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Preparing for Orientation Advising

 Seven Steps to Registering | Tips for Developing Your Schedule | Selecting English Courses  Selecting Math Courses | Placement for International Students  How Do I know Who My Assigned Advisor is?

Academic advising is a component of your orientation process. Advisors will be available during that program and you do not need to schedule an advance appointment. However, you do need to spend some time preparing for the experience. Want to know how?

Seven Steps to Orientation/Advising/Registration Success:

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. Familiarize yourself with the English and math requirements at Boise State. Look at your ACT/SAT scores and using the tables in the link above, select your English and math course (if you plan to take math the first semester) and write it in on your Academic Advising Worksheet.
4. Consider how you will plan your weekly schedule. Be flexible and have alternative courses selected– you may not be able to schedule your first choices.
5. Write down your questions prior to your orientation experience.
6. 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 begining fall 2008 are eligible for Finish in Four.
7. Log on to your BroncoWeb account and familiarize yourself with how Bronco Web works. In fact, try a couple of class searches. Here are the directions.

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 15 credits = at least 45 hours a week.
5. 15 hours of class time + 30 hours study and preparation time = 45 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 at Orientation.
7. Full-time is considered 12 credits for financial aid purposes. A minimum full-time load is usually 4 – 5 classes. However, based on course availability, personal time factors and your overall academic plan, you may want to consider taking more than the minimum. CONSULT your advisor at orientation.
8. All first-year students are recommended to enroll in UNIV101U or your department version of UNIV101U – CONSULT your advisor at orientation.

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

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.

If English is not your native language, we recommend that you take the Michigan Test, and not the COMPASS 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. These courses carry academic credit and are taught by instructors sensitive to the language difficulties of second-language writers.

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.
• 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 difficulties 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.

Math
ATTN: Prospective MATH 147 (Precalculus) and MATH 170 (Calculus I) students: Mandatory Placement Exam Information.

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.

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.

How Do I Know Who My Assigned Advisor is?

If you have been assigned an advisor, you will see the advisor’s name on your Bronco Web account. On the Bronco Web main menu, click on Students. This will take you to Student menu. On the Student menu, click on View My Advisors. In the upper right corner, you should see the name of your advisor. If you have NOT been assigned an advisor, you will see NO CURRENT ADVISOR. You need to contact the department of your major to be assigned an advisor. For a list of departmental advising contacts, go to: http://academicadvising.boisestate.edu/advisors/locate.shtml

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