Dear incoming Honors student:

Believe it or not it is time to begin registering for courses for the Fall 2003 semester! As an Honors student you are given priority for registration, which means I can begin to pre-register you for courses before everyone else! So long as you have paid your $150 confirmation fee you are eligible to pre-register. If you have not paid the fee I will pre-register you as soon as you do. In order to make the best schedule I can I need some information about your interests and career goals and make sure you understand how college credits work.

All students at CCSU are required to take a major as well as general education courses. Some students must have a minor or concentration as well, depending on their major. Students planning to become teachers have a major (called their subject matter) and at the end of their sophomore year apply for admission into the Professional Program of the School of Education. Students in the Honors Program will have all of their general education fulfilled except for PE 244 (Wellness& Fitness), Math, lab science, and foreign language. Click here to see more specifically how the Honors courses replace general education. In addition, any courses required your major are still mandated so the program cannot overrule those requirements. For example, all education students must take PSY 236 (Lifespan Development) as well as one course in American History.

One important decision you need to make is how heavy of a load you wish to take your first semester. You need to balance your workload with adjusting to college life in general. You may choose to take a lighter load your first semester. Students take between 12-18 credits a semester. In order to graduate in four years you need to average 15-16 credits a semester; students in education and other "large majors" may need to average 16-17. Remember these are averages. You are also welcome to take summer and winter session courses, but be advised that your Honors Scholarship only covers the regular fall and spring semesters.

Having said that, what are your choices? Here are three I would suggest you choose from

1) Two honors classes (4 credits each) plus one course in your major (3-4 credits) plus PE 244 (2 credits).

2) Two honors classes (4 credits each) plus two courses in your major (3-4 credits each)

3) Two honors classes (4 credits each) plus two courses in your major (3-4 credits each) plus PE 244 (2 credits).

PE 244 is required of all first year students but you do not have to take it your first semester. If you wish you may put it off until your second semester. Be aware that music classes vary in their number of credits from 1-4 so if you are a music major you should tell me the number of credits you wish to take, not the number of courses.

Once you have made your decision, proceed on to the questionnaire in the main body of the email you were sent. I will try to honor your requests and preferences as best as I can.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me (Larsen@ccsu.edu, 860-832-2938, AIM: DrKrisLarsen)