OVERVIEW

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OVERVIEW

• talk generally about academics and academic
  requirements at MSU
• review some advice and tips that I will share
  with your students later in the day

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CREDITS TOWARD GRADUATION

• 120 credits to graduate (typically)
• 15 credits per semester 4-year graduation
• but theres no such thing as a typical
  semester!
• students will schedule 20062007 now during AOP
• can make schedule changes starting on August 26

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UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

• University required credits gt
• WRA first year (or Tier I) writing
• IAH A Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities
• IAH B Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities
• ISS Integrative Studies in Social Sciences
• ISB/ISP Integrative Studies in General Science
  (biological or physical sciences)
• MTH Math (if less than 19 on math placement
  test)
• typically (and ideally) taken during first two
  years

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• goals of University requirements
• help situate students to college-level reading,
  writing, and analysis
• provide a broad background provide information
  and knowledge that will span all courses
• launch a successful start toward moving into
  upper-level and major-specific courses
• support students in understanding the range of
  majors, fields, and opportunities available at
  MSU and beyond

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MAJORS

• 25 of students are no pref when they come to MSU
• 56 is the magic number gt students are junior
  status at 56 credits and have to declare a major
• 140 majors at MSU gt from Accounting to Zoology

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CLASSES _at_ MSU

• smallest 20 students
• largest 600 students typically, these classes
  meet as a large-group lecture, but there are also
  small recitation/lab sections
• students will typically have a range of course
  sizes and types
• classrooms range from lecture halls to science
  labs to computer labs

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ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
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• In high school, I was a B student without
  studying. In college, I was a C/D student without
  studying. To succeed, you have to study!
  (Junior, English, Michigan State University)

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ADVICE 1 BE READY FOR BIG CHANGES
After the first week or two of classes, ask your
student whats happened so farand what due dates
are coming up. Ask how things are different from
high school, and how the adjustment is going.

• know that no one is necessarily going to be
  watching over you ? your success is, in large
  part, in your hands
• expect increased intensity ? big projects, long
  papers, lots of work
• anticipate the shift in the type of work that
  youll be doing

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ADVICE 2 GO TO CLASS

• know why youre going to class, why its
  important, what youre going to get out of class
• if you think you can skip once or twice and hang
  on, good most people cant, because once or
  twice becomes three or four or five or more times
  and then the semester is over
• develop study groupsyoull study better, relieve
  some stress, get to know one another, and youll
  have to be more responsible

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• I keep the syllabus or course outline in the
  front of my notebook so that I can figure out
  what the point of the lecture is. You cant
  always tell (Junior, Psychology, Southern
  Illinois University)
• Id think to myself, I dont need to write that
  down, Ill remember it. A few days later, I was
  like what did he say??? (Junior, Economics,
  Duke University)

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ADVICE 3 TAKE GOOD NOTES

• listen for key phrases
• to sum it up...
• remember that...
• in other words...
• in my opinion...
• the turning point...
• notice that...
• the basic reason...
• a prime example...
• in conclusion...
• this will be on the test...

Ask your student whats been covered in
class. Ask your student how he or she keeps up
with whats covered in class.
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• My brother, whos not in college, works 40 or 50
  hours a week at his job. When Im sick of
  studying I try to ask myself if Ive put in that
  many hours. Its definitely a reality check. You
  need to think of school as your job (Junior,
  Engineering, Notre Dame)
• Where else is 12 hours a week considered a full
  load? (t-shirt worn by MSU student)

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ADVICE 4 MANAGE YOUR TIME

• get a planner and use it
• map out the semester the first week of classes
  and at midterm ? e.g., buy a sheet of posterboard
  and create a calendar of when all your coursework
  is due
• figure out how you spend your day ? 24 hours is a
  lot of hours figure out how much time you need
  to spend on classwork, studying, activities,
  work, etc.
• get ahead when you can dont wait for work to
  pile up and then have to work in a frenzy

A planner may well be the best going-away gift
you can give your student. Consider marking
milestones for your studentThanksgiving break,
for instance.
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ADVICE 5 SEEK HELP

• if your instructor has IM office hours, IM her
  if your instructor invites you to email him with
  questions, email him
• if the TA is available for one-on-one consulting
  about topics or papers, go see her
• if your instructor is available to review your
  work before you submit it for a grade, do it
• go see an advisor once a semester gt either at UUD
  or in your major

Ask your student if theyve stopped to talk with
any of their professors, met any of their TAs, or
gone to any office hours.
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• Until the day he flunked out, my roommate
  insisted he was an engineering majorcompletely
  ignoring the fact that he was pretty bad in math
  and science. If hed been realistic about his
  major, hed still be here (Senior, Accounting,
  Indiana University)

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I probably spent more time checking out used
cars than checking out majors. I worried about it
a lot, but I neverdid anything to find out what
each major was really about. When the time came
that I had to decide, I didnt have much more
information than I did as a freshmanit was kind
of like throwing a dart (Senior, Economics,
University of Connecticut)
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ADVICE 6 FIGURE OUT YOUR INTERESTS AND GOALS

• join student groups ? 500 take advantage of
  workshops, speakers, and information sessions
• 140 majors at MSUgive yourself some time to
  explore! (but be ready to declare a major at
  junior status 56 credits)
• if theres something youre really interested in
  and youre not sure if its a major or what the
  major would be like, or where it would lead you,
  talk to an advisor or to your profs

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• if you havent declared a major, check out the
  info on the majors youre interested in ? dont
  wait until the start of your junior year with a
  2.8 GPA to realize that the business college only
  considers students with a 3.1 or above
• make sure to hit the Marathon of Majors in the
  fall or spring

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Its not how smart you areeveryone is smart.
Its whether you know how to study. I see really
bright guys that get NOTHING grades and average
guys that get straight As (Senior, Economics,
University of Florida) You can always tell the
freshmen. They act like theyve just been let off
the leash (Senior, Business, Northern Illinois
University)
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ADVICE 7 STAY ON TRACK

• pace your courses gt if you rush through, you
  might miss important opportunities, but if you
  fail classes constantly or really drag your feet,
  youre going to run out of time and money
• if you need to make up credits later, plan to
  take a summer course (many are offered online)
• pace your experiences gt dont drink and party
  your entire first year away

Ask your student about how theyre balancing
their school and social life. Balance is
critical!
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• If Id talked to an adviser instead of just my
  friends I could have saved about 5,000 and a lot
  of grief. Between the classes I took that I
  didnt need and the semester I added by missing
  the application date to my major, a few visits to
  the advising office would have really paid off
  (Senior, Nursing, Michigan State University)

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• Its amazing how many things on this campus
  would really have been helpful if Id known about
  them as a freshman instead of as a senior. Nobody
  lays it out for you you have to find things
  yourself (Senior, Environmental Science,
  University of Michigan)

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ADVICE 8 USE AVAILABLE RESOURCES

• Writing Center ? writing.msu.edu
• Learning Resources Center
• FYI ? www.fyi.msu.edu
• Career Services
• Main Library and branch library references ?
  online and in-person
• Counseling Center
• and like 1001 more

There are hundreds and hundreds of resources at
MSUask which your student has used or explored.
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PowerPoint available online www.msu.edu/devossda

• Any questions?
• Any advice you want me to emphasize to your
  students this afternoon?