Before classes begin: your checklist

Fall 2026 classes begin Monday, August 24. These steps build on each other, so working through them in order is the smoothest path. Altogether it's about an hour, spread across a few days.

1. Confirm your enrollment

Complete your Intent to Enroll form and pay your enrollment deposit. The deposit is in Populi under the Financial tab, listed under Current Balance. Questions about either go to enrollment@b-sc.edu.

2. Set up Populi

Watch your personal email for your Populi invitation, then set your password and sign in at b-sc.populiweb.com. The rest of your forms live here.

Step by step: Populi: first-time setup.

3. Set up your BSC email

Instructions come from helpdesk@b-sc.edu to your personal address once your account is created. Setting your password when it arrives is worth doing that day, since everything from this point forward gets sent to your BSC address.

Step by step: Email: set your password.

4. Add BSC email to your phone

This process only takes a moment of your time and it makes the difference between an account you see and an account you have to remember to check. Some messages during your first semester ask for a reply within a day or two, so having them come to your phone helps.

iPhone: Apple Mail or Outlook.

Android: Gmail app, Samsung Email, or Outlook.

5. Complete your student forms

A few forms are required before you start, including the Acknowledgment of the Barber-Scotia College Faith Statement and, if you're living on campus, the Housing Request. You'll find them in Populi. The Office of Student Affairs can help if one isn't where you expect it.

The FERPA Release Form is optional and worth reading to understand the policy. Without one, College staff generally can't discuss your grades, schedule, or academic progress with a parent, guardian, or spouse. If you'd like someone to be able to ask about your progress, name them on that form. If you'd rather the College speak only with you, there's nothing to do.

6. Complete New Student Orientation

Orientation covers what this checklist doesn't: academic expectations, campus life, and who to go to when you need something.

7. Review your course schedule

Your dean or advisor will email your schedule to your BSC address and ask you to confirm it by a specific date. Read it over and reply by that date. If there's a course you'd like to discuss or change, this is the window when it's easiest to do, so it's worth raising anything you're unsure about now rather than after the term starts.

8. Check your BSC email before classes start

Between now and August 24 you'll get messages about registration, financial aid, housing, and your courses. Checking every couple of days is recommended, and getting into the habit now means it's already routine when the semester starts and classes get underway.

Sign in at b-sc.edu:2096.

Not sure where you are on this list?

Email helpdesk@b-sc.edu from any address you can access with your full name and date of birth. We'll tell you which accounts are set up and what's still open.