New Student Resources

Welcome to Bethel! We are so excited to have you join us soon!

Here are a few things you should do before you arrive at Bethel to make sure you start off well.

1. Check your transcript for incoming credits you expect to transfer in.

   • Make sure all credits you completed outside Bethel appear on your transcript. This includes test scores (like AP or CLEP), College in the Schools courses (which require a transcript from the college/university the course was offered through) and college-level courses.
   • If any credits are missing, see “What If A Course is Missing?” in the Advising Center’s transcript guide. You may also reference Bethel’s Transfer Policies and types of transfer credit.
     • Make sure the courses transferred in how you thought they should.  You can reference the How to Read Your Transcript guide, to see how Bethel evaluated the courses.
   • If you have questions about your transcript, contact the Registrar.

2. Review your listed major(s)

   • Check the major(s) we currently have recorded for you by looking at your transcript.
     • If the listed major(s) is/are correct, you’re ready to go on to Step 3.  
     • If the listed major(s) is/are NOT correct, and:
       
       • You know the major you would like to change to: 
         • If it is before Welcome Week, fill out the Schedule Feedback form to set up an appointment to change your major and your schedule. 
         • If it is after Welcome Week, you can fill out the Change of Major, Minor, Advisor form to change your major. You will also want to talk with your advisor about any schedule changes. 
       • You don’t know what major you would like to choose:
         • You can review Bethel’s Majors and Minors and this Exploring Majors Page.
         • You can also consider being an “Exploratory” major. With this designation, you can take general education courses in your first semester, and also possibly explore some introductory courses from majors where you have interest. If you need help, feel free to contact the Advising Center.

3. Review your schedule

   • Review your first-semester schedule on the Student Academics page and make sure that you are not repeating a course that you have already taken, and that the courses look correct, based on your major’s Academic Plan.
     • You can find Academic Plans for your major in the catalog. Find your major here and then click on the “Academic Plans” link to see a suggested ordering of courses for each major. While you will do more planning later on, for now you'll just want to make sure your first semester is correct. 
       
       
       • NOTE: Your schedule may look different from what is on the academic plan, but don’t panic. The academic plan listed in the catalog is a suggested order for when to take the necessary courses in your major. Your schedule was created based on your major and transfer work, and that is why it’s important to have these details in order.
         
         
   • If you have questions about your first-semester schedule: if something doesn't look right, or if you think you're in a class you shouldn’t be in, please fill out the Schedule Feedback Form to meet with a member of the Advising Team. You can also contact the Advising Center with general questions and you will have opportunities to connect with an academic advisor during Welcome Week.

Thanks for taking care of these details before you arrive at Bethel. Having your transcript and first-semester schedule in order will not only help you feel confident going into your first week of classes, but also allow you to focus on all the other wonderful aspects of Welcome Week!