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Long Distance Advising

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 Six Steps to Registering | How to Prepare  Selecting English and Math Courses   International Students | Tips for Developing your Schedule

Long distance advising is only available to new or transfer students who are unable to attend New Student Orientation. In order to deterime your eligiblity for Long Distance Advising, you must contact New Student and Family Programs at (208) 426-1679.

Advising Guide for Online/Phone Appointments

Six steps to registering for classes from a distance:

  1. Advising and Academic Enhancement (AAE) will contact you to schedule either an email or phone appointment and will provide contact information.
  2. Complete the advising worksheet and return it to AAE prior to your email or phone appointment.
  3. Prepare for the advising appointment (see "How to Prepare" below).
  4. Be prepared to take notes and write down your course selection during the advising appointment.
  5. Following the advising appointment, you will be assigned an online orientation session by New Student and Family Programs. The earliest date available for online orientation and registration is June 18, 2008.
  6. Log on to your BroncoWeb account on that day and register for classes. Click here for BroncoWeb Helpful hints.

How to prepare for your email or phone advising experience:

  1. Review degree requirements (for returning or transfer students) and recommended classes (for first-year students).
  2. Determine the number of credits you wish to enroll in prior to speaking with the advisor.
  3. Consider how you will plan your weekly schedule.
  4. Select dates and times of courses that will fit your needs.
  5. Be flexible - you may not be able to schedule your first choices.
  6. Write down your questions prior to the appointment.
  7. If you are interested in the Finish in Four program, you will need to schedule an individual appointment with your academic department once you arrive on campus your first semester. Only new students are eligible for Finish in Four - http://www.boisestate.edu/finish4/
  8. Log on to your BroncoWeb and learn how to use the online registration system.

Selecting the appropriate English and Math Courses:

Students must have one of the following to place into English and Math courses:

  • ACT score
  • SAT score
  • Completed pre-requisite course with a grade of C- or better
  • COMPASS score
  • Michigan score (International Students only)

If you don't have an ACT or SAT exam score to use for placement into English and Math, Boise State offers the COMPASS exams. Exams can be completed at the College of Applied Technology Assessment Center, Technical Services Building, 1464 University Drive, room 115. Call 208.426.2672 for testing hours. Each exam costs $5 (cash only) and you will be required to show photo ID in order to take an exam. Exams for Math and English take approximately 45 minutes to an hour to complete.

English
In order to satisfy the English Composition Requirement, you must successfully complete with a grade of C- or higher ENGL 101 and 102. You may also need to take ENGL 90 Developmental Writing, if your placement score so indicates. Or you may wish to take ENGL 90 if you feel that your previous writing experience has been inadequate, even if your placement scores indicate that you are eligible to take ENGL 101.


ACT Score SAT Score COMPASS Score Class Indicated
0-17 200-440 0-67 Take ENGL 90, then ENGL 101 and ENGL 102
18-24 450-560 68-94 Take ENGL 101, then ENGL 102
25-30 570-690 95-99 Credit (P) for ENGL 101 (3 credits) and place in ENGL 102
31-36 700-800 N/A Credit (P) for ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (6 credits)

Course Descriptions for English

  • ENGL 90 DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING (3-0-0) Introduction to college writing with attention to fluency, development, organization, revision, and editing/proofreading. Required if writing sample or placement tests demonstrate need. Also for basic review. NOTE: ENGL 90 carries no academic credit, but is equivalent to 3 credits for purposes of computing fees and determining eligibility for financial aid.

  • ENGL 101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION (3-0-3) (Core) Introduction to critical reading and to writing processes, including invention, revision, and editing. Emphasis on writing thoughtful explorations of readings, observation, ideas, and experiences; developing the author’s voice and inventiveness; editing for style and conventions of standard usage. PREREQ: ACT or SAT percentile score of 20 or above, or P (Pass) in ENGL 90 or ENGL 123.

  • ENGL 102 ENGLISH COMPOSITION (3-0-3) (Core) An inquiry-based course that continues work with critical reading and writing processes and provides experience with methods and genres of researched writing. Students will initiate research projects, gather information from a range of sources, and demonstrate they can write about that information purposefully, using appropriate documentation. PREREQ: Grade of C- or above in ENGL 101 or ACT/SAT percentile score of 80 or above.

Math
ACT/SAT/COMPASS test scores are for placement only. All students must take a mathematics course; the placement tests do not waive the mathematics requirements.

Scores on the Mathematics portion of the ACT or SAT may be used for placement, but if in doubt you should take the COMPASS exam. The table below gives placement cutoffs for both standard and percentile scores. You may take the indicated course if either your standard score or your percentile is high enough. You may be exempt from the placement exam if you have taken an appropriate prerequisite course.

The developmental mathematics courses MATH 15, Arithmetic Review and MATH 25, Elementary Algebra, do not require a placement exam, but it is recommended.

Prior to selecting a math course, check the course prerequisites and the degree requirements for your major.

ACT Score SAT Score Percentile COMPASS Score Class Indicated
0-17 0-429 0-40 0-39 (ALGP) MATH 15 or MATH 25
18+ 430+ 41+ 40+ (ALGP) MATH 108, CHEM 101
19+ 460+ 48+ 45+ (ALGP) MATH 124, MATH 130, COMPSCI 115
23+ 540+ 70+ 61+ (ALGP) MATH 143, MATH 147, MATH 157, MATH 254, COMPSCI 119
27+ 620+ 88+ 51+ (CALGP) MATH 144, MATH 160, MATH 187, CHEM 111
29+ 650+ 93+ 51+ (TRIG) MATH 170, COMPSCI 117, COMPSCI 125

To retake a course in which you received a D, F, or W, you must re-qualify via either a placement exam for the current semester or completing a pre-requisite course (with a C- or better). Neither old placement exams nor ACT/SAT scores may be used to re-qualify for repeat courses.

International Students

If English is not your native language, we recommend that you take the Michigan Test to determine whether you would benefit from taking one or more of our Academic English Writing courses (English 121, 122, or 123) before enrolling in English 101. Theses classes carry academic credit. To reserve a spot for the next test, please call (208) 426-2762.

  • ENGL 121 ACADEMIC ENGLISH WRITING FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES LEVEL I(3-0-3) Introduction to writing essays and other genres in English, special attention is given to basic paragraph and essay development. Individual students' grammatical and vocabulary difficulites will be addressed in the context of their own writing. (Pass/Fail) PREREQ: English-as-a-second-language placement exam.

  • ENGL 122 ACADEMIC ENGLISH WRITING FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES LEVEL II (3-0-3) Practice in English composition with an emphasis on writing processes(pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing) and concepts such as audience, purpose, and thesis. Special emphasis placed on the connections between reading and writing and on developing vocabulary and grammatical complexity. (Pass/Fail) PREREQ: English-as-a-Second-Language placement exam recommendation or a grade of Pass (P) in ENGL 121.

  • ENGL 123 ACADEMIC ENGLISH WRITING FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES LEVEL III (3-0-3) Preparation for the demands of academic writing in English. Refining communicative strategies through reading and revision. Successful completion of ENGL 123 qualifies the student for entrance into ENGL 101. (Pass/Fail) PREREQ: English-as-a-Second Language placement exam recommendation or a grade of Pass (P) in ENGL 122.

Tips for developing your schedule

  1. Most courses are 3 credits. That translates into spending about three hours a week in class.
  2. Science, math and lab courses are usually 4 credits and involve three hours a week in class with anywhere from 2-4 hours a week in a lab. If you are scheduling one of these courses, you might want to schedule it first and work other classes around this schedule.
  3. For every hour you are in class, you should plan to spend at least 2 hours outside of class reading, writing, studying and preparing for class.
  4. Time commitment for 12 credits = at least 36 hours a week.
  5. 12 hours of class time + 24 hours study and preparation time = 36 hours a week.
  6. Most first-year students enroll in 12 – 16 credits. However, if you plan to pursue the Finish in Four program, that will require you enroll in 16 – 18 credits. CONSULT your advisor.
  7. Full-time is considered 12 credits.
  8. A minimum full-time load is usually 4 – 5 classes.
  9. ENGL 90 and MATH 25 carry no academic credit, but it is equivalent to 3 credits for purposes of computing fees and determining eligibility for financial aid.
  10. All first-year students are recommended to enroll in UNIV101 or your department version of UNIV101 – CONSULT your advisor.

 

Contact Information:
Phone: 208.426.4049
Fax: 208.426.4228
Toll-free: 1.800.824.7017 ext. 4049
Email: academic@boisestate.edu