Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is my advisor?
A. Natural Resources Management majors are assigned an advisor by the department. First and second year students are typically advised by the NRM Program Assistant / Academic Advisor. Juniors, seniors, and graduate students are assigned to a faculty member.
To find out whom your advisor is, log onto Campus Connection. Click on the self-service link on the left. Then click on the academic records link on the right. The last link on the page will be “my advisors.” Click on that to find out who your advisor is and their name will be a hyperlink to their email address. You can right click the name to copy the email address and paste it into a new email.
Q. What does it mean to be waitlisted?
A. This means the class you are signed up for is full and you are in line to be enrolled if someone drops the class. This is usually not a big deal, however, as long as there is room in the actual classroom the professor will usually increase the capacity of the class on campus connection so you are allowed to enroll.
Q. How do I change my major, add a minor, or add another major?
A. You need to complete and submit a “Major, Minor, Certificate, or Advisor Change Form” When changing majors, consult the new program staff to find out who you should list as an advisor before you fill out the form.
Source: http://www.ndsu.edu/registrar/forms/
Q. What are the attendance policies?
A. Read carefully each individual course syllabus or guide for specific class attendance policies. Some course instructors consider attendance as a grading factor, where others do not. When you are not able to attend, communicate that with the instructor (preferably in advance), and make arrangements to obtain class notes from another student.
Online coursework my require you to complete discussion threads, which are considered “participation” for attendance purposes. Be sure to complete discussion by each due date for full credit.
Q. How do I know if I should drop a class or not?
A. If there is a financial issue, you must drop the class before it is 9% completed to get a full refund. This is usually the middle of the second week of class. If you drop the class before this deadline it will not show up on your transcript and you will not pay for it.
As you go through the semester and find that you are having issues you have 11 weeks after the first day of class, or 9.5 weeks after the “full refund drop date,” mentioned above, to drop a class and receive a grade of ‘W’ on your transcript. After this drop deadline you cannot drop that class and whatever grade you get in the class will go on your transcript. Dropping a class before the deadline and getting ‘W’ will not affect your GPA but if you need the class to graduate you will have to retake it in the future. Normally having a ‘W’ or several on your transcript has little consequence on future employment or advancement. A pattern of having many “W”s on a transcript may be a signal of lack of focus and perseverance.
If you think you might earn a failing grade (F) you should strongly consider dropping the class before the “full refund drop date.” If you do get an F it will then be calculated into your GPA which can mean that you will be on academic warning and in some cases probation. If the class is required and you get a grade of F you will need to retake the class at some point. It is often advised to retake the class with an F as soon as possible to reverse the effects of an F on your GPA and to show academic progress.
Dropping a class can affect your financial aid if your class load drops below the guidelines for your financial aid. Consider talking with someone on how dropping a class can affect your financial aid. In addition, if your enrollment at the university or other financial eligibility/benefits (such as scholarships or veterans education benefits) are linked to a certain level of class load make sure your are aware on how dropping a class affects your eligibility/benefits.
Students MAY NOT drop their last/only class on Campus Connection since this means you are withdrawing out of school. All withdrawals to zero credit are processed at Bison Connection, located on the Main Level of the Memorial Union.
Adviser or departmental signatures are not required to withdraw from a course, however you might want to check with your advisor before doing so.
Be sure to check Campus Connection for holds. Certain holds may prevent registration or drop activity.
Q. Is it a good idea to retake a class?
A. In some cases, yes, you may retake a class as many times as you want. However each time you retake a class your old grade is dropped and your new grade goes on your transcript whether it is better or worse than the previous grade you received.
Q. What is the Pass/Fail option?
A. You may fill out a form to take classes as Pass/Fail. This means that you either get a passing grade or a failing grade. If you pass, the class does not count towards your GPA. However if you fail, the course will count as an F towards your GPA. You may not take classes as Pass/Fail which you are using to satisfy your general education requirements. Many colleges also have restrictions against taking required courses as Pass/Fail. Make sure you consult your advisor. Credits taken Pass/Fail will however count towards your total credit requirement.
Q. Where will I find scholarships opportunities?
A. The NDSU website has university-wide scholarship applications. Each college will also have its own scholarships. Finally each program will have unique scholarships to apply for. Also NDSU has links to third party scholarship programs designed to help students find scholarships.
Information on freshmen and transfer student scholarships may be located through the Office of Admission web site at: http://www.ndsu.edu/admission/scholarships/
Natural Resources Management scholarships are:
Brett Hovde Memorial Scholarship ($500),
Johnson Neppl Memorial Scholarship ($250), and
NRM Club scholarship ($300).
Third party scholarship resources may be located at: www.ndsu.edu/bisonconnection/finaid/aid/scholarships/resources/.
Q. How does financial aid work?
A. NDSU has a good website explaining it: http://www.ndsu.edu/bisonconnection/finaid/application/.
Here’s a checklist of the application process: www.ndsu.edu/bisonconnection/finaid/application/process/
Finally once you are awarded financial aid you must accept or decline it on campus connection. Here are directions on how to do that: www.ndsu.edu/bisonconnection/finaid/fastepsonline/
Q. What are Distance and Continuing Education (DCE) courses?
A. One aspect of DCE is online classes. Online classes are offered for many intro classes fall, spring, and summer terms. These classes are exempt from the tuition cap policy. Thus if you are already taking 12 credits in the fall or spring and sign up for an online class you will have to pay extra for the online class where as if you had signed up for an extra in-classroom course, non-DCE, you would not have to pay more for that class over the cap.
Q. How many classes should I take if I’m working a part-time job?
A. Of course, all students are different. However, most full-time students who work part-time find that taking 12 hours is the sufficient course load.
Q. Where can I get help with tutoring?
A. Academic Collegiate Enhancement (ACE) tutors are available to help you in a variety of subjects at no cost. They can also help you with your study strategies, note taking skills, and help you find other resources to help you succeed in college. The ACE web page is at: www.ndsu.edu/studentsuccess/about_ace/.
Student Support Services (SSS) is free to eligible students who could use a wide range of support. Besides tutoring, SSS offers instruction in science and mathematics, writing skills, and academic success workshops. Their web site is at: www.ndsu.edu/trio/student_support_services/.
The Center for Writers is located in the basement of the main library. They can help you with writing assignments. Appointments are not needed but they are recommended, especially towards the middle to end of the semester because it gets very busy. Their web site is at: www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/.
Q. How do I waive or substitute a class in my curriculum?
A. You might want to do this if you are ready to graduate but one last class you need isn’t offered your last semester. Or if you have transfer or high school credits you and your advisor might want to substitute them with a closely related class required for your major. Finally if you want to skip an intro class and enroll into a harder level class right away your advisor would waive the intro level class. If you waive the class you will not have to take it or replace it with another class. If you substitute the class you will have to take another class in its place. You need to meet with your advisor in order to substitute a class.
Q. What credit do I get for my Advanced Placement Examination (AP) classes?
A. Refer to Registration and Records web page for information on what classes AP tests count for and what score you need to get credit for those classes at: www.ndsu.edu/registrar/policies/placement/ap/
Q. May I study abroad?
A. Studying abroad in college is a great way to travel to new and exciting countries and take college classes while learning also about the culture of the host country. The website below tells you everything you need to know about preparing to study abroad and the process to take to make it happen. ndsu.studioabroad.com
