Kilachand Class of 2029 Summer Advising & Fall Course Registration
First-Year Seminars & Studios
Kilachand First-Year Seminars (4 units each): During the first year, Kilachand students take two seminars—one in the fall term and one in the spring term—that introduce empirical and scholarly research, creativity, and discovery through an intensive look at a unique topic. Seminar instructors come from across BU’s schools and colleges, are experts in their respective fields, and are deeply engaged with the course they designed.
In the spirit of Kilachand’s mission, we encourage you to choose seminars unrelated to your major field of study. By doing so, your seminars are more likely to fulfill useful BU Hub requirements which you may not fulfill through your major. The KHC seminar typically fits into your schedule where your school or college recommends taking a course of interest or a Hub elective course.
Students in the College of Engineering are strongly recommended to take a seminar that fulfills one of the following Hub requirements to support integration of engineering, Kilachand, and Hub coursework: Aesthetic Exploration; The Individual in Community; Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
Kilachand Writing Studios (2 units each): Also in the first year, students take the Kilachand Writing Studios to cultivate critical thinking, problem solving strategies, and writing and research techniques. The first semester of the Writing Studio, KHC ST 111, focuses on developing effective writing, note-taking, discussion, oral presentation, and multi-modal skills. The second semester, KHC ST 112, focuses on research methods and the completion of a capstone research paper, giving students the opportunity to carry out a detailed examination of a topic about which they are intellectually curious.
As KHC ST 111 fulfills the First-Year Writing Seminar Hub requirement, Kilachand students take it in place of CAS WR 120. Please do not register for CAS WR 120. Instead, you should register for the Studio I section that best fits your course schedule.
Students who take the Multilingual Writer Placement and test into CAS WR 111 or CAS WR 112 may still enroll in KHC ST 111. However, those who place into CAS WR 111 may prefer to postpone Kilachand Writing Studio until the sophomore year. Students who place into CAS WR 112 may benefit from taking this course as an elective alongside KHC ST 111. Kilachand academic advisors and Studio instructors are happy to discuss writing course selection.
Fall Course Registration
All Boston University students will be assigned a first-year academic advisor in their home school or college who will work with them this summer (and beyond!). You will hear from your major department with information about fall course registration in late May 2025.
Kilachand students will have both an advisor in their home school or college who will be their point of contact for major coursework and a Kilachand Academic Advisor who will support them as they integrate their Kilachand courses and progress through BU Hub general education requirements. As advisors are assigned to incoming students over the summer, you will see a list of your assigned advisors in your MyBU Student portal.
You will register for your major coursework and Kilachand coursework at the same time. As noted above, although your school or college may instruct you to enroll in CAS WR 120 (the most common first-year writing course at BU), you will register for KHC ST 111 instead.
Kilachand students typically enroll in the following during their first semester for a total of 18 units:
- three 4-unit courses (fulfilling major or other degree requirements)
- one 4-unit Kilachand First-Year Seminar (which can serve as a Hub elective and/or course of interest)
- one 2-unit Kilachand Writing Studio I (any section of KHC ST 111; replaces CAS WR 120)
Keep in mind that unit load can vary by your major and home school or college, particularly for students in the College of Engineering and College of Fine Arts.
Kilachand & The BU Hub
The Kilachand curriculum will serve as your primary pathway through the BU Hub, Boston University’s general education program. By completing your Kilachand and major coursework, choosing Kilachand seminars unrelated to your major, and applying AP or other external credit where applicable, you will likely fulfill a majority, if not all, of the BU Hub. You can also choose elective coursework throughout the University, Hub Cocurriculars, Hub interdisciplinary courses, and Hub opportunities through Study Abroad. You will find helpful planning tools and resources on the BU Advising website.
Use this KHC & The BU Hub Student Planner to see how your Kilachand coursework can fulfill the BU Hub. As this guide includes many variables, it is best reviewed in conversation with a Kilachand Academic Advisor.
The Kilachand Curriculum
The Kilachand curriculum invites students to formulate and discuss questions of scientific, social, ethical, and aesthetic significance and share their conclusions with a broad audience. Through a combination of seminars, lectures, break-out discussions, and experiential opportunities, students hone their creative and critical thinking skills and apply them to problems of contemporary relevance.
You’ll see that the majority of your Kilachand coursework will be taken in your first two years when students typically concentrate on general education and foundational major coursework. The Kilachand requirements taper off in the junior and senior years, when students will likely study abroad, engage deeply in major electives, and begin their Keystone Projects. Pay close attention to the flexibility of the curriculum in the second and third years as you consider your plans at BU.
Kilachand Advising
Advising at Kilachand is a collaborative process that establishes a network between Kilachand, our students’ home schools and colleges, and the many resources of Boston University. Each Kilachand student is assigned a Kilachand Academic Advisor who will help them to identify and integrate their interests, strengths, and goals and craft fulfilling academic plans. Students will also have professional and/or faculty advisors in their home school or college, major department, pre-health or pre-law, elected minors, athletics, and more. Your advising network engages collaboratively to help you fulfill your personal, intellectual, and professional goals.
This summer
Academic advisors will be monitoring your registration as you enroll in courses. You will hear from your Kilachand Academic Advisor if they have any concerns about the coursework you’ve chosen or to confirm your great choices. You will also hear from academic advisors at your home school or college; each school manages advising differently, so be sure to connect with your major advisor directly with any questions for them.
Your Kilachand Academic Advisor will be available for one-on-one advising conversations via Zoom to review your fall course schedule in summer 2025. Please email your Kilachand Advisor to set up an advising meeting after you have registered for your Fall 2025 courses. Meet your Kilachand Advisor and the rest of the KHC team here.
BU Orientation
Orientation is a required program for all new Boston University undergraduate students. Registration for Fall 2025 Orientation will go live in May. Orientation programming and events will take place the week of August 25, 2025, following new student move-in (August 23 and 24). The official Orientation schedule will be emailed to students two days prior to Orientation, and students are expected to participate in all Orientation activities.
Kilachand Honors College will host programming especially for new Kilachand students during Orientation week. We look forward to sharing details this summer!
If you have any questions about BU Orientation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Orientation team here.
Summer Community Conversations
Both the Kilachand Hall first-floor Common Room and its entire ninth-floor offer shared spaces for study, conversations with friends, piano practice, and events. Open 24 hours a day for residents, these spaces are at the heart of our living-learning community. Before we welcome you to Kilachand Hall, please join us virtually for Community Conversations on Zoom.
June Community Conversation:
Tuesday, June 17, 6-7 pm Eastern Time: Getting to Know You & Tips for Your First Semester. Register here!
July Community Conversation:
Details will be shared in June.