman.edu, select "Student Planning", then select the "Progress" tab. If you've met the writing proficiency requirement, you should see a green check and "1 of 1 Completed" under that requirement):

Since you won't be taking RWPD-170 to satisfy the writing proficiency requirement, you'll have space in your Fall schedule for an additional class. When you meet with your new Pre-Major Advisor on Thursday (August 29), they'll help you choose and register for your fourth class.

Student Check-In

The Student Check-In process ensures that Whitman College starts each semester with accurate and up-to-date information about your student account, contact preferences, etc. All students who will be on campus for the fall semester must complete Student Check-In by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 13. Students who don't complete check-in may be locked out of their accounts (e.g., Canvas, myWhitman, email), prevented from adding or dropping classes, and/or be withdrawn from the college as a "no-show".

How to check in:

1. Log into your account at my.whitman.edu.
2. Under “Student Tools,” select “Check In & Holds”:
   
   
3. You should see a list of holds that have been placed on your account. Select "Open" next to each hold and follow the directions to clear the hold. Holds that must be cleared in order to complete Student Check-In include:

• Provide Emergency Contact Information - provide a US-based mobile phone number where you can receive campus alerts and the names and phone numbers of up to three individuals who Whitman College should contact if you're involved in an emergency.
• For students living off-campus, provide a local Walla Walla address.
• Read and agree to the Financial Responsibility statement.
• Confirm Attendance to let Whitman know that you're on campus and ready for classes.
• Obtaining Advisor Clearance is only required if you plan to make changes to your Fall class schedule; if you're happy with your schedule as is, you do not need to clear this hold for Student Check-In to be considered complete.
• Clear any other remaining holds. Depending on the specific hold, you may be required to contact one of the following campus offices:
  • Business Office - 509-527-5143
  • Financial Aid - 509-527-5178
  • Health Center - 509-527-5281
  • Registrar's Office - 509-527-5983

1. Holds will disappear from your list as they are cleared. Make sure all holds - with the possible exception of Advisor Clearance - are cleared by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 13 to avoid complications with your student account/enrollment status!

Add/Drop

To see your current class schedule, navigate to your Fall 2024 Course Plan under the "Student Planning" tab at selfservice.whitman.edu/Student/. You should see some number of enrolled credits and your course sections marked “Registered” or “Registered, but not started”. In order to be considered a full-time student, you should be enrolled in somewhere between 12 and 18 "academic" credits by the first day of classes (Tuesday, September 3). Note - some classes, such as most SSRA and certain Music classes, count as "activity" credits rather than academic. Therefore, it's possible that some students may be enrolled in 19 or more credits in total.

If you're happy with your schedule as it is, then you're all set for classes to start on Tuesday, September 3. If you'd like to add or drop course section(s), follow the instructions below.

How to add/drop:

1. Contact your academic advisor to discuss the changes you'd like to make. If your advisor approves of the proposed changes, ask them to grant you Advisor Clearance. You will not be able to add or drop courses until your advisor has granted clearance.
2. Wait for your Add/Drop Appointment time on Monday, September 2. Appointment times are assigned by expected graduation date:

• 2024 (December) and 2025 graduates - Sep 2 @ 8 a.m. (Pacific/Walla Walla time)
• 2026 graduates - Sep 2 @ 10 a.m.
• 2027 graduates - Sep 2 @ 12 p.m.
• 2028 graduates - Sep 2 @ 2 p.m.

1. To Add a class:
   1. Use the Self-Service Course Search (selfservice.whitman.edu/Student/Student/Courses) to find the course section you'd like to add. Make sure the section you want to add is still listed as "Open"; students cannot register themselves for sections marked "Closed".
   2. When you find the correct section, select "Add to Wishlist" at the top of the page. Make sure you've satisfied all of the requirements (e.g., pre-/corequisites, instructor consent, etc.) to be allowed into the course.
   3. Use the "+" action button to add it to your schedule.
   4. Select "Apply Changes" to complete the registration.
   5. A note on Add Authorizations:

• Monday, September 2 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 8: Add Authorizations are not required (students don't need instructor permission to add a course).
• Monday, September 9 through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 13: Students must obtain an Add Authorization from the course's instructor before they can add it to their schedule.
• Friday, September 13 is the last day to add a class for Fall 2024.

1. To Drop a class:
   1. Before you drop a course, make sure you've carefully thought through the consequences! Be sure to verify that: (a) there's a suitable replacement course with open seats or (b) reducing your credit load won't negatively impact your financial aid, immigration status, athletic eligibility, time to graduation, etc. Once you drop a course, you might not be able to re-enroll if you change your mind!
   2. Inside your Self-Service Course Plan, select the "–" action button for the course you wish to drop from your schedule.
   3. Select "Apply Changes" to complete the transaction.
   4. A note on Drop deadlines:

• With your advisor's permission, you can drop a class all the way up until Wednesday, October 16 without it showing up on your college transcript.
• After October 16, dropped classes will appear on your transcript with a W (Withdrawal) in place of a grade.
• The last day to withdraw from a course is Friday, November 8.
• You don't have to get permission from the instructor to drop or withdraw from their class.

Need Assistance?

If you have questions or need immediate assistance during the Add/Drop period, members of the Registrar's Office staff will be available via Live Chat from Monday, September 2 through Friday, September 6, 8:30–4:30 p.m. To start a chat, look for the chat icon in the bottom right of the Registration page in my.whitman.edu.