New Student Advising

1. WELCOME Southern Maine Community College New Student Advising Fall 2009 Enrollment Services Office www.smccME.edu

2. Goals Know Your Responsibilities Understand Registration Policies Create a Schedule Begin Course Selection Use Web Registration Know Your Next Steps

3. Advising Process Registration vs. Advising Registration is the act of signing-up for courses. Advising is an on-going educational planning process between the student and their faculty advisor including academic progress, course selection, transfer guidance, and program completion.

4. Your Role and Responsibilities Get to know your advisor early in the semester . Ask questions and remember to keep all records. Share academic and personal goals with your advisor. Bring necessary materials to advising meetings. Become familiar with the academic policies of the college. Know your scholastic standing and GPA. Inform Enrollment Services of changes to contact information. Accept final responsibility for all decisions. Meet with your advisor each semester. Use My SMCC, our new web portal.

5. Your Advisor’s Role and Responsibilities To assist with educational planning. To clarify policies and procedures. To provide career and field information. To oversee academic progress. To connect students with campus services.

6. Academic Policies Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from classes Adjusting your schedule by adding or dropping classes is possible through the end of the first week of classes. Adding a class involves placing additional courses in your schedule. Dropping a class involves removing a course from your schedule without any financial and academic penalty. The last date for dropping a standard semester course for the Fall, is Tuesday, September 8th, at 5pm. After this date no classes may be added or dropped. Adjusting your schedule by withdrawing from a class is possible between the second and twelfth week. Withdrawing from a class involves removing a course from your schedule and requires full payment for the course. This will result in receiving a mark of “W” on your permanent record. This may adversely effect financial aid eligibility as well as academic standing. It is always recommended that students discuss course adjustments with their faculty advisor.

7. Steps to Selecting Courses Consult your Program Curriculum: This outlines all the courses that are required to obtain each degree.

8. Credit Hour – a credit hour is 50 minutes of in class time per week over a traditional 15 week semester. Be aware that it is expected that students will spend anywhere from two to three hours in out of class work for every credit hour. Most classes at SMCC will be three credit hours a few exceptions. For example lab sciences will require an additional one credit lab. Consider the amount of time you can dedicate to your studies:

9. Determine if you want to attend full or part time: Full-Time Status Students carrying 12 or more credits are considered full-time. Full-time students are eligible to apply for Housing, Athletics, and Full Financial Aid. Students who plan to complete a two year program in two years will need to take at least 15 credits per semester or take Summer classes. Part-Time Status Students carrying less than 12 credits are part-time. State grant eligibility is pro-rated for part-time students. Federal student loan eligibility requires 6+ credits.

10. Consider Class Format and Location Online-line courses Take place on the internet and require a moderate level of technological know how. If considering an online course, take the time to read through the linked webpage. Off Campus Location SMCC offers courses at a variety of locations, such as Bath, Brunswick, Portland, Windham, and more!

11. Consider Academic Success Seminar (ACCS 104) Time management. Why is it so important? Career Exploration. Develop a resume and portfolio. Learn specific study skills and strategies. Explore the learning process. Discover your learning style.

13. Steps to Course Selection Choose developmental courses first. Your test scores, Accuplacer, SAT, etc., along with any previously completed college course work determine which, if any, developmental courses you must take. Developmental Courses do not count toward your degree. They are pre-college level courses designed to help strengthen your academic skills and prepare you for college level work. These courses are financial aid eligible but may lengthen how long it takes to obtain your degree.

14. Next, look for courses listed in the recommended first semester section of your program curriculum. Check each course to verify that all pre/co-requisites have been completed or are in progress. Pre-requisites are courses which must be taken prior to a specific course, while co-requisites can be taken simultaneously. If you are unable to follow the first semester recommendations, you may choose courses so long as you meet any pre/co-requisites. Some courses are semester specific. It is recommended that you follow first semester recommendations as closely as possible.

15. Restricted Courses Some courses are restricted by program In order to register for restricted classes, you must be accepted to the program. Some areas are listed below (subject to change). Health Science Automotive (AUTO) Communications and New Media (CNMS) Construction Technology (CONS) Electrical Engineering Technology (ELEC) Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing (HVPL & HVAC)

16. My SMCCSMCC’s Web Portal My SMCC provides 24/7 access to: Web registration Your academic records Your degree audit (IMPORTANT NOTE: the Degree Audit section is currently under construction. Until it is completed, you should meet with your advisor to review your progress.) …and much more! The following slides will walk you through the process of accessing My SMCC and registering for classes. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with its many other features!

17. Steps to Using My SMCC

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29. Final Steps for Student Success