Student Guidelines and Responsibilities

Student Guidelines & Responsibilities 

Attending Advising

Typically, advising sessions for all students begin around the eighth week of each semester. Students and their advisors will get into contact with each other to go over plans for the upcoming semester. This often includes discussing and choosing which classes a student will be registering for and going over what requirements a student has yet to complete regarding their course of study.  

While some students may wish or need to meet with their advisor more frequently than others, it is important that all students are in contact with their advisors, especially as advising for fall or spring rolls around.  

Meeting With Your Advisor

Be Prepared

  • Bring something you can take notes with. Often there will be things you’ll want to make sure you remember, so it’s important to be able to make note of those things. This makes it easier to reflect on what next steps you and your advisor have discussed, and to remember important tasks you may need to complete. 
  • Prepare your questions beforehand. If you are making an appointment with your advisor for a specific reason, it can be helpful to write down what you’d like to discuss before attending. This way you can help yourself to stay focused during the meeting and help make sure you don’t forget to ask something important.  
  •  Make sure to arrive on time. If you’ve never visited your advisor in their office before, it might be beneficial to leave for your meeting early as to guarantee you’ll be able to find the office and arrive on time. It’s often better to arrive five minutes early, so that you can take a few minutes to review and prepare for the meeting.  

Helpful Tools: The Catalog & The Schedule 

Before meeting with your advisor to pick classes for the next semester, it is best to have a few classes in mind ahead of time. Think about what requirements you have yet to fulfill, both within your major and within the core requirements. Then search through the catalog to see what your options might be. Then reference those options with what will be available next semester on the schedule. Pick out the ones you feel are the best options for you and bring them with you to the meeting with your advisor. Together, both of you can discuss what classes would be the best choice as you move forward. 

The Catalog vs The Schedule

While both tools are available for students to look at possible class options, the two systems function in different ways. 

The Catalog

The catalog shows students the classes that they may take to satisfy requirements associated with their major. It shows the major pathway options, along with a recommended order in which the classes could be taken. Not every class listed in the catalog is guaranteed to appear on the schedule, though many of the required major courses will appear during their recommended semester. It is important to speak with your advisor and to plan ahead so that you have ample opportunities to take required classes as they appear on the schedule. 

The other important feature of the catalog is that it grants students the option to search within it for certain identifiers. For example, if a student was interested in seeing only classes with a history identifier, the student could search for that. Even more importantly a student can search for the Hiram core requirement codes, for example, “MM,” “UD,” or “CM,” and see classes that would satisfy that requirement. 

How Do I Find the Catalog?

The current catalog is easily accessed by going to my.hiram.edu and clicking the drop-down “General.” Under General, click the third option down labeled “College Catalog.” 

To do an advanced search of the catalog, first choose the option “Current Hiram College Catalog.” Then, on the right-hand side pick the option “Search Courses.” Once there you can search by keyword or do an advanced search by subject. 

The Schedule

The schedule shows classes currently being offered during a specific term. It works to show all classes available for registration for the ongoing or upcoming term. Filters allow for more selective searching with options to separate classes by part of term, subject, and core. It is important to note down the names, times, and class number of the classes you are considering before meeting with your advisor.  

The schedule is a useful tool in that it shows only classes being offered in an upcoming term. Unlike the catalog which shows all classes needed to satisfy a major’s requirement, the schedule only shows classes you currently have the option to take. It is also useful by providing the available open spots in a course, the instructor teaching the class, and the time and location of the course. This is also where you will find the CRN number for the course. The CRN number is important as it is the number you will need to register for the class.  

How Do I Find the Schedule?

The schedule is easily located by going to my.hiram.edu and selecting “Class Schedules” at the top of the page.  From there, select the term that you are looking to register or take classes in. You can sort by part of term (12-week Traditional College, 3-week Traditional College, 1st 8-week, 2nd 8-week), course subjects, core requirements, instructor, and credit hours.

Guide to Registration 

After meeting with your advisor, discussing your plans for the upcoming semester, and picking out your classes, you’re ready to prepare for registration. There are a handful of things you’ll need to keep in mind while preparing to register for your classes. 

Sometime towards the end of the 12-week, usually around Week 8, you should be made aware of when registration will open for students. Registration opens in stages starting with seniors and working its way to first-year students. Make sure you mark down what day registration opens for you and have time set aside to go in and register for classes. 

The web page to register can be found by choosing Self Service Banner (Web 4) under the General drop-down on my.hiram.edu. Once on the Main Menu screen select Student Services. In Student Services, select Registration, and after that choose the option Add/Drop Classes. This is where you’ll register for your classes. 

For more information about registration, please visit the Registrar’s website.

Before registration begins it is important that you have all the information you need to be able to select your classes. These are some key items you need to make sure you have before registration begins. 

ALT Pin: Your ALT pin is a set of numbers unique to your account. You will need this ALT pin to log in and register. Your advisor will give you your ALT pin, either during your advising session or over email. 

CRN Numbers: Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be asked to enter the CRN numbers for the classes you’ve selected. These numbers can be found on the class schedule listed with the class name and on the left-hand side. To make sure registration goes smoothly and quickly it is recommended to make note of your classes’ CRNs ahead of time. 

Add Slip: Some classes require permission from faculty before a student can register. If a class you intend to take requires an add slip, this should be completed before registration day. Likely, your advisor has already made you aware of this requirement. Add slips can be found in the Registrar’s office in Teachout Price, on the Registrar’s website, or under Registrar Forms in Student Portal. Once the form is fully completed it can be handed into the Registrar’s office.