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Orientation

Orientation: The Key to Successful Course Registration

The first step in this process toward registration actually begins right now with this publication and the enclosed materials. You have some "homework" to do before you arrive on campus for the orientation program.

First, carefully complete the questionnaire and return it as soon as possible to ensure that your advisor is able to read it prior to your first meeting. Before you send it off, however, look over the pattern of your answers and consider where your principal interests and enthusiasms lie and what areas of knowledge you have had little contact with so far. These may well be areas to consider when you begin to sort through course options.

Read this booklet carefully to acquire an overview of the College, degree requirements, educational opportunities and resources that are going to be available to you as an LS&A student.

Browse through the Course Guide section of this booklet for courses or departments that match your interests and desired skills. Make a list of courses that you think might be interesting or useful to take at some point in your academic career. This should be a long list, not a list just of the courses you want to take this Fall.

Once on campus, one of your first orientation activities related to academic concerns will be the taking of a variety of placement test (math, chemistry, and/or language placement tests). It is important that you take those tests seriously so that the measurement of your preparation in those areas will be accurate. Your academic advisor will use those results in helping you select courses later.

After the placement tests, you will attend a short session introducing you to the School of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Included in this welcome will be presentations by students, recent graduates, and employers addressing the variety of academic experiences and skills which prove particularly helpful and enriching during your undergraduate years and as you look toward life after graduation.

On your second day of orientation, in the afternoon, you will meet with your academic advisor in a small group setting. At this point you will be introduced to the LS&A degree requirements as well as basic College policies and procedures. You will also begin to learn about the nature of academic advising in the college setting - how to use your academic advisor as your educational mentor and guide through your first years on campus.

You will next have an individual appointment with your academic advisor for a general discussion of your college expectations, goals, interests, and level of preparation. You will not select courses at this time. But it is important to begin to establish a working relationship with your advisor; the better that person knows you, the more specific and helpful he/she can be.

Later that afternoon you will meet with several LS&A academic peer advisors. This small group discussion will allow you an opportunity to learn about resources, strategies, and techniques which tend to help make your first term very successful. It is also an opportunity for you ask any questions about all those things that make college different from high school - what classes are like, academic work loads, what instructors expect from their students, etc.

In the evening after you talk with your advisor, you will consult with the peer academic advisors while you make up a list of 8 to 10 courses from which you will select your final Fall elections. The Peer Advisors are experienced students who can help you find interesting classes to fit your needs and expectations, can describe what it is like to be a successful student in LS&A, and can help you identify the primary things you need to remember when you put together your first schedule.

Later that evening, peer advisors representing the Lloyd Scholars, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), the 21st Century Program, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP) will be available for you to consult. If you belong to any of those programs, you will need to check in with the appropriate peer advisor. They will provide information on special courses and course sections which are being held for you and they will fill you in on how to register for those special classes.

A lot of thought should go into the list of courses you compile with the help of the peer advisor. They should all be courses that you are interested in and which you would like to take. When you finally register, you may find that some courses on your list are closed, or conflict with another course you really want to take, or require some additional preparation. Should that happen, you want to be in a position to substitute another course that is equally satisfying. Your list should also include a wide range of courses. This is an ideal time to explore new subject areas or pursue topics that particularly fascinate you. We suggest that you also look closely at the First-Year Seminars and other special courses which are offered for new students.

The next morning, you will meet again with your academic advisor to make a final selection of Fall classes and alternate choices before you actually register. At this meeting you will learn the results of the various placement tests you have taken and evaluate any Advanced Placement test results you may have so that final adjustments can be made to your course selections. Your advisor is there to guide you as you make your choices, not to choose your classes for you. Following your session with your advisor, you will officially register for the courses you and your advisor have selected. Your peer advisor will meet you in the registration area to assist you should you have questions or need assistance during this process.

It is important to consult with your academic advisor on a regular basis as the term goes on, to let him/her know how classes are going, to discuss your experiences in class and on campus, and to begin sorting out all the helpful resources and opportunities on campus which can make your academic career here the best possible. You owe it to yourself to learn all the options so that your decisions can be made in your best interests.

How to use an academic advisor, or, popular myths about advising

The advisor is your key to learning what is available here for you to use and how to make the most of these opportunities. This is a person you can turn to for help when you need direction, advice in planning your elections, evaluation of your study and time management skills, determination of the difference between high school and college courses, or help in approaching a college instructor. Your advisor is the logical person with whom to discuss your thoughts about possible concentrations, academic and career goals, or any uncertainty that you might have about where you want to go and what you want to do. Together you can plan how to make your LS&A degree truly a personal design, not just a formula degree. It's a good idea to see your advisor on a regular basis. The more your advisor knows about you and your goals, the more useful the advice will be. To help you more easily find the time to see your advisor on a regular basis, the Academic Advising Center has arranged for an academic advisor to hold weekly office hours in your residence hall. It's a good way to get to know your advisor.

AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR WILL:

• Inform you about degree requirements and college policies and procedures.
• Describe course options and useful campus resources.
• Help you learn better study and time management skills.
• Help you decide upon a concentration best fitted to your skills, interests, and future goals.
• Help you plan strategies to achieve your goals.
• Help you handle any academic difficulty you may encounter.
• Be a skilled contact in making the university work for you.

AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR CANNOT:

• Make your decisions for you - tell you what you should concentrate in or what classes you should take. Advisors can describe logical options for your circumstances and your aspirations and give you the information you need to make logical, informed decisions.
• Tell you what is a "good class." What makes a class "good" depends entirely upon your skills, interests, and goals. What's "good" for one student is not necessarily "good" for another.
• Help you very much with specific problems or situations if you wait too long to discuss them. Problems don't go away when you ignore them; they only get worse. Usually there are more options available to correct or improve a situation the earlier you address it.