Welcome to experience NC state.
This is the academic session for university college exploratory studies on behalf of university
college exploratory studies, administrators, staff, and current students, we welcome you
class of 2024 congratulations on your acceptance.
I am Melissa Simpson and I serve as the assistant director of recruitment and I will be sharing
today's presentation.
Exploratory studies is one of the 10 academic colleges here at the university.
We enroll about 15% of every freshman class that enters the university.
Exploratory studies offers students an opportunity to explore a wide range of programs including
life sciences, teaching, technology, humanities and social sciences, mathematics, engineering,
textiles, business, and more.
The information in today's presentation will cover the programs national recognition review
the primary components of the program, which is the academic advising, the orientation
course, and our living and learning community that we call university college exploratory
studies village, provide a small preview of new student orientation and fall schedules
and address some frequently asked questions.
Exploratory studies is a nationally recognized program in 2009 and 2010 us news recognize
exploratory studies as a top 25 first year experience program.
National academic advising association, also known as NACADA is the professional organization
for academic advising programs and advisors.
University college exploratory studies has been recognized by NACADA as a program.
Many advisers past and present in exploratory studies have received individual recognition
from the NACADA.
Exploratory studies has also been profiled in higher education journals as a model first
year experience advising program.
Through our nationally recognized of advising, teaching, and programming.
We provide a comprehensive experience for first year students who want to explore their
options and choose the right major.
Now I'd like to share with you a summary of the college's primary components.
The first component is the academic advising.
We call this the heartbeat of exploratory studies.
Each student is assigned a professional academic advisors.
We have 22 professional advisors.
All of the advisors have received cross-curricular training.
This means that they are knowledgeable about all of the majors here at NC state.
The advisor is therefore a great resource for exploratory study students, but colleges
advisor student ratio is one to 71 this creates a wonderful opportunity for advisors to get
to know their advisees personally.
Research shows that when students are connected to staff and faculty members, they are likely
to return each term and persist towards graduation.
The advising model is holistic and developmental in its approach.
The advisor is concerned about the whole student, not just how they are doing academically,
but how they are transitioning to the university if they're getting comfortable with classes
and how they're seeking to get involved and so forth.
Advisors are required to meet with advisees twice per semester.
First for initial advising.
This happens within the first three to four weeks of class.
Then for registration advising to assist with registering for courses for the next term.
Students are also able to meet with their advisor in addition to these appointments
if needed.
The advisor's primary role is to help the student explore their interests and skills
while taking an interest in the student's personal and academic development.
Advisors are typically assigned to students at the beginning of June.
The advisor advisee relationship begins before new student orientation as in many cases,
the advisors will reach out to advisees directly to welcome them to the university and let
them know what they can expect at new student orientation.
The second component is the orientation course for regular fall admits.
They will take the USC 101 in the fall and USC 102 in the spring.
The orientation courses where most of the information sharing happens through the course
is where students are given a broad opportunity to explore.
For regular fall admin students this is a one hour course that is taught in the fall
and continues in the spring.
The course is taught by the student's advisor, so in addition to meeting with the advisor
for the two required meetings, students have an opportunity to connect with their advisor
weekly in class.
The goals of the course are adjusting to college, academic success, self exploration, major
and career exploration and decision making.
Some examples of the things that we do during the year to meet those goals are major exploration
series.
This is a college fair that each college at NC state supports with faculty and student
ambassadors.
We also do career informational interviews in which students interview a professional
ideally in the occupation of interest to the student.
Career exploration project is an opportunity for students to explore many career paths
through job shadows, interviews and the virtual job shadow site.
Students are encouraged to take career assessments that we believe are useful tools and thinking
about majors or career paths.
Students learn about academic resources that support academic success and university policies
and procedures to navigate the university.
Students are challenged to participate in community outreach events.
These events provide an opportunity for learning outside of the classroom.
Students are exposed to various topics focused on wellness, diversity and vocation.
In many cases, the orientation course substitutes for the orientation course of the intended
major, so students do not have to take the orientation course once they matriculate.
For example, if a student matriculates from exploratory studies to Poole college of management,
they would not have to take M 100.
The last component of the college is our living and learning community university college
exploratory studies village.
The village is located on central campus in Tucker, Owen and Bowen residence halls and
Holmes hall located directly across the street on Kates Avenue.
The village is considered prime real estate on campus and that everything a student engages
with is only a short walk away.
The village houses 758 students.
The structure of the village is traditional style that really lends itself to building
a community.
Some unique features of the village are the staffing, resident mentors and linked courses.
It is the only village that has 40 peer staff that reside in the village.
The staffing of the village creates another layer of support for students in exploratory
studies.
Resident mentors, also referred to as RM'S are peer educators for incoming students.
RM'S live in the village.
Incoming students can look to RMS to help navigate the university.
The resident mentor also serves as a student TA for the orientation course.
They work very closely with advisors to facilitate the delivery of the orientation course content.
The RM also has the responsibility of planning some of the community outreach events.
Resident mentors are excellent role models for incoming students and can assist them
with many inquiries about campus, the orientation course and student life.
Link course is also another unique feature of the village students enrolled in selected
sections of USC are also enrolled in a GEP course.
The link classes are capped at 19 students serve as great transition courses are taught
by distinguished faculty that enjoy working with freshmen students and have a discovery
based model of instruction.
In this video, Dr. Bob Patterson, a distinguished faculty member, is sharing his experience
with teaching a linked course with exploratory study
students Living in the
exploratory studies village slide.
The exploratory studies village is exclusive for exploratory studies students.
When students complete their housing application, the village will serve as a default location
for exploratory study students.
Students may apply to live in another village on campus.
It is important that students apply early for on campus housing.
The next few slides relate to new student orientation.
New student orientation is a day and a half opportunity for students to connect to campus.
Students will receive academic advising, get their all campus card, explore campus life
and services, classrooms, rec facilities, libraries, and more with other new incoming
students.
It's a great time to get connected with your new Wolfpack family members.
We are one of the first colleges to have new student orientation.
University college exploratory studies new student orientation will run from June 18th
through July 1st.
Please consider these dates as you are making summer plans.
If you are unable to attend regular new student orientation for any reason, you must attend
new student orientation in August.
Please note that our department's policy is that advisors must reach out to any student
that did not attend regular new student orientation immediately following regular new student
orientation.
Usually this will be before July 4th
We will use a self registration process for fall term beginning April 1st all students
that have confirmed enrollment will get detailed instructions for self registration process
that must be completed by May 15th to register for the fall term in June.
Delaying this process will impact your course selection.
It is imperative that all placements for chemistry, math and English are completed by May 15th.
All fall schedules will be reviewed by the academic advisor and will be discussed with
students at new student orientation.
Any adjustments needed will be done during new student orientation.
The following is a sample of a fall schedule.
Please note that this is not intended to be an exact schedule for students.
The ideal is to give you some sense of what a fall schedule can look like.
All exploratory study students are encouraged to take 15 to 17 credit hours per term.
This will keep the student on track for a timely graduation.
The following slides address some frequently asked questions that we get from students
and parents.
Moving into a major refers to the frequently asked question about what happens when a student
has decided on a major.
NC state has an internal transfer process that we refer to as CODA.
CODA stands for change of degree application.
This process is applicable to all students at the university who are seeking to matriculate
from one major to another.
Students must meet the CODA requirements set by the college or department.
Students will learn the code of requirements in the orientation course.
Students are encouraged to consider parallel majors.
This line is a visual that addresses the question of where are exploratory study students going
when they matriculate.
What we would like for you to notice is that exploratory studies students CODA into to
all colleges at NC state.
Placement addresses the question of will I be behind if I start and exploratory studies.
The overall answer is no.
Students can graduate in four years starting in exploratory studies.
However, placement is important relative to where the student starts in terms of math,
chemistry, English and foreign language placement.
Students have to start where their placement warrants and depending on where they are starting,
they could potentially be behind.
A more specific example is if a student is interested in the college of engineering,
the first sequence of math is calculus one for all engineering majors.
If the student places into precalculus, they must start there.
Thus they are behind in the math sequence.
Typically though, this can be made up in a summer session.
So what's next for students?
We encourage you to apply for on campus housing.
Pay your advanced enrollment deposit by May 1st.
Take the placement test.
It is imperative to do this by May 15th.
Register for new student orientation, keep track of your Wolfpaw account, and submit
all AP and IB and transcripts to undergraduate admissions.
This concludes the presentation for exploratory studies.
If you have questions, you are welcome to contact us by email.
Congratulations again on your acceptance.
We hope that what you have heard will confirm your decision to attend NC state and we look
forward to seeing you in the fall.
Go pack!