Honors Advisors
Who are Honors advisors? Honors advisors guide you through the Honors curriculum and requirements, assist you with Honors course registration and help you make strategic course selections to meet your academic and post-graduation goals. Your Honors advisor will also support your pursuit of Beyond the Classroom opportunities, including study abroad, internships, undergraduate research and service learning courses. Essentially, your Honors advisor is your guide to getting the most out of your time at USC and in the South Carolina Honors College! You will be introduced by email to your Honors advisor in early May.
Honors Advising and Course Registration
Priority registration before New Student Orientation is one of the many benefits of being a student in the South Carolina Honors College – this enables you to register for courses (both Honors and non-Honors) before other first-year students!
You will register for your Fall 2024 courses by meeting with your Honors Advisor in a virtual appointment that will take place between May 15 – June 7, before you attend USC’s New Student Orientation.
In this 45-60 minute appointment, your Honors advisor will explain your USC requirements (for your major, the Carolina Core, and Honors), discuss how AP/IB or dual enrollment credit will apply, advise classes for you to take in the fall based on these requirements and your expected credit, and enroll you in those classes (both Honors and non-Honors). You should expect to enroll in approximately 1-3 Honors classes with the remaining being non-Honors classes for your major or the Carolina Core. First-year students will typically enroll in between 14 and 18 credit hours, depending on your chosen major. This appointment is also an opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the Honors community you are joining this fall.
Honors Advising 101 Webinars
Have questions about any of the steps below or what to expect? We strongly encourage all incoming first–year students and their families to attend one of our Honors Advising 101 webinars:
| May 7, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Join via Zoom here. |
Scheduling Your Advising Appointment
Honors advising appointments will take place virtually through Microsoft Teams May 15 – June 7. To schedule your appointment, please follow the steps below.
- Sign up for your Honors advising appointment using the link sent to your USC email
account on May 8 with the subject “Schedule Your Honors College Advising Appointment.”
- Beginning in May, all official communication regarding Honors advising will be sent to your USC student email account (the one ending @email.sc.edu). You can check this account here by using the password you set when logging into my.sc.edu.
- When selecting a time, allot at least 60 minutes at a time when you will have access to a computer with internet in a quiet, private space – we ask that you avoid traveling in a car or being in a noisy or crowded area. If you do not have access to a computer, you will work with your Honors advisor to arrange a phone appointment instead.
- Complete the online Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet.
- Please note: this worksheet must be completed at least 24-48 business hours prior to your Honors advising appointment. If not completed, your appointment will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date.
Preparing for your Advising Appointment
All advising preparation steps below are required to be complete before your first Honors advising appointment.
At least 24 hours prior to your appointment, complete the Math Assessment of Pre-Requisites (MAP)
- If you have incoming AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment credit for Calculus I or higher (ie MATH 141, MATH 142) AND this credit is already appearing on your USC transcript (follow these instructions to view) then you are not required to take this assessment.
- If you are waiting on pending AP or IB scores or if your scores have not yet been processed on your USC transcript, then you will need to take the MAP at least 24 hours prior to your advising appointment. This will ensure we are able to enroll you in requisite courses for the fall semester.
Schedule your Foreign Language Placement Exam or complete the Placement Exemption Form 24 hours prior to your appointment if you intend to start a new language.
Note: You are encouraged but not required to have completed the exam prior to your appointment. You can submit the Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet with no score and only a scheduled date.
Watch the “Pre-Orientation Advising Module” videos linked in your New Student Orientation Checklist. You are required by the university to view these videos at least two weeks prior to your scheduled New Student Orientation session but they will be most helpful for you to view prior to your Honors advising appointment! To access your Checklist visit my.sc.edu, log in to your account, click on the "Admissions" tab and then click on "Orientation Services." The videos are also linked below for reference.
If you are planning for a parent or legal guardian to participate in your appointment, please complete the Honors College FERPA waiver and email to your assigned Honors advisor. You will need to complete and return this waiver prior to your appointment.
Your appointment will take place using Microsoft Teams. Learn how to log-in and use Microsoft Teams by watching this video.
Familiarize yourself with degree requirements of both the Honors College and your intended academic major using the Honors College website, the Undergraduate Academic Bulletin, and the Major Map Repository.
Check out the Honors College Courses offered this fall and make a list of those you might be interested in. (Please note: some of these courses may be full and not available for first-year registration – in that case, your Honors advisor will help direct you toward some great alternatives!)
Watch the following videos to introduce you to the tools we will use during your appointment: How to Search for Classes; Schedule Planner; DegreeWorks
Changing your Major
Incoming first-year students are able to change their majors through the first week of fall classes. However, we encourage students considering a new major to make the desired major change, if possible, prior to your scheduled Honors advising appointment. Honors students can make a major change through the USC Admissions Portal.
FAQ
We have several Honors College students who play a collegiate sport at the university. Prior to your advising appointment, contact your coach/assistant coach and ask for the practice schedule. You can then use the Schedule Planner tool help build a fall schedule with these times in mind.
Please contact the USC Band Office at 803-777-4278 or uscband@mozart.sc.edu to find out your fall practice schedule. You can then use the Schedule Planner tool help build a fall schedule with these times in mind.
When completing your Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet, you will be asked to list all anticipated AP/IB credit and the scores you anticipate receiving. Honors students are usually accurate in guessing their anticipated score, based on past academic performance. If needed, your Honors advisor will work with you after scores are released in July to make adjustments to your fall schedule.
Contact your Honors advisor so they can make any adjustments to your schedule.
Yes. On the USC Admissions Portal, students can request to make changes to their application in the bottom right corner. After logging in, click the drop down box for “Application Change Requests,” then select the “Request to Change First-Choice Major” option.
For questions regarding Foreign Language Placement Test, please email your request to Prof. McAteer, DLLC Placement Director.