Before you Arrive at University

Connect with the University

Read all communications from the university carefully. You will receive information about registering for courses, paying fees, housing, orientation programming, and more. It’s a good idea to sync your Trent email to your phone and log on to the myTrent portal regularly so you don’t miss any important information.  The university also posts information on social media channels, so be sure to follow them to find out about interesting events and important deadlines.

Try to attend a Summer Orientation session to learn about choosing courses, to begin preparing for university, and to see the campus with a new perspective.

Become Familiar with the Course Calendar

The academic calendar is an important document for all students; it provides details about university and departmental degree requirements, important dates (for fee payment, adding and dropping courses, exam periods), and lists all the courses (and prerequisites) offered by each department. Take time to understand the requirements for your degree program; some programs have clearly defined course requirements while others are wide open.

Register for Courses

Academic Advising and the Registrar’s Office offer many resources to support you in the process of selecting and registering for your courses. Make choices for yourself based on your interests and goals; be aware of course material, look at outlines, see the reading list. Cultural Studies may not be what you expect or Astronomy may require more math than you expect.  Ask about courses, consider long term planning, but be open: you may take ERS because you like the environment, but it could become your major!

Prepare to Learn

University teaches you the core concepts and methods of your chosen discipline(s), so you can begin to make sense of the world at a more complex level. Your professors expect that you will have already mastered the basic skills of reading, writing, and research. As a result, they will spend little, if any, time showing you grammar and punctuation or the paragraph, essay and bibliographic formats that you will need. Reflect on your skills and find opportunities to further develop them for success at university. Review more guides on the Academic Skills website and attend academic preparedness sessions during Orientation Week and throughout the term.