Info for New HD Majors

We are so delighted that you will be joining us as new HD majors! You have so much to look forward to and we are excited to meet you at the beginning of your journey here at Cornell.

As you may know, Human Development is one of two undergraduate majors in the Department of Psychology, which is a department that is spread across two Cornell undergraduate colleges. Students in the College of Human Ecology major in Human Development and students in the College of Arts and Sciences major in Psychology.

There is much information to convey, and we would like to do it in a way that does not overwhelm! Your first task this summer will be to enroll in classes, so we are listing that information first. Below that you will see links to information on:

• Orientation for the College of Human Ecology
• Orientation for HD majors
• Cornell University-wide orientation
• Advising through the Office of Student and Career Development

Pre-enrollment for first year students for fall semester courses will occur between July 17th – 20th.

This is your first opportunity to get a spot in your preferred fall courses. You will be able to make adjustments to your schedule during Add/Drop period, which begins on Friday, August 18th at 9:00 a.m. 

No doubt, you have some questions about what courses to take and how to enroll. To help you think through all of it, we are offering a virtual pre-enrollment info/Q&A session on Zoom:

• Thursday, July 6th, 2023 3:00PM - 4:00PM  (Registration required at link here).

Before this session, it might be helpful to read a little bit about the Human Development Major and specifically, about suggestions for the first semester, under the “Advising” tab on the HD major page.

Below are links to orientation information at the level of the Major, the College, and the University. It is a lot….be sure to go through it carefully, likely more than once, and trust that we are here to answer your questions and make sure you find your way.

Human Development Orientation

Human Development will be holding the following required session for Fall 2023 Orientation: Friday, August 18th 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM in G151 MVR Hall

College of Human Ecology Orientation

• The answer to most of your questions can be found on the College of Human Ecology “New Student Orientation Information” page.
• You will receive much information about the Human Ecology orientation events that will happen once you arrive on campus, so be sure to check your inbox regularly!

Cornell University Orientation

• Cornell has new student information pages with information about all kinds of things including course enrollment, financial aid, student health, information technology and other things.
• On that page is an orientation tab with university orientation information for incoming first-year students and incoming transfer students.

 Once you have attended the Human Development virtual pre-enroll session and you have reviewed all the online resources, if you still have questions, you can schedule an appointment to speak with an advisor in the Office of Student and Career Development by visiting their website and clicking "Schedule an appointment."