Communications

Hello, 

A big Rambler welcome from First and Second Year Advising (FSYA)! Our professional Academic Advisors are so excited to be supporting you for your first two years at Loyola University Chicago. This email contains a lot of important information so even though it is a bit lengthy, it is critical that you review it in full. Yes, you have reading homework already! 

MEET YOUR SUMMER ACADEMIC ADVISING TEAM 

Throughout the summer you will be supported by a team of Academic Advisors to answer any questions you may have. When you schedule your one-on-one advising appointment you will meet with one of these wonderful people! 

See your email for your Summer Advising Team 

SCHEDULE YOUR ONE-ON-ONE ACADEMIC ADVISING APPOINTMENT 

As part of the summer onboarding process, we want to make sure you are set up for success before you even start in the classroom. One-on-one academic advising appointments are strongly encouraged and will be available from May 12 through August 1. These virtual or in-person appointments will be 20 minutes and will cover: 

• Confirming academic goals and expectations 

• Preparing for your first semester at Loyola 

• Reviewing any outstanding to-do items 

See the custom link to make an appointment in your @LUC.edu email. 

Please be sure that you have completed the Fall 2025 Academic Advising Form through your Student Portal at least 24 hours prior to attending the meeting. 

Our appointment scheduling system, Navigate360, will adjust available times to the time-zone you are currently in. (ex. if you are in San Francisco, CA and see a 11am slot, the appointment will be 11am PST (1pm CST). 

Students will only be able to meet once over the summer with their Academic Advisor. For any additional questions, or if an appointment needs to be rescheduled, you can email ... and your Summer Academic Advising Team will respond within 48 business hours. 

TAKE YOUR PLACEMENT ASSESSMENTS 

Placement assessments help ensure that you are taking courses at a level where you will be successful. Placement assessments, if required for you, should be completed no later than Friday, June 13th to ensure you are ready to go for course registration. More information will be shared about placement assessments in a future email. 

SUMMER INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS 

FSYA will be offering three opportunities to participate in an informational webinar prior to registration week. Our Director, Dr. Katrina Higgins, and Associate Directors, Katrina Weizer and Greg Sikora, will go over important information to know prior to registration as well as provide students and their families an opportunity to ask general questions. These webinars will be: 

• Wednesday, May 14 | 5:30-6:30pm (CST) - Register Here 

• Thursday, May 29 | 7:00-8:00pm (CST) - Register Here 

• Tuesday, June 17 | 5:30-6:30pm (CST) - Register Here 

A recording of our first webinar will be available on our website for those who are unable to attend any of the dates or wish to review what was covered. A link will be provided in a future email. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – REGISTRATION WEEK 

Registration week is June 23-27. Students will be assigned a registration appointment time during that week to sign up for classes online. Future communications will include how to look up what day and time you are able to start registering for courses. 

Note – Students who register for LUC Orientation (LUCO) on June 23-24 will be assigned a registration appointment time on June 26th. 

FALL SCHEDULE REVIEWS AND CHANGES 

We understand that there is a lot of stress involved in registering for classes for the first time. We’re here to help you through it! 

• How do I know if I picked the right classes? Over the summer FSYA Advisors will be reviewing every student’s schedule to ensure you are in the right classes. If we need to make some changes, we’ll let you know. And if everything looks good, we’ll let you know that as well! Academic Advisors will start reviewing schedules on July 16. 

• What if I want to change my classes after June 27? Students will be able to request changes to their schedule through the Schedule Change Form July 16 through August 21. 

• What if I need to change my classes after August 21? Students will be able to utilize FSYA’s Express Advising during the first week of classes to make any adjustments to their schedule.  

STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS 

The Student Accessibility Center (SAC) supports, serves and empowers Loyola University Chicago students with documented disabilities. Students seeking academic and/or student life-related accommodations are encouraged to register with the SAC at luc.edu/sac/applywithsac/. Accommodations are not applied retroactively. Therefore, the SAC recommends students complete registration before the beginning of their first semester. Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis after reviewing information gathered from student meetings and supporting medical documentation. For more information about SAC’s documentation guidelines please visit luc.edu/sac/applywithsac/documentationguidelines/. Please email at sac@LUC.edu or call by phone at 773.508.7300 if you have any additional questions regarding the accommodations process. 

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES 

To ensure incoming students have access to all the information needed to be successful, we have put together a multitude of resources on our website. 

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline 

• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide 

• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information 

• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders 

• Technology Roadmap – Setting up LUC accounts 

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR LUC ORIENTATION 

Don’t forget to register for Loyola University Chicago Orientation (LUCO)! You can do so through your Student Portal. 

Please note that all future communications will only be sent to your @LUC.edu email account. Reference the Technology Roadmap for how to set up and access your LUC email. 

See you soon! 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago 

SOAR Leaders – Getting the student perspective 

Hello, 

Are you interested in learning more about Loyola from a student perspective? If so, we encourage you to take advantage of our Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders this summer! Our SOAR Leaders will be providing: 

• Support during your Registration Week in June 

• Drop-in hours throughout the summer, and 

• Mentorship sessions where you can learn more about each SOAR Leader’s unique experiences at Loyola. 

To learn more about our SOAR Leaders and their schedule for this summer, please visit our website here: https://www.luc.edu/fsya/incomingstudents/soarleaders/ 

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES 

To ensure incoming students have access to all the information needed to be successful, we have put together a multitude of resources on our website. 

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline 

• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide 

• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information 

• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders 

• Technology Roadmap – Setting up LUC accounts 

Best, 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago 

Hello, 

One of the biggest questions we get from incoming students is: what classes do I even take? Well, we have an answer for that through our Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations guide! This guide will allow you to start planning for course registration! 

In this guide you will find a step-by-step process on registration as well as courses you should be putting in your schedule, according to which major you plan to pursue at Loyola. Don’t worry if you are currently undecided, we have registration options for undecided or undeclared students as well! After selecting your planned major, you will see details on courses necessary for your major and other requirements. There are separate sections for honors students and some general advice direct from advisors on details for each major. 

Registration Week Reminder: All students will register June 23-27. Students will be assigned a registration appointment time throughout that week. Future communications will include how to look up what day and time you are able to start registering for courses. 

Note – Students who register for LUC Orientation (LUCO) on June 23-24 will be assigned a registration appointment time on June 26th. 

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES 

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline 

• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide 

• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information 

• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders 

• Technology Roadmap – Setting up LUC accounts 

See you soon! 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago 

Hello, 

Placement assessments are a tool LUC utilizes to ensure you will be placed into courses that you will be successful in. As these assessments determine what courses you can take, it is crucial you take them seriously and take your time (aka don’t rush!). Depending on your major, placements may impact when you are able to start taking courses within your discipline. Please review the videos guides linked below for our writing and math assessments. 

Writing Placement Assessment Guidelines 

Math Placement Assessment Guidelines 

These assessments should be completed no later than Friday, June 13, 2025, to ensure your scores are added to your student account prior to registration week. Writing assessments results are reviewed by faculty and can take up to a week to be processed. In addition, the Writing Placement Assessment can only be taken once! We can’t say this enough, take the time you have for your placements! 

For questions about the Math Placement Assessment please contact MathPlacement@LUC.edu, and questions for the Writing Placement Assessment please contact WritingPlacement@LUC.edu. 

Respondus LockDown Browser 

LUC requires that students download and use the Respondus LockDown Browser to take the Writing and Math Placement Assessments. Information on how to download and use the software can be found here. If at any time you have an issue with the software, please contact ITSServiceDesk@LUC.edu or (773) 508-4487 for assistance. 

Registration Week Reminder: All students will register June 23-27. Students will be assigned a registration appointment time throughout that week. Future communications will include how to look up what day and time you are able to start registering for courses. 

Note – Students who register for LUC Orientation (LUCO) on June 23-24 will be assigned a registration appointment time on June 26th. 

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES 

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline 

• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide 

• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information 

• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders 

• Technology Roadmap – Setting up LUC accounts 

See you soon! 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago 

Subject: Get Ready to Register! 

Hello,

Registration Week, June 23-27, is only two weeks away! Let’s review some important things to make sure you’re prepared and ready to register for your fall courses.

1. Review the following for how to use LOCUS for registration
   1. Basics of Registration (video)
   2. LOCUS Tips & Tricks
   3. Registration Tips & Tricks: Discussion Sections, Waitlisting, Dropping & Swapping Classes (video)
2. Find out when you can register.
   You will be able to start registering for classes in LOCUS based on your assigned enrollment appointment (better described as registration time). Follow these steps to find out when you can start to register for your fall courses:
   
   
   1. Go to LUC.edu and login with your LUC credentials
   2. Click the “Manage Classes” tile on the homepage
   3. Click “Enrollment Dates” on the left side
   4. Select “Fall 2025” and then click the “Continue” button
   5. Look for the “Regular Academic Session” row to find your time
   6. The listed day and time is when you can start to register. You’ll still be able to make changes on your own until 5:00pm on Friday, June 27.
      
      
3. Review your first-semester course recommendations
   Access the Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations guide to see what courses you should be registering for based on your major. Be sure to also read the “START HERE” dropdown for steps to get started enrolling for your first semester!
   
   
4. Get your shopping cart ready!
   Your shopping cart is ready for you to fill with classes in LOCUS now! As described in the videos linked above, as you search for courses you can add them to your shopping cart and have them ready to go once your enrollment appointment time starts. Reminder – Just because the class was available when you put it in your shopping cart, that does not mean you are guaranteed a seat in that course. It is important to run the validate feature to make sure it’s still available prior to your enrollment appointment time.

What if you need help during registration week?

If you would like to talk with someone from our office during registration, you will have two main options: 

1. Student Onboarding, Advising and Registration (SOAR) Leaders will be ready to connect with you live via Zoom – Our SOAR Leaders can help with most common questions or concerns you may encounter in LOCUS, such as:
   • Searching for classes
   • Working out scheduling conflicts
   • Understanding technical/error messages that occasionally come up in LOCUS

Visit the SOAR Leader webpage for available times and access to Zoom meetings.

2. Summer Academic Advising Teams will be available to you via our live chat Express Advising Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (CST). Express Advising is meant for quick questions (10-15 minutes max). Through Express Advising our Academic Advisors will be able to help with the following:
   • Changing your major
   • You have questions about math, writing, or foreign language placement
   • You need to confirm course equivalencies for your AP exam scores or Dual Credit
   • Enrolling for a course with unexpected errors
   • Finding an alternative course if a required course is full/closed

In Express Advising we will not be able to go over:

• • Academic 4-year planning
  • Getting approval for registering for over 18 credits
  • Any question that needs a more in-depth response or conversation

Your Summer Academic Advising Team will also be available via email and will respond to your email within 48 business hours (excluding holidays and weekends).

What if I’m not available to register during registration week?

If you are out of the country or otherwise unable to register during the June 23-27 registration week period, please do the following:

1. Reply to this email to let your Summer Advising Team know why you won’t be able to register during registration week,
2. Build your ideal schedule in your LOCUS shopping cart,
3. Watch your email address for additional instructions on June 30.

If you let us know ahead of time as instructed, we will do our best to register for the courses (might not be the specific section you listed) in your shopping cart on your behalf on Monday, June 30.

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline
• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide
• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information
• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders

Best,

First and Second Year Advising Team
Loyola University Chicago

Hello, 

Registration for your fall courses starts next week! Be sure you check out the email we sent you this past Monday, June 9 for the full details of what you need to know to prepare for registration. As a quick reminder though, here’s what you need to do:

1. Review the following for how to use LOCUS for registration 
   1. Basics of Registration (video)  
   2. LOCUS Tips & Tricks 
2. Find your enrollment appointment time, 
3. Use the Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations guide to know which classes to take, and 
4. Get your LOCUS shopping cart ready 
5. Know how to get help! 
   1. Connect with SOAR Leaders 
   2. Express Advising live-chat 
   3. Email your Summer Advising Team

The key to a successful registration week is to be ready! 

INCOMING STUDENT RESOURCES 

• Summer Email Communications and Timeline 

• Fall 2025 First-Semester Course Recommendations Guide 

• AP/IB and Transfer Credit Information 

• Summer Onboarding, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) Leaders 

• Technology Roadmap – Setting up LUC accounts 

Best, 

First and Second Year Advising Team
Loyola University Chicago 

Hello, 

Congratulations on getting through your first time registering for courses! So now what? Over the coming weeks, our team of Academic Advisors will be reviewing your schedules to ensure that you are in the classes you need for your major. If we see we need to make some changes, we’ll let you know. If everything looks good, we’ll let you know that too! 

What if I want to make changes to my schedule? 

Great question! July 16 through August 21, you will be able to request changes to your schedule through our Schedule Change Form. This form will be important if you have AP credits that come in after you register. We will be sending out an email about how to use that form when it opens on July 16. 

Academic Advisor Assignments 

You’ll find out the week of August 18 who your official First and Second Year Advising (FSYA) Academic Advisor is. They will reach out to introduce themselves and let you know how to contact them as well as how they can be a resource to you over the next two years. 

The hard part of your summer is over now! If you haven’t attended your LUC Orientation (LUCO), you have that to look forward to. Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your summer. The fall is going to bring a lot of excitement and change so you’ll want to be rested and ready! 

Best, 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago 

Hello, 

Did your AP scores come in and you need to change your schedule? Is there a class you found that you like better than one you have? Is there a section of a class that works better with your schedule? The Schedule Change Form is now open for you to request these changes! 

Schedule Change Form 

The Schedule Change Form will be open through August 21, 2025, for you to request any changes be made to your schedule. Please note, we will do our best to accommodate your requests, but we cannot guarantee requests can be processed. 

If changes still need to be made after August 21, you will be able to utilize FSYA’s Express Advising during the first week of classes to make any adjustments to your schedule. 

Best, 

First and Second Year Advising Team 

Loyola University Chicago