As most students know, this week is Advising Week at DU. In this column, we would like to address some common questions that students ask about Advising Week and academic advising in general.
Q: I really bombed on one of my midterms. Is it too late to drop a class this quarter?
A: No, it is not too late to drop a class for this Fall quarter (see http://www.du.edu/registrar/calendar/importantdates.html). The last day to drop is actually Friday, Oct. 31, by 4:30 p.m., but you cannot drop online.
Students who want to drop a class at this point in the quarter will need to complete a short drop/add Slip and have the instructor sign it. Then the drop/add slip will need to be taken by the student to the Office of the Registrar who will drop the class for them.
There are, however, a couple of concerns to keep in mind when considering dropping a class.
One concern is whether or not dropping a class will take you below full-time student status. You must be a full-time student to live on campus, and your financial aid package may be affected if you are not a full-time student. You should meet with your professor during his or her office hours to know if you are actually failing and to discuss your best options.
Q: I’m registering next week, but I don’t have my alternate PIN to register with.
A: Each student must meet with an academic adviser to receive advising and to pick-up their alternate PIN before they can register for classes.
Depending on your academic year and whether or not you have declared a major, here is where you would go to be advised and to receive your Alternate PIN (and registration time).
For all first-year students, your “advisor” will be your First Year Seminar mentor/ instructor.
For second-year undeclared students, you should meet with a professional academic advisor in The Center for Academic and Career Development.
If you are not a first-year student and you have declared a major, you should meet with a faculty adviser in your major department.
Once you have been advised and you have your Alternate PIN with your registration time, you can register from any computer with internet access.
Q: I keep hearing about the “APR” and how I need to use it to figure out what classes to take next quarter, but I don’t really know what it is, how to find it or how to read it.
A: The APR is the primary tool for understanding where you are in your project of earning a DU degree, but it is NOT an official transcript and you cannot just rely on the APR to tell you what you need to do to earn your degree.
An Academic Progress Report (APR) tries give you a synopsis of where you are on completing your degree area requirements, including your university requirements(a.k.a. general education), your major and minor requirements, your upper division credits and your electives.
Students can access and print their APR through WebCentral under “Student records.”
You can study your APR at any time, but you absolutely must update, study and print your APR before meeting with your faculty adviser and after you register for classes.
Q: My major adviser only understands the requirements in my major. Where do I go to make sure that I understand and complete ALL of my degree requirements?
A: You can stop into The Center itself, located on the basement level of Driscoll South to schedule an appointment. Or you could call (303) 871-2455 to schedule an appointment.
During advising and registration weeks, The Center is open until 7:30pm for scheduled appointments on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can walk in without an appointment to have your quick questions answered from 6p.m.-7p.m.
Usually, The Center is open for Walk-In Advising sessions every day from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. (except on Wednesdays) and from 2-3 p.m.
Finally, there is a study skills and academic advising session this Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 7-9 p.m. in Nelson Hall’s Private Dining room.
The Center wishes you luck on your finals and projects as you end the quarter.
