As a new college student, there are many new ideas, new experiences and new responsibilities for you to get used to. Here are some terms you'll here:
Credit - the unit which designates the worth of your courses. Most courses are worth 3 credits. That means that for the 15 weeks of the semester you'll spend 3 hours every week in that course. To earn an Associates degree at ACC, you must complete 64 credits.
Semester - the length of time your current classes will run. The Spring 2005 semester funs from Tuesday, January 18 for 15 weeks until May 2, 2005. ACC runs a fall semester, a spring semester and 2 summer semesters.
GPA/CQPA - GPA is your grade point average and it is computed on a four point scale with A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1. CQPA is your overall grade point average - it stands for cumulative quality point average and combines all the individual semester GPA's.
Advisor/Counselor - what's the difference? Your counselor is available to help you with many issues you will encounter in college. Counselors are available to discuss your choice of major, your choice of classes, difficulties you may experience with coursework or with instructors, personal concerns, and career and or transfer issues. You will meet with a counselor when you come in to register for your first full-time semester; after that it's up to you to make contact with a counselor when you want to.
Your advisor is a faculty member who teaches in the division which houses your major, and is prepared to discuss your career direction, your course selection and any academic concerns you may have. You need to make an appointment to see your advisor during the academic adivsement period each semester. At that time you will choose classes based on your major, your learning style and the style of the teaching faculty.
Drop/Add - the first week of each semester you have the opportunity to change your course schedule by dropping a course and adding another. Drop/Add week lasts only the first 5 days of each semester, so you must make up your mind about your schedule quickly. To drop one class and add another you must get a form from the Registrar and get the signature of the professor of the class you wish to add.
Withdrawal - you may choose to withdraw from a class up to the end of the 7th week of the semester and receive a grade of W for that course. There are some serious possible consequences of course withdrawal which you must consider: if dropping a course leaves you with part-time status (having under 12 credits), you could risk losing your health insurance, and your financial aid status could be negatively effected. Lastly, even if you do drop a course you are still responsible to pay the balance of your tuition. If you do drop from full to part-time, you will need to meet with a counselor to discuss the ways in which it may affect your situation.
Freshman Experience - as a new full-time student at ACC, you will be placed in one of our Freshman Experience Programs: Developmental Studies, College Survival of Freshman Seminar. All students who begin full-time will be required to complete HRD100A, HRD100, or HRD110 in your first semester. More on HRD from your counselor.
