1 New Student Orientation Handbook University College Fall 2012 New Student Orientation Handbook www.vcu.edu/uc 2 New Student Orientation Handbook Congratulations! New Student Orientation is the first step in beginning your career at Virginia Commonwealth University. Orientation is your formal introduction to all that VCU has to offer. You will receive an email confirming the orientation date you have reserved for you and your guests. It is important that you attend orientation on the date specified in the email to ensure individualized attention for advising and course registration. While attending orientation, we encourage you to ask questions as you actively participate in discussions, become acquainted with faculty, staff and other new students and learn what will be expected of you as a member of the VCU academic community. During orientation, you Contents will meet with an academic advisor and register for your fall semester classes. Check-In & Arrival............................ 3 Change of Orientation Date............ 3 While you are meeting with other new students and Advising & Registration.................. 4 attending sessions specific to your academic and Why do I have to take this course? 5 social transition to VCU, your parents and family Change of Major............................... 5 members will participate in separate sessions Did you know VCU has.................... 5 that are designed to address their unique needs. Placement Tests............................... 6 Sessions for parents and family members include Housing & Dining.............................. 7 information on resources and services, parent On-Campus Student Parking.......... 7 and family involvement in the VCU experience, First-Year Student Checklist........... 8 academic opportunities and expectations and What to Bring to Orientation.......... 9 changing relationships. Transfer Student Checklist............. 10 Parents and Guests......................... 11 Check out our web site at www.vcu.edu/uc for What should I expect at Orientation? 12 answers to frequently asked questions, but please High School to College.................... 13 do not hesitate to contact us if you have any Summer Reading Program............. 13 further questions. We look forward to meeting Welcome Week................................ 13 you this summer! Emergency Communications......... 14 Disability Support Services............ 14 Are You Ready? Directions to VCU............................. 15 New Student Orientation Parking at Orientation..................... 16 Email: [email protected] Overnight Accommodations........... 16 Phone: (804) 828-3700 Campus Map..................................... 17 3 New Student Orientation Handbook Check-In & Arrival Information First-Year Students: Check-in on Day One of your orientation program starts at 12:30 p.m. at Brandt Residence Hall. Orientation begins the afternoon of Day One and concludes at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Day Two of your visit to campus. The first day includes a variety of exciting and informative activities and sessions for you to become acclimated with campus and learn about some of the transitions you may experience both in and out of the classroom. These sessions include a formal introduction to VCU’s academic and community expectations, information on campus resources and services, specific content based on your major, small group activities with an upper- class Orientation Assistant and opportunities to meet other new students. Dinner, late-night snacks, and breakfast will be provided to students. The Day Two program begins at 8:00 a.m. following breakfast in Shafer Court Dining Center. Additional information sessions, academic overviews, advising, a trip to the VCU Card Office, campus tours and time to visit campus offices as necessary will also occur. Transfer Students: Check-in starts at 8:00 a.m. at the University Student Commons on the date you have reserved. Transfer orientation includes a formal introduction to VCU’s academic and community expectations, information on how to complete necessary university business, and advising, which includes a review of your transfer credits, course registration and a variety of sessions to learn about VCU resources and services. Grab and go breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided for students. Change of Orientation Date It is essential that you attend the Orientation session for which you are registered. If you must change your orientation date, visit go.vcu.edu/orientation and select a new date. Orientation dates fill up quickly, so you are strongly encouraged to keep your original date if possible. The orientation fee paid upon reservation is non-refundable. 4 New Student Orientation Handbook Advising, Registration & eServices/e-mail The advising and course registration process will be explained in detail during your orientation session. All students will have time to meet with an academic advisor who will evaluate any placement test scores and/or transcripts and recommend appropriate courses for the fall semester. Orientation Assistants are available to assist with course scheduling, which will take place through eServices, an online course registration system. You will leave orientation with your fall schedule in hand! eServices Account Activation REQUIRED: An active eServices account and strong password are necessary to register for your class schedule during orientation. You must set up and activate your eServices account prior to attending orientation or your course registration process will be delayed. You will need your student ID that was included in your acceptance letter (include the “V” at the beginning) and your date of birth, along with access to a computer with an Internet connection. If you do not have Internet access at home, access is available at most schools and public libraries. • Go to go.vcu.edu/eidfinder. • When you activate your eID, you will also be asked to create a password. • This must be a strong password. Follow instructions regarding criteria for an appropriate password. Now that you have your eID, you have your e-mail address. Simply add @vcu.edu to your eID and use the same password for e-mail access. There are several ways to access your VCU e-mail. The simplest method is to log on to the myVCU Portal (using your eID and password) at my.vcu.edu. Then click “VCU Gmail (myVCUmail)” under the heading “Resources”. Students are expected to check their official VCU e-mail on a frequent and consistent basis in order to remain informed of university-related communications. Additional orientation updates and critical information prior to your scheduled orientation session will be communicated to you via VCU e-mail. The university recommends checking e-mail daily. 5 New Student Orientation Handbook Why do I have to take this course? VCU students are required to take a variety of courses that may or may not be part of a student’s major. The VCU Core Curriculum creates a University-wide shared experience for all undergraduates that focuses on the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to enable and ensure lifelong learning. As a VCU student, you will receive a liberal arts education that enhances and supports your major. This will help develop your skills, knowledge, and attitudes in the following seven competencies: Writing Proficiency, Critical Thinking, Information Fluency, Oral Communication, Collaborative Learning, Ethical and Civic Responsibilities and Quantitative Literacy. Visit www.vcu.edu/uc/core for more information about the VCU Core Curriculum. Change of Major If you wish to change your major, notify the Office of Undergraduate Admissions via e-mail at [email protected]. If you have already registered for an orientation session, you must go to the website go.vcu.edu/orientation to select a proper orientation session for your new major. You may select your new session only after your change of major has been processed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Transfer students: If you decide to change your major, you will need to do so at your orientation session. During orientation, please inform the advisor of your intended major change. Did you know VCU has... A pre-law program Pre-law advisors assist prospective law students with questions about curriculum, the application procedure and the law school admission test (LSAT). If you plan to pursue a career in law visit www.vcu.edu/uc/prelaw for more information. A Secondary Education program Students interested in teaching in secondary education settings should visit www.soe.vcu.edu/student/ssc/i_want_to to learn more about the VCU Extended Teacher Preparation Program. An Honors College Are you interested in becoming an honors student? It is not too late. Admissions opportunities are still available following your first college year. Visit www.honors. vcu.edu to learn more about the VCU Honor’s program. 6 New Student Orientation Handbook Placement Tests Write down the math, chemistry and foreign language courses that you completed in high school and/or a previous college along with the grades you earned, and bring them with you to orientation. Carefully read the placement test requirements below. Your academic advisor will discuss your placement during your advising session at orientation. Mathematics Placement Test All majors have a math requirement. All students are REQUIRED to take the online math placement test prior to attending orientation in order to meet with an academic advisor to register for classes. To complete the online Math Placement Test, visit go.vcu.edu/mathplacement.