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School of Education and Social Policy

Welcome to SESP! We’re looking forward to connecting with you this summer and welcoming you in the fall. In the meantime, explore the resources and information below.

The SESP advising team will reach out to you in early to mid-August to introduce themselves, get to know you, and start discussing the information you will provide in your survey. One-on-one advising calls in late August or early September will help you determine some fall course options and start connecting you to helpful resources for the start of your Northwestern career.

Academic Advisers

The SESP advising team:

Fall Quarter Course Registration

You will register for fall courses after arriving on campus and during Wildcat Welcome. Your academic adviser will assist you in understanding degree requirements and guide you in determining which classes to take in your first quarter. Your peer adviser will provide advice from a student lens.

Class selection will be among the topics covered this summer when you engage with your academic adviser, who will reach out to you in August to schedule a remote meeting. 

Placement Exams and Global Engagement Requirement

See the Placement Exams webpage for an overview of the online placement exams and assessments offered during the summer.

We encourage you to take placement exams because they will help determine the course level appropriate for you as you start planning your fall course schedule. Your courses will include math, language, and science if you are planning to pursue a second major or a premed track.  

As your adviser will explain, students are encouraged to study abroad during their undergraduate career via the SESP global engagement requirement. If you believe that studying abroad may not be right for you, another way to meet the SESP global engagement requirement is by taking/testing out of one year of college-level study in a language other than English. 

If you anticipate taking language courses or studying abroad, we recommend taking the language placement exam for any language you have previously studied.

SESP Leadership Institute

The SESP Leadership Institute is a fall quarter program that helps prepare new first-year and rising second- year undergraduates to thrive at Northwestern. First-generation college students and students from lower-income backgrounds are especially encouraged to participate. See Optional Summer Opportunities or the SLI website for details.