SOAR is the College’s opportunity to teach students about academic requirements, assist them in the selection of appropriate courses, and connect them with appropriate campus resources.

It is also a new student’s opportunity to register for the upcoming semester and get acclimated to campus resources and opportunities. At SOAR, we bring together current students, advisors, and administrators from multiple departments to assist incoming students with course planning for the upcoming semester.

Freshmen students receive academic advising on both day one and day two of their SOAR experience, while transfer students receive advising on the first and only day of their orientation.   During this time, students will hear information through presentation and individual conversations, and they will learn academic information that enables them to choose courses for the upcoming semester.

Advisors from many offices are involved in this process and share information that is relevant to all students via presentations and share information that is student-specific via one-on-one conversations.

Overview of an advising day at L&S freshman SOAR (pdf)

Overview of an advising day at L&S transfer SOAR (pdf)

Advisors are available to assist students in the enrollment process until all students have completed registering for their courses.

We ask that students and parents alike approach the SOAR advising experience with patience. We cannot guarantee that students who leave SOAR early will have a schedule that meets all of their needs.

Freshmen students will enroll for courses during the morning of their second day at SOAR.  Since transfer students only attend one day of SOAR, they will enroll for courses during that afternoon.

Yes!

FIGS, or First-Year Interest Groups, are available to incoming freshmen. FIGS are made up of three courses that have a common theme. Take advantage of FIGS if you want to meet new people and take advantage of small class sizes.

Residential Learning Communities foster community and intellectual growth outside of the classroom.  

Undergraduate Research Scholars provides the opportunity for newly-admitted students to conduct research with the guidance of a faculty member. The URS Seminar helps research-minded students find a community of peers with similar interests.

UW-Madison language classes are small, interactive, meet frequently and emphasize communication in the target language.  Students get to know each other and their instructor as they speak about themselves and the culture and language they study.

An academic advisor is a staff member who has in-depth knowledge of the academic requirements at UW-Madison.

Academic advisors will teach new students about academic requirements at SOAR, and on an individual basis, academic advisors will help students select and register for appropriate courses during the ”advising” portion of SOAR.  

Additionally, academic advisors will offer students appropriate referrals to other campus units when appropriate. 

After SOAR, academic advisors are available on a continuing basis to assist students with academic endeavors.

Students who are planning to major in a Letters & Science major(s) will be assigned an advisor after we have worked with you at SOAR.

The advisor's name will show up in your MY UW "Student Services" window after the Fall Term begins. You will leave SOAR knowing who your assigned academic advisor is and how to contact them. Your advising needs for the immediate fall semester will be fulfilled at Summer SOAR.

Advisors are assigned based on academic interest.

If you are sure you want to choose a major in the College of Letters & Science, we’ll assign you to an advisor in our Letters & Science Academic Advising Services unit located in Suite 155 Middleton Building at 1305 Linden Drive.

If you aren’t quite sure or you have numerous interests you are still exploring, then you might be assigned to Cross-College Advising Services.

Both are very good options and both will give you opportunities to find your interests and to grow as a scholar.

Students can review requirements and expectations in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog.  For a full list of L&S majors and certificates, see the Major, Special Degree Programs, and Certificate & Concentration Programs section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

 

Students in the College of Letters & Science can choose to complete and earn either a BA or a BS degree. At SOAR, students will be asked to choose a degree preference. However, the decision at SOAR is not binding and students change their degree preference at a later time. It is important to keep in mind that there are slight differences in math, foreign language, and science requirements. The BA requires slightly more world language, and the BS requires slightly more math. For more information about requirements and differences, please refer to the BA/BS Degree Requirements worksheet. 

Students use an online enrollment system that allows them to search for and select courses for which they plan to enroll. Students can visit the following demos to explore tools available through the MyUW portal  prior to SOAR.  

Navigating Student Center   

Searching for Classes 

Utilizing the Course Guide   

Adding Courses to Your Wish List 

Utilizing the Schedule Planner

The Center for First-Year Experience  is committed to providing parents and guests with the necessary tools and support to help facilitate a successful transition for students. There is a separate concurrent SOAR program for parents and guests planning on attending SOAR with their student. For more information, see Parent/Guest Program.

There is also a federal law called FERPA which stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. FERPA governs the privacy of student education records, access to those records, and disclosure of student information. Per FERPA, parents/guests do not have access to their students’ advisor(s) name and contact information unless students share this information.

 

Students should make changes to their SOAR reservation by logging into their MyUW. A reservation summary will appear with instructions on how to make changes. Changes to any SOAR reservation must be made at least one week prior to the SOAR date, while keeping in mind not all schools/colleges will be available at every SOAR session. Students are encouraged to make changes as early as possible.

Students interested in limited enrollment programs (i.e. business, nursing, pharmacy, etc.) should make a reservation with the school/college they are interested in receiving a degree from. Students who are undecided or still deciding between majors are encouraged to make a reservation with the Cross-College Advising Service. Students who aren’t sure which school/college to choose, should call or email SOAR Information.

Please refer to the Center for First-Year Experience for more information about the SOAR reservation process or a guide on how to choose a school/college/advising experience.

 

In the College of Letters & Science, students need a minimum of 120 credits in order to graduate. The number of credits students take per semester will vary widely. Advisors at SOAR can help students identify how many credits might be a good fit since schedules are personal and individual. Students are responsible for deciding how many credits to take for the fall term while taking into consideration high school preparation, course rigor, and other obligations or commitments that will take time away from studying.

The majority of courses at UW-Madison are 3-4 credits. Taking 12-18 credits is considered “full-time” status. Taking less than 12 credits is considered “part-time” status. Every 1 credit is equivalent to about 1 hour of instruction per week, and approximately 3 hours of homework or reading outside of class per week. An average of 15 credits per semester for 4 years (8 semesters) will allow for timely graduation for students who are not bringing in any advanced standing credits (i.e. AP, IB, CLEP, PSEO, etc.) from high school.

 

Students in the College of Letters & Science must complete a foreign language requirement. 

Foreign language is measured in units.  One unit is equivalent to one year of high school work or one semester of college work.  Students may combine high school and college work to meet the foreign language requirement. 

The L&S foreign language requirement is three or four units, depending on the degree:

• B.A.  Students must successfully complete a) the fourth unit of one foreign language or b) the third unit of one language and the second unit of another language.  Examples:
  • four years of one language in high school
  • four semesters of one language in college
  • two years of one language in high school plus the third college semester of another language
  •  three years of one language in high school plus first and second college semesters of another language.
• B.S.  Students must complete the third unit of one foreign language. 

Even if a student has fulfilled the language requirement, there are many good reasons to continue studying the language that the student studied in high school or try a new language. 

Visit the Language Institute to learn more about the benefits of studying a language at UW-Madison.

When students attend SOAR, they are advised by professional and peer advisors.

Advisors ask students about their interests, goals and study habits. Together, students and advisors work to identify appropriate courses and an appropriate number of credits.

Students are encouraged to be responsible for the choices that they make at SOAR, with advisors serving to support them as they make informed decisions.

While advisors may recommend courses to students based on goals or academic interests, students can decide whether or not to follow that advice.

Students are ultimately responsible for the schedule that they create for themselves at SOAR, and in future terms at UW-Madison.

All students are encouraged to enroll in the number of credits that they want to complete during their first term at UW-Madison.

Students who cannot enroll in a course that they would like to take because the course is full are encouraged wait-list for the course (if option is available) and/or register for a back-up course.  

If students need assistance changing their schedule after their SOAR date, they are encouraged to contact their academic advisor.

We cannot guarantee that students will be able to enroll in every course that they want to take at SOAR, but students will leave SOAR with a viable schedule that satisfies major and/or general education requirements.

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment evaluates all incoming credit from other institutions and creates an official transfer credit evaluation. 

Student evaluations will be completed after they submit their “intent to enroll” form that is included in their admission packet and prior to their SOAR session. 

This evaluation will be found in each student’s Student Center. Students will receive an email once the report is ready to be viewed.

More information for transfer students can be found at the following website: http://www.ls.wisc.edu/transfer-students.html

Advisors will work with students at SOAR to help them understand how their advanced standing credit will satisfy UW-Madison requirements, and thus what courses they will not need to register for at SOAR.

Students are advised to submit test scores and transcripts to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment prior to SOAR so that most of the work can be evaluated and posted to a student’s record prior to SOAR.  

Students are also encouraged to share this information with advisors at SOAR. 

For more information and a list of equivalencies, please refer to College Coursework and AP/CLEP/IB .

Student can attend SOAR prior to test scores (i.e., AP, IB, etc.) being available or posted.  However, students should share their anticipated test scores with advisors.  Advisors can still help students determine a few different plans or course options based on anticipated test scores.