Things Every Bear Should Know
How to prepare and what to expect for your academic advising experience
What to expect at an academic advising appointment
You should expect a conversation with someone from your college (major and minor) to chat about your academic plans, classes you need to consider, and your education goals. Advising might occur over multiple meetings and either in-person or virtually.
Your advisor may want to discuss:
- How your current classes are going
- What courses you are interested in or nervous about taking
- Which campus resources, like Tutorial Services, you have used
- How your study habits or exam prep is going
- If you have plans for graduate school or other professional programs
- What GPA goals you have and how you can achieve them
- What questions you have about registration for the next semester
- How you are adjusting to campus
How to prepare for an academic advising appointment
Start with the steps for Ready, Set Register each semester. Take time to clear any Holds, look at Degree Works, write down questions, and identify a few classes to discuss with your advisor for your academic plan. If you are a new Bear, your first advising session will be at New Student Registration.
Every semester you need to:
- Reflect on your personal and academic values, skills, interests, and goals
- Schedule at least one appointment with your advisor and reach out when questions come up
- Prepare for advising sessions by checking Degree Works, your past plans, and writing down your questions to ask
- Complete any additional advising prep that your advisor sends you
- Read about the rules and requirements for your next degree milestones (registration deadlines, academic standing, graduation)
- Check BearMail for updates from your professors, advisor, Bear Central, and other university announcements
Frequently Asked Questions
As a student, you have a lot of information, policies, departments, and people to know: we have a list of things many Bears forget, don’t realize, or haven’t heard of before.
You can find your registration date in Ursa every semester: Click on “Your Date to Register” under your Registration Section. You can register at 7 am on that date IF:
- you have met with your advisor,
- you have your PIN (the number your advisor gives you)
- and have no Holds on your account: learn more about Holds and Registration Errors.
Your registration date is based on how many credits you have earned. As you get closer to graduation, you can pick out classes earlier. If this will be your first semester as a UNC Bear, you will register during the New Student Registration Sessions or with your Transfer advisor.
You can register for new courses through the Add Deadline without additional paperwork. Some classes have a “late start” or “special term,” which means they begin after the start of the semester. If you are considering a special term course, look for the add and drop deadlines for that class.
Your advisor helps you with this process. Talk to them about your options and why you want to change, and they can get you connected to the right people for your new major or minor. You can also talk with the Center for Career Readiness about career paths and majors or minors associated with those jobs.
Look at the college website for more information on your new major or minor and schedule a meeting with your current advisor for support.
You may have two options if you decide a class is not the right fit: dropping and withdrawing. Dropping a course means you are removed from the class without it showing up on your transcript or tuition. Withdrawing means you are removed from the class, and a “W” shows up on your transcript. Dropped and Withdrawn classes do not impact your GPA, but may impact your financial aid. You will not receive tuition refunds from withdrawing.
The general Drop deadline for Fall 2025 is Monday, September 8th. If you miss this deadline, you need to talk with your advisor and may need to withdraw from the class.
The Withdraw deadline for Fall 2025 is Friday, December 5th. If you miss this deadline, you need to talk with your advisor and your professor about options for finishing the class.
“Short Courses” or special term courses that begin or end in the middle of a semester may have a different deadline.
If you want to withdraw from ALL classes, you need to call or visit Bear Central.
You should follow the plan your advisor gives you, reference the catalog for your degree and year, and use Degree Works to keep track of your degree progress. Your advisor can review your Degree Works and Catalog requirements with you to plan out the next set of courses to consider.
You can access Degree Works through Ursa by clicking on “Degree Works” under your Student Applications sections. In Degree Works, you will see:
- Green Checks for completed courses
- Blue Half-Circles for classes in progress or that you are registered for
- Red Circles for requirements you still need
- Other notes about your degree
Ask your advisor if something doesn’t seem right in Degree Works, and you have questions about your courses.
You can find your registration date in Ursa every semester: Click on “Your Date to Register” under your Registration Section. You can register at 7 am on that date IF:
- you have met with your advisor,
- you have your PIN (the number your advisor gives you)
- and have no Holds on your account: learn more about Holds and Registration Errors.
Your registration date is based on how many credits you have earned. As you get closer to graduation, you can pick out classes earlier. If this will be your first semester as a UNC Bear, you will register during the New Student Registration Sessions or with your Transfer advisor.
You can register for new courses through the Add Deadline without additional paperwork. Some classes have a “late start” or “special term,” which means they begin after the start of the semester. If you are considering a special term course, look for the add and drop deadlines for that class.