San Diego State University - Minds That Move the World

Liberal Studies

The major for future elementary school teachers.

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Orientation:

Freshmen | Transfer | Mid-semester

Because the Liberal Studies Program is complicated, it is essential that students new to the major have an initial group orientation to the major. Please note that all students must attend the orientation before they are eligible for any additional advising.  Students must arrive on time, sign-in and remain for the entire orientation. The attendance list distributed during the orientation is used to determine eligibility to see an adviser. Any student whose name is not on that list, is not eligible to see an adviser.

Orientations are held throughout the academic year and during the Summer (check the Liberal Studies home page for specific dates and times). The specific orientation an individual student attends will depend on a few main factors:

  1. When you decided on Liberal Studies as your major:  before your first semester at SDSU or after?
  2. Whether you are an incoming freshman or transfer student.

All students will fall into one of the following three categories, and their category will determine which kind of orientation they will attend:

A. Incoming freshman who decided on Liberal Studies at the time of application. These students should attend Freshman Orientation as part of the New Student Program event over the Summer before their first semester (usually in late July).

B. Incoming transfer students who decided on Liberal Studies at the time of application. These students should attend Transfer Orientation as part of the New Student Program event over the Summer before their first semester (usually in early August).  Students who attend this orientation will receive a special, preliminary degree audit, which is essential for planning their first semester, and will also have their registration date and time moved up (important for getting classes).

C. Students who have decided to change their major to Liberal Studies from some other major after their first semester at SDSU, along with any other students who missed their New Student Program event during the Summer before their first semester.  These students should attend one of the mid-semester orientations. These orientations are generally held 2-3 times per semester on Friday afternoons (see the Liberal Studies home page for the most up to date information).

 

Freshmen Orientation

All incoming freshman are expected to attend an orientation during the summer before their initial semester. These orientations are sponsored by the SDSU Office of New Student Programs and are generally held in late July. At this orientation, incoming students will meet with the director of the Liberal Studies program and do the following:

Attendance at this orientation is an essential part of a successful start to a student’s college career. All new freshman should make every effort to attend. For information about dates and times, please visit the New Student Programs website .

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Transfer Orientation

All incoming transfers are expected to attend an orientation during the summer before their initial semester at SDSU. These orientations are sponsored by the SDSU Office of New Student Programs and are generally held in early August (currently SDSU is not accepting new transfer students for the Spring Semester). At this orientation, incoming students will meet with a Liberal Studies advisor and do the following:

Attendance at this orientation is an essential part of a successful start to a student’s upper division college career at SDSU. All new transfer students should make every effort to attend. For information about dates and times, please visit the New Student Programs website.

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Mid-semester Liberal Studies Orientation

While most prospective Liberal Studies students attend an orientation prior to their first semester, some do not. Those who do not fall into one of two categories:

A. Students new to SDSU who did not attend the required summer orientation.
B. Matriculated students who are changing their major to Liberal Studies from some other major or from undeclared status.

Such students are required to attend an orientation apart from the usual summer orientation sponsored by the Office of New Student Programs. These orientations are held two to three times in each semester (Fall and Spring) and generally once during the early part of the Summer. The dates and times of the orientations vary, but to accommodate working students, they’re usually held in the afternoon, often on Fridays (see the Liberal Studies home page for the latest scheduling information). At these orientations, students will meet with a Liberal Studies advisor and do the following:

Remember, attendance at a group orientation is required before students can meet individually with an adviser, so students should plan on attending an orientation as soon possible after declaring Liberal Studies as their major.

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