REGISTRATION AND ADVISING

Academic advising has an important role in undergraduate study. For science majors, it is vital for students to be in touch with advisers in some science department as soon as they enroll in the University. Frequently this clears up serious misunderstandings about the nature of the science programs. Every year brings a number of postponed graduations and upset schedules which could have been avoided had advice been sought early enough.

When you have questions about your work, or the requirements you face, don't leave them unanswered. Take advantage of the assistance that is provided through the advising system.

1. Year-Round Advising

   Physics majors with specific questions about academic regulations, requirements, registration procedures, time schedules, records, and similar matters will find that the Physics Undergraduate Adviser Margot Nims (margot@phys.washington.edu / 206-543-2772 / C139A, PAT) will be able to answer most of their questions, or will be able to direct them to where the answers are available.

   Physics students always are welcome to consult with Professor Van Dyck (vandyck@phys.washington.edu) or other undergraduate faculty advisers at any time they have questions or need advice on such matters as choice of courses, plans for future work, graduate study or other academic programs, career opportunities in physics and related fields, problems in their academic work, etcetera. Formal appointments are not required, though making one through the Physics Undergraduate Adviser Margot Nims (margot@phys.washington.edu) may save time.

2. Annual Spring Advising

   Though physics majors are invited to consult faculty advisers frequently, they are required to do so only once each academic year.

   For physics majors, the time for annual advising is in spring quarter just before autumn quarter registration. (Specific dates are announced in physics classes and through bulletin board notices.) Every physics major is asked to sign up for a specific appointment time with a faculty adviser. At that appointment, the student's present status and future plans are discussed. Specifically, plans for the entire following year are outlined.

   The annual advising period is important, of course, in helping the student make full use of the opportunities available. It also is important as a means by which faculty advisers can judge the successes of the undergraduate program and learn where improvements are desirable.

3. Registration for Courses

   Physics majors are asked to discuss their plans frequently with the Physics Undergraduate Adviser Margot Nims (margot@phys.washington.edu). In addition to ensuring that all students have received any recent changes in university programs, this procedure tends to catch small errors which can make the registration procedure tedious. It also helps keep the Physics Department up to date on student concerns.

4. Advising for Entering Physics Majors

   The Physics Undergraduate Adviser Margot Nims (margot@phys.washington.edu) ordinarily is available during normal working hours to assist entering physics majors in understanding the requirements of the physics program and in planning their course of study.

5. Tips for Planning Physics Courses

   The courses in physics required for physics majors are offered on a regular schedule which rarely varies (some courses have been offered at the same hour and in the same quarter for half a century). Many of these courses are linked by vital prerequisites. At the upper-division level the courses are offered only once each year. If you do not enroll in some courses at the right time, you may face a year's delay before your next opportunity. You must plan carefully to avoid such problems.

The following is a list of the times advanced physics courses were offered in 2002-03. It is reasonable to suppose that they will continue to be offered in the same pattern in the next few years.

• Physics 227, 228 Elementary Mathematical Physics: W, Sp, MWF 11:30
• Physics 231 Introductory Experimental Physics: A, Th 12:30 plus F 1:30 - 5:20 lab
• Physics 232 Introduction to Computational Physics: Sp, MF 1:30 plus T 1:30 - 4:20 lab
• Physics 315 Applications of Modern Physics: W, MWF 9:30
• Physics 321 322, 323 Electromagnetism: A, W, Sp, MWF plus Section
• Physics 321 322 Electromagnetism: W, Sp, MWF 11:30 plus Section
• Physics 324 325 Quantum Mechanics: A, W, MWF 10:30 plus Section
• Physics 324 Quantum Mechanics: Su, MWF 10:30 plus Section
• Physics 328 Statistical Physics: Sp, MWF 9:30
• Physics 331 Optics Laboratory: Sp, T 8:30 plus lab
• Physics 334 335 Electric Circuits Laboratory: W, Sp, TTh 9:30 plus lab
• Physics 421 Atomic and Molecular Physics: A, MWF 9:30
• Physics 422 Elementary Particle Physics: W, MWF 9:30
• Physics 423 Condensed Matter Physics: Sp, MWF 9:30
• Physics 424, 425, 426 Mathematical Physics: A, W, Sp, MWF 11:30
• Physics 431, 432, 433 Modern Physics Laboratory A, W, Sp, T 8:30 plus T 12:30 to 4:20 lab
• Physics 434 Application of Computers to Physical Measurement A, TTh 3:30 - 5:30 lab

(Recently Physics 334, 335 and/or Phys 434 have been offered in Summer Quarter in addition to the 100-level courses and Physics 224-5. Independent Study -- Physics 401, 402, 403 -- are always available in summer and may be easier to schedule then.)

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