College Studies for new students begins on June 15th, 2026—so what is it?
College Studies is a series of online modules and assignments on Blackboard, our online learning platform, designed to introduce you to college academics, resources at William & Mary, and our College Curriculum. The ultimate goal of College Studies is to help you prepare both for course registration and your first semester at William & Mary.
Part 1 of College Studies is designed to help you understand the college curriculum and prepare for course registration. Part 2 of College Studies will introduce you to Swem Library resources and how to find and use information during your courses.
During College Studies, you will receive feedback and guidance from your Peer Advisor, an undergraduate W&M student whom you can always reach out to with questions. Peer Advisors are trained by The Advising Center at W&M to help you understand the College Curriculum, and they can also draw on their own experiences as students to answer questions on topics like course registration and student life. When you arrive on campus for orientation, you will meet your orientation aides and pre-major advisors (a faculty member) who can provide you with further guidance on academic and social life at W&M, but during College Studies, your Peer Advisor will be able to answer your questions. Please don’t hesitate to ask your Peer Advisor any questions on your mind! You’ll find Zoom links for our drop-in hours on the “Welcome College Studies!” page on Blackboard as well.
Timeline of College Studies and course registration
Below is a comprehensive timeline of important dates and deadlines for College Studies and course registration. The College Studies calendar is also available in the College Studies course on Blackboard.
June 15: College Studies course begins; start working on Part 1
July 7: Deadline to complete the foreign language proficiency exam, if needed
July 12: Part 1 of College Studies is due
July 15 @ noon: Cart-building in PATH registration opens
July 22 @ noon: Cart-building closes; fill up your cart before this time
July 27: Students receive schedules (freshmen registered for up to 12 credits & 16 for transfers)
July 28: Add/drop opens in PATH (up to 16 credits for both freshmen & transfers)
- 11am for transfer students
- 12pm/noon for freshmen
August 1: College Studies ends
August 2 @ 11:59pm: Add/drop closes
August 21-25: New student orientation on campus
August 25 @ 8:30-9am: Orientation registration (up to 16 credits)
August 25 @ 1pm: Final add/drop begins (all students up to 18 credits)
August 26: FDOC! First day of classes
September 4 @ 11:59pm: Final add/drop closes
As you can see, course registration at W&M is a multi-part process. If you follow the dates above and complete Part 1 of College Studies on time, then your Peer Advisor will be able to give you feedback on your proposed plan for your first semester before course registration begins. Also, your schedule does not need to be perfect after the first registration period! Our course registration schedule is set up such that you can continue to receive guidance from your peer advisor and adjust your schedule as needed during add/drop periods and orientation registration.
In short, College Studies is here to introduce you to academic life at William & Mary and help prepare you for course registration and your first semester of classes. If you work through the online modules and assignments on Blackboard, and reach out to your Peer Advisor with any questions, you should be set up well for a great first semester at W&M!
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