Welcome to Ocean County College

1. Welcome to Ocean County College New Student On-Line OrientationYour Success is our Success!Presented by The Academic Advising Center Acknowledgements: Text by Geraldine McGinty and Sandra Williams Power Point Presentation created by Michele Ann Connolly & Elaine Schardien Revised 06/2007 *Portions of “Your Success is our Success” adapted from P. Dorn, Loyola University and College of Charleston

2. Steps to Success Feeling overwhelmed with the adjustments you need to make and the tasks you need to perform your first year of college ? The best way to ensure your success (and sanity) is to set up a well-thought out academic plan. • ENJOY YOURSELF ! College is a unique experience in your life, so don’t forget to enjoy all of the new things you are learning, people you are meeting, and experiences you are having. These will enrich your experiences at OCC

3. Steps to Success • SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF • What are your goals? • What do you need to do to accomplish each one? • What would you like to accomplish during your college years ? • Re-evaluate your goals on a regular basis. • Are you achieving them? If not, why? • Are they realistic?

4. Steps to Success • GET TO KNOW AN ADVISOR • Meet with an advisor each semester to ensure you are meeting your degree requirements ! • Part-time students should meet with an advisor from the Academic Advising Center. • Full-time students are assigned a faculty advisor during their first semester • This is one of the most important connections you will make during your college career. • Your first year in college is a critical one. • You will be making crucial decisions that will have a lasting effect on your studies. • It is important to make educated decisions!

5. Steps to Success • KNOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A STUDENT • You are responsible for understanding your degree requirements and completing them by the time you graduate. • The staff at OCC will help you understand these requirements; however you alone are responsible for fulfilling these requirements. • You are responsible for knowing and satisfying the degree requirements established for graduation. • You are responsible for knowing academic standards based on published information. • You are responsible for knowing and observing all academic calendar deadlines stated in the catalog !

6. Students must apply for all federal and state financial aid available to them. NJ STARS will cover the remaining cost of tuition and approved fees. • Students must maintain a continuous full-time enrollment at a New Jersey county college. • Students must be enrolled in an associate degree program at a New Jersey county college. • Students have 2 years after high school graduation to enroll. • Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their first year of enrollment. • Students may use their NJ STARS scholarship at another county college if their local county college does not offer their desired program of study • NJSTARS students need to go to Financial Aid after registration to ensure your account is protected. • NJSTARS

7. Steps to Getting Started Testing and Placement: What do the scores mean to me ? • The College Skills Assessment Test measures skills in: • Reading comprehension • Writing • Algebra • A student needing developmental reading or writing must enroll in the courses immediately. • Developmental courses cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements, therefore, students enrolled in developmental courses may need to attend OCC for one or more additional semesters in order to satisfy specific program degree requirements. • Developmental courses are prerequisites to advanced courses and will be factored into your Grade Point Average (GPA). • PLEASE NOTE: If you feel your scores do not reflect your true ability, call or stop at the Testing Center to schedule a Challenge test.

8. The Developmental Courses Reading: • ENGL 010 3 s.h. Fundamentals of Reading & Study I • ENGL 011 2 s.h. Fundamentals of Reading & Study II Writing: • ENGL 020 3 s.h. English Fundamentals I • ENGL 021 4 s.h. English Fundamentals II Algebra: • MATH 011 3 s.h. Introduction to Algebra I • MATH 012 3 s.h. Introduction to Algebra II

9. Developmental Courses • Students who need both developmental readingand writingcourses are restricted to a limited load (no more than 13 credits). The required courses are: • Needed developmental reading course (2 - 3 cr.) • Needed developmental writing course (3 - 4 cr.) • ACAD-155: Student Success (3 cr.) • Developmental Math (if needed) • Courses identified on a limited load course list (if needed for the 12-13 credit maximum) • Students entering OCC who are non-native speakers of English, identified as needing English language training, will be referred to the ESL program for assistance. • Full or part-time students with a disability at Ocean County College who are in need of services are encouraged to contact the Center for Academic Services (CAS).

10. College Level Mathematics Test • This placement test is required of all students who want to register for Pre-Calculus or a higher-level course. • The only exceptions are those students who have successfully completed the OCC prerequisite course, listed in the catalog, for the desired course. • The test helps assess proficiency in College Algebra through Pre-Calculus topics.

11. Steps to Choosing Your Degree And Selecting Your Major… • Ocean County College offers three degrees, Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.) and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.). A.A. and A.S. degrees are transfer programs that prepare students to enter baccalaureate programs for further study. A.A.S. degrees prepare students for immediate employment after graduation. • Students may be CERTAIN about their major or EXPLORING options about their major. • Students who are CERTAIN about their major need to complete a two step process: • Complete any developmental courses required. • Meet with an advisor, create an educational plan and follow it for the next several semesters.

12. Steps to Choosing Your Degree And Selecting Your Major… • If you are an EXPLORING student, you need to follow a three step process: • Complete any developmental courses required. • Meet with an advisor and receive assistance in enrolling in General Education courses . Completing the developmental courses and the General Education requirements will allow you time to sample courses from many majors and examine your personal interests and capabilities. • Create an educational plan and follow it. • EXPLORING students should have selected their major by the time they have completed half of the General Education requirements and any required developmental courses. • If you are still undecided by this time, visit the Career Center.

13. Useful Transfer Links • www.njtransfer.org is a resource that provides a seamless transfer from New Jersey community colleges to New Jersey four-year colleges and universities. • www.njedge.org is a resource that gives students access to college and university websites, financial information, as well as major information. • www.petersons.com is a resource for finding out-of-state transfer information.

14. Steps to Selecting Your Classes… • For each major there is a curriculum guide. • A curriculum guide is a list of all the courses required to complete your program of study. • Some curriculums are highly structured, while others allow students to select from several different options. • The catalog and OCC website show courses required for each major, as well as, course descriptions, prerequisites, and corequisites.

15. Full-Time vs. Part-time • Students who register for 12 or more credits (same thing as semester hours) are considered full-time. Many students need to be full-time in order to qualify for insurance, athletic eligibility, or financial aid. Students who register for fewer than 12 credits are considered part-time. • In order to graduate in two years, you should complete 16 credits per semester, or 32 credits per year. • A minimum of 64 credits are needed to graduate with an associate degree; however, a few programs require more than 64 credits. • Please remember developmental courses do not count towards this total.

16. Understanding the Academic Year • Each academic year consists of two major semesters- Fall and Spring. • Each of these semesters is 15 weeks in length. • Grades and credits are awarded at the end of each semester. • Students may also enroll in courses during various summer sessions and during Quick Term in the fall and spring. • OCC publishes a course schedule every semester. • The schedule of classes is available on the website via Web Advisor and in the Office of Admissions and Records at the beginning of each registration period.

17. How do I make a schedule? • Trial schedules are worksheets used to plan your schedule for each semester. • You design your schedule based on your individual needs and learning styles. Please remember that required developmental courses must be scheduled prior to your General Education courses. • Have a balance between school, work, and other responsibilities. • Plan for breaks in-between classes. • Try to be here as many days as possible so you do not have too many courses in any given day. It will also allow you to be involved in clubs, organizations, athletics, etc. • Allow yourself plenty of time outside of class to complete assignments. • The following page demonstrates how to fill in your trial schedule. • Please be sure to read the instructions on how to use WebAdvisor in order to search for classes!

19. How do I read the schedule? Section Team Status Name & Title Location Meeting Information Faculty Avail/Capacity Credits 2007 Fall Open ENGL 151 - 01 Ocean County 09/06/2007-12/20/2007 TBA 3/22 3.0 Semester (26189) College Campus Lecture Monday, Thursday English I 08:00AM - 09:15AM Instructional Building Room 223 ENGL 151 = Course Number 01=the section *You will need to know the course number, section and title in order to register. • Read the course description by selecting the subject in WebAdvisor. Check to see if there is a prerequisite or corequisite for the course. • Note how many credits/semester hours the course is worth. Credits usually reflect the number of hours the course meets during the week. • Note the hours and days courses meet. Some courses meet only once a week, while others meet two times a week. • Check the time of each course to ensure there are no conflicts in days/times.

20. If you are eligible, use WebAdvisor to Register online! Log in by typing your firstname_lastname (all lower case and don't forget the underscore). If you are new to WebAdvisor, your temporary password is the last six digits of your ssn. New users must select a new password as soon as you log in for the first time. If you need to reset your password in WebAdvisor, you must log in to Campus Cruiser to retrieve your new password. Your Campus Cruiser account is also firstname_lastname and last six digits of ssn. 1. Pull down the term, subject, and click the boxes on any other choices you prefer. 2. Click Submit. 3. Scroll through the list of course. Double-check the Class Title, days, time, seats available, and location of the course. 4. Click the box next to a course that matches your trial schedule. 5. Click Submit. If you get a message that says "The data record did not pass the criteria specified in the rule," this means you have not been granted access to register online for this particular semester. Click here for the criteria for restriction from online registration. 6. Review your choices carefully. Note that driving times between MCTR and MACA are approximately 45 minutes. 7. Click Submit.

21. How do I purchase my textbooks? Ocean County College's official online bookstore is open! Buying your textbooks is important, but it shouldn't be difficult.

22. Payment!!! • Payment is due at registration • Payment can be made by cash, check, OR credit card. • A payment plan is available. • Courses must be dropped before the semester begins to be relieved of the financial obligation. Click here to view information for changes in schedule. • NJSTARS students need to go to Financial Aid after registration to ensure your account is protected. • Visit the EOF office to see if you qualify for additional assistance. • If you are a NJSTARS student, click here !

23. First Week Checklist… • Know where your classrooms and labs are located. • Attend all your classes: • During your first week, instructors will discuss course goals, expectations, attendance policy, and course assignments • Read the syllabus for each course. • Make up a weekly class/study schedule. • Find out where each instructor’s office is and his/her office hours. • Look for places to study on campus. • Locate computer stations/labs on campus. • Familiarize yourself with locations of campus academic and personal services. • Look for places to lower your stress level with exercise. • Become part of your campus by joining campus groups, clubs or associations. • Know where to go for help at OCC. • Access your campus email!

24. Successful Students… • …accept responsibility for creating the outcomes and quality of their lives. • …discover a motivating purpose, characterized by personally meaningful goals and dreams. • …consistently plan and take effective actions in pursuing their goals and dreams. • …build mutually supportive relationships that assist them in pursuing their goals and dreams. • …gain heightened self-awareness, developing empowering beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will keep them on course. • …become lifelong learners, finding valuable lessons in nearly every experience they have. • …develop emotional maturity, characterized by optimism, happiness and peace of mind. • …believe in themselves, feeling capable, lovable, and unconditionally worthy as human beings. *Downing, Skip. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and Life, second edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

25. Conclusion • The Academic Advising Center • 732-255-0300 • Located in the Administration Building, Room 109 • Have A GREAT Semester!