Episode #8: Usuccess

If it were up to us, success would look like this. For you.

DJ SpinnerElla took the reigns on this episode and made a very, yeah, I'll say it, successful University Success episode! Go Ella! This episode was geared towards freshmen students, and students utilizing University Success as a resource for academia. We even co-sponsored a party, with food! Shout out to Courtney Sandler for this awesome partnership! We focused on Winter Registration and the anxiety that comes up for many students registering for classes, as well as answered questions submitted by students. 

Louis Maltese, a Learning Community Assistant guest-starred for this episode (sadly he missed out on the chips and salsa party in the Usuccess room). He gave us his own perspective on academic-support in-hall programs and his involvement as a LCA. 

Academic Coaching is available primarily to freshmen who live on-campus, but can be arranged to help our multitude of student populations. This service sets a student up with a mentor for a term, the student then arranges to meets up with the mentor weekly. With the mentor the student is encouraged to establish better time-managment skills, study habits, and other academic skills. I actually took part in this program a couple terms ago, and my mentor was the director of the Women's Resource Center, Bridge D'Urso. I am a good student, but that term I was looking to connect with a mentor on a one-on-one level to keep me grounded as I came closer to the end of my second year of school here at PSU. If you're considering taking part in this mentoring opportunity, please email academiccoaching@pdx.edu or visit the Usuccess Site for more information. 

Other resources that are available through University Success are Evening Tutoring, Evening Academic Advising, access to a cosy Study Lounge and much more! 

Here are the questions that were submitted by students which were then chosen to be read live on-air! Questions starting after #8 were questions not read on-air but that we felt deserved an answer as well.

1. When can I register for classes? If you are classified as a freshman (first year student), you can register for classes starting this past Wednesday, November 23 at 8am, for Winter term. 
2. Where do we register? By going to the my.pdx.edu site, logging in, choosing the "Student" tab, and then choosing "Add or Drop Class" or "Look Up Classes" either link will get you to where you need to be. 
3. Does statistics count as a Math class? Yes! 
4. Where can I find course descriptions? Each department has their own website on pdx.edu and provides an accessible list of course descriptions that are department specific or your PSU Bulletin.
5. Where do you find prerequisites for classes? You can use your PSU Bulletin to locate prerequisites or go to Class Schedule and listed courses will hyperlink to an information you should know prior to registering for that course. 
6. What if my registration is on hold? To see if you have any holds on your account go to my.pdx.edu, choose the "Student" tab and then click "Registration Status" this will tell you if you have any holds on your account. Make sure to get in contact with the correct office that has placed the hold on your account. For example, Undergraduate Advising and Support Services places Academic Warning holds that will prevent you from registering. 
7. How often do we have to meet with an adviser? Technically one time during your Freshmen year, this is the only required time. BUT, advisers know from experience, and I will vouch for this as a student, that working with advisers on a regular basis is a lot more helpful in the long run! 
8. How many SINQ’s do I need? To review the University Studies program and placement, you can go to:www.pdx.edu/unst
9. What are the easiest classes? Unfortunately the answer is very subjective. It just simply depends! 
10. Is English a smart major choice? What career paths can an English degree take you down? Generally speaking, we recommend that you identify specific careers, and then work backwards by researching if you need a specific major to take you there. The key is to explore majors by taking courses of interest. The Career Center has plenty of valuable information on this and much more at this link: http://www.pdx.edu/careers/choosing-majors-and-careers
11. What are core requirements? You can find the PSU degree requirements here: http://pdx.edu/advising/requirements-baccalaureate-degree 
12. What about Chiron classes? Chiron studies classes are student-led, and very diverse! See here for more information: http://www.pdx.edu/chiron 
13. How do I pay my bill? Information on paying your bill can be found here: http://pdx.edu/bao/payments
14. What if a class I need is full?  There is a Special Registration form (obtained in Neuberger lobby) that you can take to the class on the first day. However, it's not guaranteed, and at the discretion of the professor to sign it.
15. Can you switch to a different FRINQ? Since the sequence is built for a year-long commitment, then you need to follow the same FRINQ path.
16. What if required class’ conflict? You may not register for two classes if the times conflict. You can meet with an adviser to discuss any concerns you might have.
17. How do I register early? There is no early registration (there are very few exceptions for students in a special admissions program).

A huge thanks to all those who participated in the Listening Party for this episode, especially Courtney Sandler, and Shoshana Z. who brought her Academic Success class to the party! We definitely need to do this again.