Transcript Tips for Academic Success

Taking stock.
Planning for Deadlines.
Preregistration.
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This is one section of a set of informational slides
designed to give new students an overview of what to
expect during the first semester of college.
The other sections are:
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The First Day of Classes
The First Six Weeks
The Last Weeks and Exams
A year by year checklist (Appendix)
The whole set is posted as one presentation entitled “Tips
for New Students” in the “For Students” section of the English
Department Website.
Attendance—how many classes have you missed?
(How many are you allowed to miss?)
Assignments—how many assignments have you
turned in late or missed altogether?
Are you satisfied that you are coming to class
well-prepared? Can you improve your preparation
in some way?
Have you checked the dates of major exams and
deadlines?
Taking into account the different weights of
specific assignments, do you have some idea what
your grade in each class may be?
What have you learned?
How can you make good use of the rest of the
semester?
If you are not doing as well as you would like, could spending
more time on your schoolwork help?
Remember: A full-time student ( enrolled in 12-15 credit hours
or more) should be spending 36-45 hours on studies. (Does
this describe you?)
The basic formula is 2 hours of outside-class work (24 to 40
hours if full-time) for each credit hour in addition to the regular
class contact time.
Sometimes, for some classes, you may need less time. But there
are also classes that require more work. And as the semester
progresses, many classes suddenly seem to need more work.
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You have had trouble with
attendance and/or
submission of assignments.
Your grade is a D or worse
and you don’t see a strong
likelihood that you will
improve it.
You don’t enjoy/don’t feel
you are getting much from
the class.
Dropping will not hurt your
financial aid status.
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Attendance has not been a
problem and/or you have
stopped having attendance
problems.
Your grade is a C or better.
You believe you are learning
in the class.
You have a chance of
improving your grade if you
work hard.
Dropping will hurt your
financial aid status and/or
delay your graduation.
Drop
Don’t Drop
(but consult your advisor first)
(and keep working hard)
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Whether the problem is that you think you
should drop a class or that you think you
want to kill your roommate, your advisor will
usually be glad to talk through your concerns.
Remember that each advisor usually has 90
or more other advisees (and is also teaching)
so don’t be discouraged if you can’t see him
or her immediately.
But your advisor wants to see you. If you can’t
see him/her during office hours, e-mail or
phone for an appointment.
In addition to your advisor and professor, here
are some good resources:
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The University Writing Center
(for help with writing, mechanics, etc.)
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The Learning Resource Center
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( for videos and audio books)
The Library (for books and materials)
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The University Counseling Center
(for personal crises, time-management help, etc.)
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Don’t expect to “get it right” the first time.
If you make a mistake, rejoice in the great
learning opportunity.
If you concentrate on learning, you will be a
winner even if you don’t get the highest grade in
the class.
Even if you feel you are getting worse grades
than you “should,” keep working.
Don’t be a slacker, but don’t get obsessed about
doing perfect work. Perfection is impossible. If
you shoot too high, you doom yourself to failure.
Set realistic goals for your success.
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Around the time that you are working hardest
to do well in all your courses, there will be a
period called “pre-registration.”
Almost all your classes will have work due
during the last three weeks of classes, so
plan ahead so all of them can be done on
time.
Taking a good look at how many classes you
have missed and how you stand generally in
each class will help you assess where to put
extra effort.
Preregistration is the period during which students may sign up for courses
that they plan to take during the next term.
At MTSU, students are assigned registration dates, based on how near they
are to graduation and other factors.
Meet with your advisor at least two weeks before your scheduled
preregistration date.
Preregister as soon as you are allowed, so that you can get the best choice
of courses.
Don’t forget to follow up preregistration with registration (paying bill,
confirming courses, etc.) or you will lose the courses you preregistered for.
The magic words are “PLAN AHEAD”!