One of the first things you're likely to have to do each semester is meet with someone to gain approval for the courses you want to take. Its funny, all you're asking for is a quick review and signature; but instead, you're likely to get a half hour chit-chat session filled with nonsensical phrases and acronyms. You leave with a signature and an entirely different set of classes than those you'd planned on taking, and haven't a clue what happened. What did all of that goobledygook mean, anyway?
Let's see if we can't make things a tad clearer for you.
FIGS: No, this doesn't refer to that weird, green fruit that litters your grandmother's back yard each year. FIGs are "Freshmen Interest Groups" and they're designed to be support groups that help freshmen negotiate the turbulent first year. They can be a lot of fun; and you can really make some good friends by making the time to participate in FIG activities.
GPA: This refers to your "grade point average." You typically have three GPAs that are bandied about. One is your semester GPA--or your overall score for grades earned during a given semester. Another is your cumulative GPA--your average score for all semesters. And the third is typically your financial aid GPA--the score the financial aid office on campus tracks to determine if you will remain eligible for financial aid. The courses and grades included in each GPA vary depending on your campus.
First-Time Freshman: Someone who has no college credits prior to enrolling in the college.
First Generation Student: A student whose parents don't have a college degree.
SCH: Semester Credit Hours. This generally refers to the number of hours of credit you will recieve for a given class.
Full-Time Enrolled: Typically, an enrollment of 12-18 credit hours.
Three-Quarter Time Enrolled: Typically, an enrollment of 7-11 credit hours.
Half-Time Enrolled: Typically, an enrollment of 6 credit hours.
Less thn Half-Time Enrolled: Typiclly, an enrollment of 1-5 credit hours.
Upper-Classmen: Juniors or Seniors.
Freshman: A student who has earned 0 - 30 credit hours.
Sophomore: A student who has earned 31 - 60 credit hours.
Junior: A student who has earned 61 - 90 credit hours.
Senior: A student who has 91+ credit hours, but hasn't yet earned a bachelor's degree.
So much of what you hear the first couple semesters can really be confusing. Hopefully this short list helps a bit. If ever you find you don't understand something your advisor is telling you, stope them immediately and ask them to explain. If that still doesn't help, see about switching advisors. You don't want to hit the last semester of your senior year and find out that you haven't taken the courses you need to graduate. You really will need someone knowledgeable about your college and the requirements for your particular degree/major in order to make it through successuflly.
Until next time!
Lynn Byrne
Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:
- College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
- Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
- The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.
