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The College Seminar Requirement

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Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the First-Year Seminar page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

Students take two different types of seminars in their first year.

The College Seminar

The College Seminar takes place in Fall quarter. College Seminars are small, discussion-oriented classes in which students explore a single topic or theme. Crucially, they also foreground the differences between high school and college and introduce students to skills such as time management and help-seeking that are necessary to thriving at Northwestern. College Seminar instructors also serve as their students’ first advisers in the College. 

College Seminars may not be counted toward Weinberg College’s foundational discipline requirements, and most departments and programs exclude them from counting toward major and minor requirements.

Details on the College Seminar Requirement

First-Year Writing Seminar

The second type of seminar completed is the First-Year Writing Seminar, which pays special attention to the process of writing and revision. Students take these in either Winter or Spring as part of the Written and Oral Expression Requirement.

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

In College Seminars, students gain skills in:

  • Setting and evaluating academic goals
  • Communicating effectively, both orally and in writing
  • Studying effectively
  • Thinking critically
  • Understanding standards of academic integrity
  • Knowing when and how to ask for help

Fulfilling the College Seminar Requirement

  • All Weinberg students take a College Seminar in the fall quarter of their first year. If the College seminar is not completed with a grade of D or higher, an approved substitute course must be taken. One option is to take an extra First-Year Writing Seminar if it is possible to complete one in winter quarter and one in spring quarter. Alternately, students may take English 105-0 Expository Writing or 205-0 Intermediate Composition, ideally in the first year, to satisfy this requirement.
  • Students who begin their studies in another school at Northwestern before inter-school transfer to Weinberg College are exempt from the College Seminar requirement.
  • Students who transfer to Northwestern from another college or university are exempt from the College Seminar requirement.