Freshmen Orientation Shortcuts & Resources

First-Year Writing Advising

Incoming freshmen will use this application to help determine which English class they should enroll in for their first semester at San Francisco State University. There are two steps you need to do to accomplish this:

1. Check to see your English Pathway/Category status: 
   How to check your English Pathway/Category
   (Or, refer to your Orientation packet label)
    
2. Complete the First Year Writing Advising module (~5 minutes)—link is below:

Open Classes for Fall 2023

Refer to the "Open Classes" section at the bottom of this page.

First-Year Math Advising

Incoming freshmen will use this application to help determine which math class they should enroll in for their first semester at San Francisco State University. There are two steps you need to do to accomplish this:

1. Check to see your Math Pathway/Category status: 
   How to check your Math Pathway/Category
   (Or, refer to your Orientation packet label)
    
2. Complete the First Year Math Advising module (~5 minutes)—link is below:

Open Classes for Fall 2023

Refer to the "Open Classes" section at the bottom of this page.

Open Classes for Fall 2023

Refer to the "Open Classes" section at the bottom of this page.

Full list of Degree Programs (A-Z):

• Academic Programs

• Only select "Bachelor's Degree" programs
  (Do NOT select "Master's Degrees", Certificates, or Minors)

Open Classes for Fall 2023

Refer to the "Open Classes" section at the bottom of this page.

Lower-Division General Education List (Areas A-F):

• Area A: English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
• Area B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
• Area C: Arts and Humanities
• Area D: Social Sciences
• Area E: Lifelong Learning and Self-development (LLD)
• Area F: Ethnic Studies

U.S. & California Government:

• U.S. and California Government (USG and CSLG)
  (Scroll down until you see this list)

Met in Major

If you are in any of the following majors, some courses also meet certain General Education requirement areas that are not normally designated as "GE" courses—see the table below:

• *This table does NOT include any Upper-division Met in Major requirements
• For details of which courses meet these GE requirement areas, click the "Met in Major" button below.

When in these majors, make sure to NOT take courses listed on the standard General Education list for a GE Area that will already be covered by your major—this will save you from taking a class that you don't need!

Advanced Placement Test Score Charts (by year taken):

Ask an academic counselor if...

• you have taken an AP test before Fall 2020
• have IB or CLEP test scores
• have any transfer credit from another institution

Open Classes for Fall 2023

Refer to the "Open Classes" section at the bottom of this page.

Learn how to navigate your Student Center portal and the general process of "how to enroll".

Learn how to find classes using the online Class Schedule search tool:

How To Look Up And Register For Classes Using Gator Scheduler

Metro Course:

• ETHS 120 (3 units) — Section 10 (10699 code to add)

Science/Genentech Courses:

• CHEM 115 (5 units) — Sections [G1] LEC, [G2] SEM, and [G3] LAB (9854 code to add)
• MATH 226 (4 units) — Sections [33] LEC, and [34] SEM (6279 code to add)
• BIOL 881 (1 unit) — Section [01] SEM (1321 code to add - permission by instructor only)
• ENG 104 (3 units) — Section [63] (10845 code to add) or [64] (10846 code to add)
  or
  ENG 114 (3 units) — (10911 code to add)

Potential Support Courses:

• Chemistry support: SCI 115 (1 unit) — Section [01] ACT (6527 code to add) or Section [02] (6528 code to add)
• Calculus Supportt: SCI 226 (1 unit) — Section [02] ACT (6592 code to add)

Total Units:

• 16 total units without support classes
• 17-18 with support class(es)

Open GE lists (by Area):

Do NOT take upper-division courses (numbered 300 and above) as a Freshman!

Refer to the online Class Schedule "Advanced Search" function and look for particular GE areas under "Course Attributes"—there are a LOT of open classes still available!

See instructions below...

Go to the online Class Schedule page:

SFSU Home > "Quick Links" tab > "Class Schedule" menu option

Use the "Advanced Search" option—select the following settings:

• For "Term", select "Spring 2024"
• For "Seat Availability" Select "Classes with seats available"

Skip down to "Course Attribute"—you can choose up to TWO attributes for your search criteria:

• Based on your preferences, you might also want to select "In-Person" classes or one of our online options

Choose the GE Area category to find open classes within that requirement area:

Here are the GE areas you will want to search for:

• Area B - Physical & Life Sciences
• Area C - Arts & Humanities
• Area D - Social Sciences
• Note: US/CA Government will still be listed as "Area D3" even though it was removed from the GE program
• Area E - Lifelong Learning & Self-Development (only if you have completed Area A2 already)
• Area F - Ethnic Studies (only choose lower-division courses—Numbered 100-299!)
   

On the Search Results page:

• Find a course you are interested in
• Make sure that it fits your current class schedule
• Note the "Instruction Mode" (In-Person vs. Online)
• You will need the "Class Number" to add each course into the "Shopping Cart" on your Student Center
   

Repeat until you are enrolled into 12-16 units (your choice)!