Hello and Welcome to Purdue!
When we spoke this summer, you may remember that I mentioned an email newsletter that you would receive about this time. This email is intended as a Welcome, resource, and a FAQ for many of the initial questions I have received or know from experience will receive. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but a resource to get you started on the path to your success at Purdue. Even if this seems unimportant now, I recommend keeping this list, because you may find you need it later.
The biggest thing to realize is that this is a new and exciting time of changes for you, but you are not alone. Each of your classmates experiences the same things you are going or will be going through over the next few weeks. As your advisor, my job is to advise you on courses, but also prepare you, assist you, and just listen if that is what you need! In order to do my job, I need help from each of you. You are independent now, so you are responsible for your own decisions, freedoms, and problems that may come up. I will not know you need help unless you tell me. I hope to get to know you better this Fall and I hope that you will be comfortable talking to me if any questions or problems do happen! I will be happy to help, so please do not hesitate to contact me.
This email will help you organize all the information that is out on the web to help you be successful and happy at Purdue.
I welcome you to Purdue, I wish you well this Fall, and most of all, enjoy this exciting time in your life! See you this Fall!
Marsha
P.S. I will be out of the office from July 28 – August 7, but please do send me emails and I will return them as quickly as possible when I return. If there is an emergency and you need to speak to an advisor in my absence, please email or call (765) 494-1771.
1. myPurdue and your class schedule
2. Mandatory: eCheckup to Go: Alcohol and You
3. BGR week credit exams
4. Required: Friday August 18, 2-4 pm, Science Welcome
5. Required: BIOL 13500, 11500 evening meetings
6. Your advisor- Please read my advising syllabus
7. Seeing your advisor- appointment times vs. walk-ins
8. Math Impact Sections
9. Books
10. AP, IB, and transfer credit
11. Paying your Bill, Financial Aid, and Scholarships
12. Sending your Immunization and Health Insurance Info to Purdue
13. All things Residence Hall related, Parking, CityBus, Purdue app
14. Do I need a specific calculator/computer? All things computer related including email
15. International Student Resources
16. Academic Resources, Study Skills, Help Resources on Campus
17. Interested in an E-buddy? Still time to make the connection
18. Homesickness
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1. myPurdue and your class schedule
Note: It is very easy to accidently drop courses you are currently registered for when using Scheduling Assistant. Use extreme caution.
All courses are extremely full again this Fall. The advisors have also seen a record number of issues with scheduling assistant, especially related to classes being dropped accidently while making changes to other course times. If you must make changes in your Fall schedule and do not know how to use myPurdue to make these changes, please contact your advisor. You may still use the scheduling assistant, but you run the risk of dropping courses accidently. Even if a course is dropped by accident, your advisor cannot get it back for you. Your advisor does not control space in courses. Please see attachments to review instructions on adding, dropping, and waitlisting for a class.
-If you are trying to schedule a course that is full, please check often because as students make changes to their schedules, space may become available. Spaces may open at any time from July 24 through the first week of classes (August 27), but a good time to check is:
-Beginning August 9, 2017- (Summer grades post on the 9th and students will be making schedule changes.)
-Once students start arriving on campus (August 11), they will meet with advisors and take credit exams and then make schedule adjustments.
- If you are waiting for space in a Chemistry or Math course, please START ATTENDING THE LECTURES on the first day of classes. You can find times and location of the courses in myPurdue. You do not want to fall behind in material while you are waiting to get into the course.
- You can attempt changes yourself in myPurdue through August 27.
- Your advisor CANNOT see the changes you make to your schedule, so please contact your advisor before you drop a course if you have any concerns about whether you need the course or not!
-If you make a change to your schedule that causes you to exceed 18 credits, you must contact your advisor. This is also true if you change times in a course that requires departmental or instructor permission such as the 101 levels of a foreign language. 12 credits are minimum to be full-time. MyPurdue limits you to 18 credits by default.
- Please check your schedule in myPurdue periodically to make sure nothing has changed. Several students have encountered cancelled classes or even cancelled schedules.
- Finding your Registration Pin. You can obtain your registration pin after you have used it once in myPurdue. Click on “Registration” and then “Registration PIN”. Then you “Select a Term” and click “Submit” and your Registration Pin will be displayed.
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2. eCheckup to Go: Alcohol and You
eCHECKUP TO GO is mandatory for all new students, beginners or transfers, to Purdue that are under 21. It is an online alcohol prevention and education program that utilizes personalized feedback to inform participants of generic alcohol information and personalized knowledge. This knowledge can help inform students when wanting to make healthy drinking choices. The program also provides Purdue specific information so that all students can arrive to campus with knowledge about resources that can aid in making healthy drinking decisions. This free program takes roughly 30 minutes to complete. You will receive log-in instructions for the course around the beginning of August. The program must be completed before the start of the fall semester.
You will have access to the program around August 1st, and must complete it by August 21st.
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3. BGR week credit exams
Did you not receive AP credit in Chemistry or Calculus like you had expected? Do you still need a higher ALEKS score to get into Calculus and Chemistry for this Fall?
You can take the ALEKS exam up to five times through the same link you used this summer.
Credit exams are offered in MA 15300, 15800, MA 16500/16600, MA 16010/16020, and CHM 11500/11600. You may take any credit exam only once. All credit exams are offered after BGR or during the first week of classes. You will need a permission form from your advisor to take any of these exams, and you must pre-register to take any Math or Chemistry exam. Chemistry will now require a $35 fee to take the exam. You can pre-register at the links below:
Beginning August 7th: Chemistry: https://www.purdue.edu/testingcenter/advanced-credit/
Math: http://www.math.purdue.edu/academic/undergrad/credit/
Placement exams are offered in several foreign languages. You do not need to pre-register for a foreign language exam, but you do need a permission form from your advisor. Exam times and location can be found here: https://cla.purdue.edu/academic/slc/placement/index.html
Please let your advisor know if you are retaking ALEKS or planning on taking any credit exam! I am not automatically informed of results from any of these exams, so I need to hear from you if you want to take advantage of any credit/score that affects your Fall schedule.
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4. Friday August 18, 2-4 pm, Science Welcome
Required College Welcome, August 18: You are required to attend a one-time event to welcome you to the College of Science; Friday, August 18, 2-4 pm, Math breezeway (under the Math building).
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5. Are you registered for BIOL 13500 or BIOL 11500 this Fall? Required evening meetings
If you are enrolled in BIOL 13500, the first year Biology laboratory, you will find a Monday, August 21, 6:30-7:20 pm meeting time on your schedule. This is an introductory meeting by Dr. Pelaez and is held only ONCE. It is mandatory as Dr. Pelaez reviews the course syllabus and her expectations of the students.
If you are enrolled in BIOL 11500, the Biology Resource Seminar, you will find two evening meetings on your schedule – August 31 and September 6, 6:30 – 8:20 pm. These are mandatory class meetings that happen only on these two dates. These are Alumni panels. More information to come in a later newsletter.
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6. Your advisor- Please read my advising syllabus
If you haven’t already, please read the additional information from me and my advising syllabus. The syllabus contains my expectations from you in the advising relationship and what you can expect of me.
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7. Seeing your advisor- appointment times vs. walk-ins
If you have forgotten where my office is or haven’t yet met me in person, my office is located on the second floor of the Math building. We have a main reception area in room 231 where you come to check in to see me whenever you come in for a visit.
During the academic year, I have daily walk-in times. You can find these online here: http://www.science.purdue.edu/Current_Students/advising/advisor-walk-in-schedule.html This link is updated weekly.
You do not need an appointment to see me except for probationary or registration appointments. Instead, I leave my calendar open for walk-ins. Walk-ins are open times that I see students on a first come, first serve basis for quick questions and concerns. These times are typically no more than 10-15 minutes.
During registration times, I do require appointments, but will continue to have a limited number of daily walk-in times. It is possible to schedule an appointment with me online through BoilerConnect.
I encourage you to see me if you have any questions or issues, no matter how small. This is why I keep extended walk-in times whenever possible.
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8. Math Impact Sections
I have received an unusual number of questions about the format of various Math courses offered this Fall. Please know that there are three primary ways Math is taught on campus.
1) Regular classroom- a traditional in person lecture. Some math courses such as MA 16100, 16500, and other large lecture settings offer 1 or more weekly recitations (reviews) in addition to the lectures. Smaller Math courses, such as MA 16010, MA 15300, or MA 15800 are lecture only.
2) Online course- The course is taught completely online with the option of online or on campus exams. These appear as “Distance Learning” under Type in myPurdue. In the scheduling assistant, you must select an online section listed under the course request area as a “DIST” section with the course number.
3) Impact Sections- The IMPACT class meets only twice a week for 50 minutes each. Students preview the new material by watching the lecture videos and/or reading the e-text before class. In class, students spend most of the time doing hands on problem solving in the format of individual and group work. Students receive feedback and help in class. Graded work includes exams, quizzes, pre-work assessments and homework. The Impact sections are listed as “Hybrid” on the Course requests page of scheduling assistant. In the text view of your schedule these are labelled as “IMP”. Also, you can tell the class is Impact if it meets on campus only twice per week.
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9. Books
Choosing how to purchase or rent your books is a personal preference, as well as a financial difference. We have an exclusive collaboration with Amazon online. You may also purchase textbooks at multiple other places online, rent your textbooks, or even purchase e-texts. You can also purchase books at any of the branches of Follett’s Bookstore or University Bookstore. Both bookstores offer online ordering and delivery if you prefer. If you plan to buy at one of the bookstores when you arrive on campus, they will not have the Fall inventory out until about two weeks before classes begin.
The purchasing methods are numerous and trial and error will show what method you prefer. Regardless of how you purchase your books, please keep the receipt and know the return policy before you purchase the book. If the books are received in cellophane, do not break the cellophane until you know you will use the book. Books cannot be returned for full refund once the cellophane is opened. Also, if you are having them delivered, you may want to purchase the books so that the delivery will be before the first day of classes. Deliveries can be made directly to your residence hall address, but be sure to include your name, the name of the hall, and the street address of the hall. You want to time the deliver so that you will be on campus when you expect the delivery. Residence halls will not store packages until you arrive on campus a week or two later.
-Textbooks may be purchased or rented online or on campus:
Follett’s: http://www.bkstr.com/purduestore/home
University Bookstore: http://www.purdueu.com/
Amazon: http://purdue.amazon.com/
-A price comparison website can be found at http://www.campusbooks.com/ or http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com/
-E-textbook search: http://www.coursesmart.com/
I would recommend waiting to purchase ENGL 106/108 books until you have attended the first day of classes. I strongly recommend purchasing a Purdue mortarboard along with your books. This is a handy scheduler to keep you organized for classes, as well as listing Purdue events, callouts, and other important dates.