Pre-Registration

Although it may seem like the semester has only just begun, it’s time to start planning your Intersession and Spring 2015 class schedule!  Freshmen register for classes online on Friday, November 21.  You will need a PIN for registration. You will meet with an advisor between October 6 and November 20 to get your course selections approved and obtain your PIN.  By now you should have picked up a letter telling you when your appointment will be.   Call Mrs. Burke at 570-941-6323 to reschedule if your appointment time doesn’t work! Preparing for that appointment can feel a little overwhelming but read on for tips for a successful pre-registration!

 

Preparing for Pre-Registration

• Pick up your appointment letter in the CAS Advising Center in STT 209 (You should have done this by now!)
• Attend a Pre-Registration Information meeting.  Contact your department chair to find out when these meetings will take place.  If you do not have a major, come to the CAS Advising Center to sign up for a time. 
• Fill out the Planning Guide for Spring Registration which you received when you got your appointment time.  Bring this with you to your meeting.
• Look at the online catalog, especially the section for your major, and compare it to your CAPP sheet to determine what courses you need to stay on track for your major.  Click here or come to advising for help reading your CAPP!
• Completely fill out your Course Registration Form by accessing the Online Course Search to determine the CRNs and section numbers for the specific times and professors you want for each of your courses.  This is what a completed course registration form should look like! 

• Don’t forget:  If you are registering for BIOL 111 & 111L, BIOL 142 &142L, CHEM 113 & 113L or WRTG 106, you must register for the same section you currently have for the prior course!

Seeing is believing! 

 

If you are more of a visual person, we have a short video designed to help you get the most out of the course search process!  It explains how to prepare for your appointment and navigate the course search like a pro! Click here to view it!

But I don't like my major...

It’s not uncommon for a first year student at this point in the semester to feel dissatisfied with his or her first major choice.  Maybe…

• You find your major is not what you expected;
• You have discovered that you love another subject area much more;
• You find your major is not the best match for your abilities;
• You don’t like the career options directly related to this major.

It’s perfectly normal to change your major or to explore other options in the spring semester.  You can discuss this with your advisor during your pre-registration appointment but you don’t have to wait that long…come to the CAS Advising Center and we can help you consider your options!

But I don't have a major!! How am I supposed to pick classes?!

If you have explored areas which you have enjoyed but are not sure if you want to major in them, it's OK to continue exploring them by taking the next logical class.  You can figure out which class to take next either by consulting the plan for that major in the catalog or by asking an advisor.  You can also completely abandon the majors you have explored and try new things.  An advisor can help you determine how best to explore other majors.

 

If you have no idea what appeals to you, it makes sense to start off by figuring out what majors are available to you.  Here is a complete list of majors offered at the University of Scranton! 

If you feel completely lost, we are here to help!  You can work one on one or take advantage of one of the programs available to you!  You can participate in an undecided student workshop designed to help you determine your interests, values and skills and how those unique traits intersect with majors and careers.  You can work with an advisor or you can receive personal career counseling through a number of avenues.  Just let us know how to help!

Katie Robinson

CAS Academic Advisor

Katherine.robinson@scranton.edu

 

Academic Difficulty

At this point in the semester, you should have a fairly good feel for your class schedule and probably have had a few tests or quizzes.  You have been completing assignments and attending classes for a month at this point.  With all this under your belt, you may be feeling confident about your academic abilities.  However, what do you do if things aren't going so well?

Ask for help:

From your faculty:

The first step you should take if you are struggling in a course is to seek help!  The staff and faculty are all eager to assist you.  Discuss your concerns with your professor.  He or she has likely heard it all before and has seen students succeed and fail many times.  Your professor is an excellent resource for study strategies.  Generally speaking, professors look much more kindly upon the struggling student that seeks help than the student who seems unconcerned about poor academic performance.   When grades are calculated, sometimes it helps if your professor has witnessed you making a genuine effort.

From your advisor:

The advising staff in the CAS Advising Center can often help you troubleshoot your academic difficulties or can help you determine what your next move should be.  We are aware of resources that you can take advantage of and have experience helping freshmen successfully transition to college.  We love talking to students and helping them get on the right track.  Stop by and see us!!!

From CTLE:

The staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence can assist you in a multitude of ways.   They can provide you with tutors or help you to become a better reader.  CTLE is also responsible for providing disability services.  The staff of the Writing Center can review your writing to help you improve your papers.  The students who perform the best at Scranton are usually the ones who avail themselves of these services.  Visit their website to learn how they can help you succeed!!

What if Nothing is Working?!

So what if you have tried all these things and you are still performing badly in a class?  Or what if you hate the class and can't face attending it even one more time?  Come and talk to an academic advisor about your options!  Today, Wednesday, September 24, 2014 is the last day to drop a course without a grade. If you drop a course at this point, it will not appear on your transcript and will not be calculated into your GPA.  If you drop between September 25 and November 10, you will receive a "W" for the course.  An advisor can help you decide what the right option for you is.

If you decide to drop the course, you will have to obtain a drop form from the CAS Advising Center, get the signature of your professor and Mrs. Butler, the Assistant Dean by 4:30 September 24.  This can be a time consuming process so don't delay if you believe you want to drop.


As always, we are here to answer your questions.  Stop in, call or email!

Katie Robinson
CAS Academic Advisor
katherine.robinson@scranton.edu

Homesickness

This coming weekend is Family Weekend at the University of Scranton and our city is poised to play host to Scranton family members.  Many students I have spoken to are eagerly anticipating their first reunion with family since move-in weekend.  It’s an exciting time.  However, family weekend can sometimes exacerbate feelings of homesickness which are so common in first year students.  The CAS Advising Center is here to help students navigate those uncomfortable feelings associated with moving away from home!

Everyone else seems fine...

They’re not.  Trust me.  Homesickness is as common as that flu that will inevitably start circulating the dorms in the next few weeks.  Heading off to college means leaving behind the comfort and security of your support network.  It means saying good bye to the family, friends, beloved pets and physical surroundings that contributed to your happiness in a meaningful way for so many years.  It’s natural to miss all of that and to feel a longing for the way things were and it is a very, very common experience.  Also, you are facing new and uncertain challenges that can make you need a support network more than ever. What’s important is how you cope with it.  Just like you will take steps to minimize your risk of getting the flu or to improve your health if you do get it, there are steps you can and should take to protect your emotional wellbeing.

I miss home!  What can I do?

You can develop strategies that can help you wrestle with the negative feelings that come with homesickness:

How have I handled a similar situation in the past?

Has there ever been a time in your past when you have had to cope with homesickness?  What did you do to move through the experience?  Were you successful?  Consider what strategies you may have employed at that time.  Would any of those strategies work today?  For example, when you went off to camp, did you find it helped to keep busy?  Did you bond with other campers?  Did you write letters home?  Focus on your past successes; they can illuminate your present path.

Accept that feeling homesick is normal!

If you berate yourself because you think you shouldn’t feel homesick, you will only feel worse.  Remember that it is normal to feel this way and while you may be experiencing this discomfort, it is better to accept the feeling rather than trying to extinguish it.  Gradually, these feelings will subside.  Trying to bury your feelings with unhealthy coping strategies such as excessive drinking will only make things worse.  

Talk about it!

The Counseling Center provides free and confidential counseling and is a wonderful resource.  They are also running a group for people who are experiencing homesickness.  The Counseling Center is located on the 6th floor of O’Hara Hall.  You can just walk in or you can call them at 570-941-7620.  If you don’t want to call or go alone we will walk you there. You can also talk to your RA, an Academic Advisor, members of Campus Ministry or other students.  It is very likely that all these individuals have had to cope with homesickness at some point and are there to listen and understand.  

Get Busy!

Don’t ignore you feelings or distract yourself with drugs and alcohol.  However, immersing yourself in campus life can be very helpful.  As you work to get involved, you will develop a connection to those around you and will start to carve out a comfortable place here as well.  Many students I have talked to who are anxious and homesick in the first semester feel a sadness about leaving Scranton behind by the time the spring semester draws to a close.  Be patient and you can make this a comfortable home for yourself!

Avoid going home too much!

When you feel homesick, it seems logical to go home on a regular basis.  However, this can exacerbate your problems.  Going home every weekend will slow your adjustment to campus life.  You will severely limit your opportunities to get to know other people on campus or to get involved with campus activities.  You might not develop a deep connection here if you leave every chance you get.  Additionally, you won’t give yourself an opportunity to move past the worst of your homesickness.  You should avoid going home at all before Fall Break unless it is an emergency.  

There’s a positive side!

Life is made up of transitions.  That uneasy feeling or that feeling of longing for the way things were is likely to be something you experience at many points throughout life, not just at this time.  The way you cope at this point can prepare you to handle similar situations in the future.  It also provides you with an opportunity for personal growth and a chance to stretch yourself. 

The bottom line is that you should remain kind to yourself and try to remain patient with the transition.  Understand you aren’t alone in feeling this way and you don’t have to be alone in handling it.  Stop by the CAS Academic Advising Center to talk or reach out to one of the other resources I mentioned!

Katie Robinson

CAS Academic Advisor

katherine.robinson@scranton.edu

Time Management Strategies

Last week I blogged about how much work might be required to make a successful academic transition to college.  A lot of students feel daunted when faced with the reality of their new responsibilities.  It’s important to find time to forge relationships on campus, maintain your fitness and health, sleep enough, eat regular meals and to become part of the campus community but all of that can feel difficult to manage if you need to find a way to do class work and attend class more than 40 hours a week, especially if you are also trying to hold down a part-time job.  You may be asking yourself, “how can I handle all of this?!?!”  Never fear—the CAS Advising Center is here to help you manage your time!

Develop a time management plan!

The only way to be certain you can fit in all your responsibilities without sacrificing your sleep or health is to plan ahead.  You can do this in a few ways with some exciting tools.  For example, the website Study Guides and Strategies has an excellent visual tool that starts with a 24 hour circle that fills and deducts remaining hours as you relegate time for your priorities.  It enables you to make adjustments if you find that your original time management expectations were unrealistic.  

From http://www.studygs.net/schedule/

Fixed Commitment Schedule

Tools like the time management clock can help you prioritize your commitments but you should also consider developing a Fixed Commitment Schedule.  A fixed commitment schedule is a grid with a space for every hour of every day of the week.  On this schedule you should first fill in your fixed commitments--those commitments that do not change such as class times, work times and sleep.  Then fill in those times that are more flexible like times with your friends or meal times.  Fill in all the times you intend to study.  Again, you should be planning 2 study hours for every credit hour you have this semester.  Finally, makes sure you have adequate time to take care of yourself with relaxation and recreation.  Making time for friends and these activities will make you a better student in the long run.   

You can use this schedule to stay on track.  Stop by the CAS Advising Center or click here to get your own copy to fill out.  Try color coding it and placing it in a prominent location so you can have a clear view of how you have planned to spend your time.  

Plan out your semester as well as your week!

At the start of the semester, each of your professors should have given you a syllabus which lays out not only when your professor intends to cover each topic but also when you can expect quizzes, tests and projects to be due throughout the semester.  If you haven't already, obtain either a monthly calendar or purchase a planner.  Sit down with all your syllabi and write major assignments and examinations in on the calendar and hang it some place prominent.  By doing this, you will see which weeks are the busiest so you can plan accordingly.  In college, it is likely that for several weeks you may not seem to have any work to do.  However, because of the flow of the semester, tests, quizzes and papers tend to be due in many of your classes at the same time.  If you hold off on beginning to do your work until the week before midterms, you are likely to struggle.  If you realize now that you have a difficult week, you can plan accordingly and work ahead.  There is always something on which you can be working!

Any planner will work.  Some people prefer large desk calendars but you can also print free calendar pages off of the internet (or come to the advising center). The planners in the University of Scranton Bookstore have important semester dates listed. 

 Ask for help!

As always, if you need help navigating time management, come to the CAS Academic Advising Center to get help!  Additionally, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence has created a video to help students understand how to plan their time.  Click here to watch!
 
Katie Robinson
CAS Academic Advisor
katherine.robinson@scranton.edu