Spring 2010 Off-Campus Registration

You may register online for Spring 2010 courses IF YOU ARE NOT TAKING CLASSES AT BOWDOIN THIS SEMESTER (FALL 2009). (Students currently on campus must use the paper form to register because an advisor's signature is required. Phase I course registration for on-campus students starts on Thursday, 12 November 2009.)


Important Dates
Phase I Registration
        Online Resources
        Preventing Registration Problems
Viewing Your Schedule
Phase II Registration

Important Dates:

Phase I Registration: Tuesday, 3 November 2009, until 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday, 19 November 2009
Course Schedules posted in Bearings: Sunday evening, 29 November 2009
Phase II Registration: 7:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) Tuesday, 1 December 2009 through 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Thursday, 3 December 2009

Phase I Registration Directions:

You may request courses for next semester in one of these ways: The best and recommended way is to submit your requests through our online course registration form. Another way is to print the form, fill it out, and fax it to us at 207-725-3338. You may also email your course choices to registrar@bowdoin.edu; be sure to indicate those courses that are your top-choice picks and those that are your alternates. If you have any trouble with these methods, call the Office of the Registrar at 207-725-3521.

The first row of the registration form is for your top four full-credit courses. Enter alternate courses (1A and 1B are alternates for 1, 2A and 2B are alternates for 2, etc.) in case you do not receive a top-choice course. Enter half-credit courses at the bottom of the form in the spaces labeled "Additional Course." Students are limited to four full-credit courses (and as many half-credit courses as you wish) prior to the start of the semester. Additional full-credit courses may be added during the add/drop period only.

Course registration requests received after the deadline of 5:00 p.m. EST on 19 November 2009 will be processed during Phase II registration. Course registration requests received after 5:00 p.m. EST on 3 December 2009 will not be processed. In this event, you would have to register for classes at the start of the spring semester.

Online Resources:

Online Registration Form
Course Information (includes the Schedule of Course Offerings and the College Catalogue)
Bearings
Weekly Planning Calendar [PDF version; Word version]

Tips for preventing problems with registration:

  • Course Meeting Times: Check the Schedule of Course Offerings or Bearings to be sure the meeting times of your preferred courses do not conflict with one another. Remember to include the meeting times of labs, film screenings, etc. in your plans. Every semester we receive course requests from students who list two or more top-choice courses that meet at the same time! Use a weekly calendar worksheet [PDF version; Word version] to help you plan.
  • Course Prerequisites: Check Bearings for course prerequisites. (Click on the Rules link for a course.) If you do not have the prerequisite for a course, you will not be allowed to register for it. You may see if the instructor will waive the prerequisite by emailing the instructor with your reason for your request and, if you are allowed to take the course, asking the instructor to notify us by email. If you believe you meet a prerequisite with a course that you took during off-campus study, you will need to get the instructor's permission to override the prerequisite. The registration system has no way of determining that a course you took elsewhere is equivalent to a Bowdoin course. (This will continue to be true in future semesters as well because any faculty permission you receive is good for only one course and one semester. Any time you want a course you took off campus to count for a prerequisite, you will need the instructor's permission to register for the course that requires it.)
  • Enrollment Restrictions: If a course has enrollment restrictions (such as first years only, declared majors/minors only, etc.) they are listed in the course comments in Bearings and in the far-right column of the Schedule of Course Offerings.
  • Exclusions restrict a student from taking a course if s/he has previously taken a specific course. Exclusions appear in Bearings. Click on the Rules link for a course.
  • Independent Study or Honors Project: If you wish to register for an independent study or honors project, you must have the permission of the project director. Ask your project director to send his/her approval to registrar@bowdoin.edu.
  • Permission-Only Course: As the instructor to email his/her approval to registrar@bowdoin.edu.
  • If a course you've chosen has labs, include your first-choice, second-choice, and third-choice lab numbers on the registration form. You will only be registered for a lab course if you can be registered for one of its labs as well. Therefore, we recommend that you list multiple choices for labs on the registration form. Note: Lab assignments cannot be guaranteed; instructors may need to adjust lab assignments at the start of the semester.
  • It is recommended that you complete your division and distribution requirements by the end of your sophomore year. Remember that you may not meet these requirements with transfer credit from another institution.
  • If you wish to take a course with the Credit/D/Fail grading option, click the yes bullet for that course on the form. Ensure that you are eligible to take a course Credit/D/Fail; view the Credit/D/Fail policy online. You have six weeks into the semester to choose this grading option for a course.
  • An instructor's signature will grant enrollment permission for permission-only courses and in cases where the instructor is willing to waive a course prerequisite. An instructor signature to waive a course prerequisite will not guarantee course enrollment or grant preferential treatment; it simply makes the system view a student as equally qualified to enroll as other students who have the prerequisite in their academic records. An instructor signature will not override enrollment limits or enrollment restrictions during Phase I and Phase II registration.
  • Be sure to include your name, Bowdoin student ID number, and email address on all faxes and emails.

Viewing Your Schedule:

Check your course schedule in Bearings after 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, 29 November 2009. If you do not get into four full-credit courses or wish to adjust your schedule, you may participate in Phase II of the registration process.

Phase II Registration Directions:

Email us your requested schedule changes during Phase II Registration, 1-3 December 2009. Schedule change requests received after 5:00 p.m. EST on 3 December 2009 will not be processed. You may make further changes to your schedule during the add/drop period at the beginning of the spring semester.


If you have any questions, please let us know.


Jan Brackett, Associate Registrar
registrar@bowdoin.edu
207-725-3521