FIRSTCOLLEGEYEARat Brooklyn College

FIRST COLLEGE YEAR PHILOSOPHYThe First College Year program integrates students into the College community as engaged learners and participants in campus life, and facilitates the transition to college. It fosters a sense of belonging and an appreciation for social differences. You’re challenged to reflect critically on the educational process and

encouraged to understand and value the meaningful connections between the liberal arts and your career aspirations. A coherent curricular and co-curricular program—guided by the ten common goals of the core curriculum and Student Affairs—strengthens the academic, personal and civic skills that will set you on a successful path to graduation.

Congratulations on meeting the high standards for admission to Brooklyn College (BC). Welcome! I’m pleased that you’ve chosen to pursue your college degree here and look forward to becoming a partner in your success from your first day until your graduation.

Today, your connection with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies begins. You’ll receive information about registration, an orientation to Brooklyn College’s academic requirements, and counseling from our professional advisement staff and well-trained peer advisors.

To ensure that you have the best possible First College Year, we have created this guide to help you navigate your academic experience. If you have any questions that aren’t answered within, please feel free to stop by my office.

Warm regards,

Niesha Ziehmke, Ph.D.Director of the First College Year Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies3208 Boylan Hall718.951.5771nziehmke@brooklyn.cuny.edu

WELCOME TO BROOKLYN COLLEGE!Your First College Year will include many changes and challenges. Suddenly, you’re responsible for all the things that, in high school, were taken care of by other adults. You have classes to choose and schedules to arrange, all while finding a way to balance a demanding academic life.

And then there’s your social life, which—believe it or not—will be greatly enhanced by academic success. Your grade point average (GPA) begins with your first class, and it’s important that you find a way to balance your scholastic obligations with your friendships and social activities. It’s nice to have fun with friends, but remember that your studies are a priority.

WHAT'S A FIRST-YEAR STUDENT TO DO?

To make the most out of your first year, you need to be prepared. Knowing what lies ahead of you can relieve a lot of the stress associated with college. Your first few weeks are precious, so you should approach them wisely. You don’t want to find yourself overwhelmed —even before classes begin.

The first thing you should do is figure out which courses to take. Many first-year students are unsure about how to select the appropriate classes, which is why you’re seeing a Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success (CAASS) advisor today. It’s also very important to visit your advisor during the semes-ter—first in CAASS, then in your major department.

Think of your academic advisors as the lifeline that will arrange the best possible schedule for your four-year plan. This schedule will help you to stay focused on your academic progress, so it’s essential that you make an appointment with an advisor as soon as possible. Academic advisors are located in the Center for Aca-demic Advisement and Student Success, 3207 Boylan Hall, 718.951.5471.

You may only need to see an advisor once a term to help choose your classes—especially if you are doing well academically. However, you should see your advi-sor as often as you feel is necessary, particularly if your

grades begin to slip or if there are personal matters that make it difficult to concentrate in school.

With only a few exceptions, your academic advisor is not permitted to release any information you provide, whether academic or personal. Officials from the university do have access to your academic information, but no one else is permitted access without your expressed consent.

FIRST DAY CHECKLIST❑ Get to know someone in each of your classes. You will not necessarily make friends on the first day, but it is important to lay the groundwork. Knowing someone in each of your classes is invaluable; you can exchange notes, find out what happened in class if you missed a session and study together.

❑ Organize your class materials. You should have a folder or organizer for each class.

❑ Write down important things your professors say. The first day is full of information you will need throughout the semester.

❑ Make a photocopy of your class syllabus. Carry one copy with you and keep the other somewhere at home. It’s always good to have a back-up copy.

❑ Put all due dates for major assignments and tests into your organizer/calendar. Be sure to highlight all of the course requirements on each syllabus.

❑ If there’s something the professor asks the class to do for the next class, try to do it as soon as possible so that you don’t begin the term by falling behind.

❑ Bring a snack with you to campus, as well as a bottle of water. You may not have time for lunch, and you won’t be able to give your best performance on an empty stomach.

❑ Don’t get too overwhelmed. Just breathe and try not to get frustrated. Take a moment to look at other people on campus; the other first-year students are in the same position you’re in, and other students were in your shoes on their first day, too.

BROOKLYN COLLEGE COMMON READING PROGRAM WHAT IS THE COMMON READING PROGRAM?The Common Reading Program is designed to introduce students to the rich intellectual life of Brooklyn College. Each year, all entering first-year students are assigned one book to read, which provides a beginning point for conversations across the campus and introduces new students to what it means to be part of a college community. The selected text will also be the first book discussed and written about in the opening weeks of all sections of English 1010.

MEET THE AUTHOREach fall, the author of the Common Reading visits the College. Author visits are scheduled during club hours (a weekly two-hour block of time when no classes meet). The event is publicized in class, posted on campus bulletin boards and advertised on the College website. We ask visiting authors to give a brief introduction of their work and explain how they came to write the book, what most intrigued them about the subject and what challenges the writing presented. The authors then read a selection and often make time to autograph your copy of the book.

SEE YOUR WORK IN PRINTEnglish 1010 instructors submit the best of their students’ writing (mostly memoirs, but also poems, literary criticism, photography or graphics), generated by assignments based on the Common Reading, to a committee of English department colleagues. The committee members will review all submissions and make selections for publication in the student anthology, Telling Our Stories, Sharing Our Lives.

BROOKLYN COLLEGE LEARNING COMMUNITIES In order to create the best possible First College Year experience for you, your first semester is designed primarily around First-Year Learning Communities. A first-year learning community is a cluster of two to three linked courses reserved for first-semester students. Participating in a learning community will make it easier for you to meet new friends, form study groups, share notes and prepare for exams. You also have the benefit of knowing that the faculty members in your learning community are committed to working with you to ensure your success. Eighty-five percent of students who participate find it a highly positive experience and would recommend it to their friends.

• SCIENCE LEARNING COMMUNITIES:

BIOL 1001 (General Biology 1), CHEM 1050 (General Chemistry 1A) and INDS 1002 (Personal Counseling: Psychosocial Development and the College Student). This community will be of interest to you if you want to explore the sciences. It will be especially beneficial if you have an interest in an allied health profession.

• INDS 1002, PERSONAL COUNSELING:

Psychosocial Development and the College Student. This course is offered in many Learning Communi-ties and explores the basic science of learning and the development of crucial tools for academic success.

A peer mentor will attend class with you and be your first-semester guide at Brooklyn College. Along the way, you’ll learn about the role of emotions in learning, your rights and responsibilities as a Brooklyn College student, how a liberal education can help you achieve your career goals and the services and resources available to you at BC.

• INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING COMMUNITY:

All three professors in this Learning Community have worked together to create shared assignments and projects around a theme and planned active engagement with important sites in the borough of Brooklyn, such as the Gowanus Canal.

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS Writing RequirementsEnglish 1010 and 1012

You must successfully complete the English 1010 and 1012 requirement to graduate from Brooklyn College. You can do this one of three ways:

1. AP Examination.

EXAM SCORE BC COURSE CREDITSLang./Comp. 4, 5 Eng 1010 and Elective 6

Lit./Comp. 4, 5 Eng 1010 and Elective 6

Please remember to have your official AP score reports sent to BC, attn: Office of the Registrar, West Quad Center, third floor. You have one year from the date of entry to the College to provide these documents to the Office of the Registrar.

2. Transfer credit evaluation. If you believe you’ve completed English 1010 and 1012 at another college, please discuss this with your advisor before registering for either course.

3. Completing the English 1010 and 1012 courses at BC.

If you didn’t take the aforementioned AP exams and score a 4 or 5, or receive transfer credit, you’ll need

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTSBrooklyn College Core Curriculum

Life-Chemistry

Exploring Literature

to register for English 1010. If you have completed an equivalent to English 1010, then you’ll register for English 1012.

SPEECH REQUIREMENTYou may fulfill the speech requirement in one of two ways:1. Receiving credit for one of the following courses

during your official transfer evaluation:

Speech 1103, 1104, 1110 or 1111

2. Speech Screening

If you don’t receive transfer credit for one of the above courses, then you must be screened for

speech proficiency by members of the faculty of the Department of Speech Communication Arts and Sciences. It’s recommended that you complete this screening prior to attaining 60 credits.

Students are either deemed exempt from a speech course or placed into a speech course based on the recommendation of a faculty member. Either of these decisions will be noted on your transcript. If you’re placed into a speech course, we advise you to register for that course immediately. You must pass the speech course you're placed in order to fulfill your speech requirement.

HOW TO REGISTER FORYOUR SPEECH SCREENING:

Please log on to the BC WebCentral Portal and click the eServices tab. Scroll down under the

Student Transactions bar to the non-academic requirements folder and click the link to schedule

your appointment for your speech screening.

ANY QUESTIONS? Contact the Speech Communication

Arts and Sciences Department

3439 Boylan Hall

718.951.5225

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTIn order to attain a bachelor’s degree at Brooklyn College, you’re required to complete one course in a foreign language at Level 3 or above. This does not mean that you have to take three semesters of foreign language. Depending on your proficiency, you can begin at level 2 or level 3. If you took two years or more of one foreign language in high school and choose to start over with a different language at the College, the requirement is shortened to two semesters. American Sign Language is not accepted for completion of the language requirement.

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures regularly offers Chinese, French, German,

Ancient Greek (through Classics), Hebrew (through Judaic Studies), Italian, Latin (through Classics) and Spanish. Russian is only taught at an advanced level. Arabic and Haitian-Creole have also been taught in recent years.

THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE EXEMPTION

You’re exempt from the foreign language requirement if you:

* passed the Regents Level 3 examination in a foreign language (Please submit your official High School transcript with your Regents score to the Office of the Registrar, West Quad Center, third floor); or

* demonstrate proficiency—both oral and written—in a foreign language.

You may demonstrate such proficiency by:

* showing academic credentials that prove you’ve successfully completed work, at the high school level or above, where instruction was in a language other than English;

* exhibiting oral and written proficiency in an examination administered through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (or, for Hebrew, the Judaic Studies Department).

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR AN

EXEMPTION BASED ON PROFICIENCY, PLEASE

CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN

LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES, 4239 BOYLAN HALL,

718.951.5451. FOR HEBREW OR YIDDISH, PLEASE

CONTACT THE JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT,

3111 JAMES HALL, 718.951.5229.

CONTINUED STUDY IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE

If you’ve completed the language requirement, or if you’re exempt, you may choose to continue studying either the same or another foreign language. Beyond being a valuable life skill that enriches your experience, knowledge of foreign languages is a marketable attribute in a wide range of fields, including: the arts, business, education, health professions, journalism and law. In all areas of academic research, the ability to read languages other than English is vital.

STUDY ABROAD One of the most enriching and exciting ways to learn a foreign language is to participate, at any stage of your college career, in a Study Abroad program. Our professors lead programs in China, Iceland and Israel, among other locations. For more information about this program, please visit the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. To participate, you’ll need approval from the Department of Modern Languages, 4239 Boylan, 718.951.5451.

HOW TO REGISTER ONLINE:

• Go the BC WebCentral Portal (http://portal.brooklyn.edu).

• Login to WebCentral by clicking LOGIN NOW. If you do not have a WebCentral account, click Create an Account under the New Users heading and follow the procedure to create a username and password.

• On the Home tab, locate the Registration Information channel in the top right column and click Register for Courses. This will connect you to the WebSIMS system.

• Once on WebSIMS, click Register/Change Program.

• Choose a semester, then click Submit.

• Enter the four digit course code, ex: 5678

• Click Add Class.

• After course(s) are added, click Submit Request.

• Click Complete Registration.

• Follow the prompts to check your payment balance or to pay your bill online.

HOW TO PAY YOUR BILL ONLINE:

• Go to the BC WebCentral Portal (http://portal.brooklyn.edu).

• Login to WebCentral by clicking LOGIN NOW. If you do not have a WebCentral account, click Create an Account under the New Users heading and follow the procedure to create a username and password.

• Click Pay Tuition and Fees under the Shortcuts heading.

• Choose a semester and click Continue.

• You can pay by e-check or with a MasterCard, American Express or Discover card. Please note: VISA card is not accepted. There is a 2.65% convenience fee associated with the use of all credit or debit cards. Only full payment is accepted online.

• Follow the instructions for your selected payment method.

• Enter your e-mail address to receive confirmation of your payment.

HOW TO REGISTER AND PAY YOUR BILL ONLINE

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