CwP Frequently Asked Questions with correct answers 2024

Q: Do professors work with athletes in order to keep them on track? - answer-A: Professors work with any student if communication is clear. Typically, athletes get a schedule of days they will be out of class. The professor and student can then work together to figure out the best course of action. Q: Can changing your major severely hold you back? - answer-A: It depends! Changing your major during your first and second years, or before you've taken many of your major classes, usually only set you back a little. If you change your major well into your third or fourth year, you might find yourself having to take classes for another few semesters. Q: How difficult is it to keep HOPE Scholarships, especially while being involved in Greek life? - answer-A: In order to keep a HOPE scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average. With good time management skills (which you will learn in your FYE classes!) students should be able to effectively maintain an involved participation in Greek life, as well as a 3.0 grade point average. Q: What are some valuable study techniques? How long should you study for? - answer-A: In my experience, I always found it very helpful to teach my friends what I was about to be tested over. My roommate and I would get together for dinner, I would bring my study materials (flash cards, usually) and I would teach her about each topic. If she had questions I could not answer, I knew I needed to study more. As for what length of time is best to study for, it depends! I say you should study until you know it. If you're using the "teach a friend" method, study until your can teach your friend without having to look up an answer. Q: Are you allowed to take classes over the summer to get more hours? - answer-A: Yes!! And it's actually recommended. Typically, a student can take up to 12 credit hours in the summer. Using summer classes is a great way to get through your program of study more quickly. Q: Is it possible to graduate in 6 or 7 semesters (3 years)? - answer-A: Absolutely! Graduating sooner than the typical 4 years requires somewhat of a heavier course load during the Fall and Spring semesters, and it usually means taking Summer classes, too. Q: Is it true that you shouldn't buy books until after you go to class because some professors don't actually use them? - answer-A: It depends on the class. Generally, as a former undergraduate student & former employee at the campus bookstore, I recommend waiting until you've gone to your first round of classes to buy your books. The bookstore will not take certain books for return if you have opened the plastic, even if you bought the book earlier that day. Additionally, some professors have the newest version of the textbook on the syllabus, but inform students that an older edition of that book will work. You can usually assume that you need the lab book for your biology class (which sell out at the bookstore very quickly), but otherwise I think it's best to wait until after you've visited all your classes at least once to purchase your books. Q: Is it true that some tests don't come from the lectures? - answer-A: In my experience, tests have come from a combination of the lectures, the homework, and the outside reading. Some professors only test over lectures, though. For those professors, it is best to know the lectures inside and out. Take avid notes! Sometimes it's okay to record lectures, just make sure it's okay with your professor and the other students in the class. Q: Do you recommend graduating in 4 years but having a lot of work? - answer-A: This 100% depends on the kind of student you are. If you can handle a larger class load without letting your health and social life decline, then yes, I would recommend working toward graduating in 4 years. With this said, some students find it more beneficial to give their attention to a smaller load of classes and take a longer time to graduate. Q: How do I avoid getting lost on the first day? - answer-A: I highly recommend walking your classes in the order you have them BEFORE classes start. That way, when you only have 15 minutes to get from the Old Bio building to the Education building, you won't waste any time being confused. Also, there will be volunteers at tables around the campus waiting to direct you towards your destination! Q: What is the largest class size? - answer-A: The largest classes I have been in are lecture halls, and they have had up to 150 students. However, this Fall 2020 semester has smaller class sizes all around. A lecture hall class will likely have fewer than 80 students. Q: How do you change your major? - answer-A: On your MyGeorgiaSouthern page there is a tab labled "Advisement Resources." Under that tab, there is a link labeled "Change Major/Minor". There, you can change your major or minor to something else, you can declare a major or minor for the first time, or you can declare a second major or degree. Q: Why did you choose GSU? - answer-A: I chose GSU because I wanted to major in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design, and I knew I might want to declare another major. At any other school, that would have been three majors. At Georgia Southern it was just two! I applied to GSU and GSU only, and I'd say it was a pretty good decision! Q: When do you need to talk to your advisor to discuss the next semester? - answer-A: You should set up a meeting with your advisor as soon as advisement begins, and before registration opens. You cannot register for classes until you have met with your advisor. Q: Do all classes have finals? - answer-A: Yes, all classes have some kind of final assessment. Some class finals are just another unit test and are non-cumulative. Other finals are essays. Others are cumulative tests that span everything you learned in that semester. Some finals are projects, some are portfolios, and some are even discussions. Finals come in about a billion different forms, but there is always some kind of assessment at the end of the semester. Q: Do you really have to buy your own scantrons? - answer-A: Yeah, unfortunately. But they're only $0.25, and they're in the bookstore, Gus Mart, and some vending machines! Q: How do the buses work? Are they convenient? - answer-A: You can go onto your MyGeorgiaSouthern page and scroll down to the "Parking & Transportation" tab to see the bus schedule for each of the routes. This Fall 2020 semester, the bus capacity has gone down to 25 passengers at a time. Honestly, the bus was not terribly convenient, especially during the busy parts of the day, before the route and capacity changes the Fall 2020 semester brought. For example, you could literally walk from The Bookstore to Forest Drive in the time it would take you to get on the bus, wait for everyone else to get on, and then wait for the driver to take off. Q: In high school my teachers told us just how little college professors cared about student learning. Is that true? - answer-A: It is true that college professors do not give any kind of special treatment to any of their students. However, I've never met or been taught by a college professor who will not help you if you express that you need help. A good professor, and Georgia Southern is filled with the good ones, wants you to succeed in their class and they value your learning. In my experience, professors will match the effort you put into learning their material. Q: How much does a missed grade or a zero affect your overall grade in the course? - answer-A: This depends entirely on the way the professor has set up of course. Some professors don't have many grades in the course, so a zero could hurt you pretty badly. Some professors drop the lowest activity grade or allow you to re-do the assignment for a better grade. It just totally depends! Q: What happens if we get lost and we are late to out first day of class? - answer-A: It happens and it is not a big deal! It is a good idea to find your classes beforehand, but if you get lost on the first day and walk in late, your professor will likely understand. Q: What is the typical policy for attendance? What if we are sick? - answer-A: Georgia Southern's attendance policy is that each professor has the authority to make their own policies. You can find the attendance policy on your course syllabus. Most professors build in a policy where students can miss a class or two, for whatever reason, without penalty. Few professors enforce the "Three absences and you automatically fail" rule. Actually, I've never seen that rule enforced. Also, professors have been instructed to include "Illness" policies in their syllabi this Fall 2020 semester. Q: How often can you schedule appointments with professors? - answer-A: Most professors hold office hours where students can walk in (or attend virtually) at anytime within those hours. Most professors also allow students to schedule appointments as often as the student needs. Q: What do you look for in your students? - answer-A: As a Teaching Assistant, I look for genuine engagement and participation from my students. With those two things, I can teach you everything my course has to offer! I think many professors feel the same way! Q: What is the first week of classes like? - answer-A: When I was a freshman, the first day was a lot of going over the syllabus and course policies. The second day is when we usually get into our first real lesson and are assigned our first piece of homework. Q: What is the biggest mistake students make that leads to the failure in the class? - answer-A: In my experience, I have only seen students fail when they stop participating in class, and when they stop turning their work in. If a student stays engaged, asks questions when they're confused, and turns the work in, they usually pass! Q: How hard was it for you not to party every weekend? - answer-A: Not too hard! I made a point to prioritize my classwork before my weekend plans. It's all about balance! For me, I allowed myself to go out or veg out on the couch all weekend, but I had to REALLY work on keeping my assignments up to date and study during the week. That way, everything I had to have done was done by Friday after my last class, and I was free to hang out all weekend. Q: Is it hard to graduate with honors or distinctions? - answer-A: It certainly takes a lot time, energy, and discipline to graduate with honors and distinctions. My advice to you is this: graduating is graduating, so I really wouldn't stress too hard about what grades you graduate with. Just get across the stage! Q: Are the professors flexible with students turning in assignments late? - answer-A: Professors have different policies when it comes to things like this. They will generally work with you, but you have to work with them. If an assignment is going to be a day late because you're sick, try to communicate that with your professor as soon as possible. Don't wait until after something is due to ask for an extension. At that point, many professors will say no.