What Every Student Needs
to Know
Unlike in second grade,
middle school, or even high school, all academic responsibilities are
your own in college—not your parent's, not your advisor's or your
professor's responsibility. If you have a problem, are falling behind, or have
questions, it is your responsibility to get help. Do not delay; you will just
fall further behind, and at the end of the semester, it is too late
Set yourself up to succeed.
It is your responsibility
to plan your schedule and choose the courses that you take. If you have trouble
with this, go back to your advisor. You can still change your courses during the
first week of school. Make sure that you have time to get from class to class.
It is unacceptable to always leave a class early to get to the next class or to
constantly arrive late. Make certain that you don't sign up for too
heavy of a course load. The semester always starts out easy, but you need
to be able to handle the load when everything is due at the end of the
semester. Everyone is busy and everyone has the same number of hours in a day; so the excuse that you are behind or need extra time on an
assignment because you are taking 18 hours, have a job, or have other
commitments falls back on you. How you decide to use your time is your choice.
You have the same amount of time in a day as each of your classmates. It is
your responsibility to carefully schedule your time and to use your time wisely.
You also need to be sure that you have the required materials, textbooks, etc.
Attending class is required
for success.
Class attendance, whether
your classes are held online or in-person, is not optional if you want to
succeed. It is your responsibility to attend class. The main reason students
flunk out of college is from not attending class. You may need to go to bed
earlier, buy another alarm clock, or not go out the night before. If you are
sick and miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes from someone in
the class and to catch up. The most important advice for a college student
is: Never miss class.
An academic advisement appointment is not a reason to miss class. Never schedule academic advisement appointments during your class. It is your responsibility to ask your academic advisor for an appointment that is not during any of your classes. If you have a job, schedule your work time outside of your class time. An excuse from your boss is not an acceptable justification for missing class.
It is your responsibility to read the text and stay caught up. If we are covering chapter 3, it is your responsibility to read chapter 3 without officially being given a reading assignment. Read ahead so that you have already read the material before it is covered in class. In college you are expected to read and study the text without being reminded to do so.
It is your responsibility
to contact the professor to ask for help.
If you have special
circumstances and had to miss class or have fallen behind, it is your
responsibility to contact the professor to ask for help. Don't wait
until you are way behind; instead, do this as soon as you can. At the end of
the semester, it is simply too late.
Write
down what is said during your class lectures. It is difficult to remember all
of the details if you don't write them down. Even if you think that you are not
good at taking notes, do it anyway. Tests usually come from the lectures, and
your notes are the best study guide that you will have. The second most
important advice for the college student is: Always take
notes.
Know what is on the class
web site.
It is your responsibility to look at the class web site frequently. It contains useful information such as the dates of tests and other announcements, assignments, deadlines, handouts, and study guides.
Deadlines
are deadlines.
You need to schedule your
time in order to meet the deadlines. If you are given a week to do an
assignment, do not wait until the night before or even the day before to start
the assignment. Start assignments early.
If you have problems with
an assignment, it is your responsibility to ask your professor for
help. All professors have office hours, and if you have a class during
those office hours, it is your responsibility to ask for an appointment at
another time.
The grade you receive for a
class is based on your achievement on the required tests and assignments. The
assignments were your responsibility to complete and turn in on time. Your
grade is not based on special extra credit dreamed up to improve your grade
because you did not do well on the required assignments, so don't bother to
ask. Read the comments by Kurk Wiesenfeld
of GA Tech for additional insight on this topic, which are available here: Making the
Grade.
The Student Success Center
at the University of South Carolina provides one-on-one coaches to help
students with a variety of issues from academic planning and goal setting to
study skills, concentration, note-taking, and available resources. Their help
can be beneficial for students in general or for problems with a particular
class. If you are struggling (or better yet, be proactive and don't wait until
you are already struggling), schedule an appointment and talk with them. Student Success Center
If you are worried about how you are doing in a class, go and talk with the professor. Don't put it off; the sooner you go, the better. Find out what help is available, if your professor can give you advice on how to study, and if your professor can help you better understand a particular topic, etc.
It is your responsibility
to check your university email account frequently. Always use your
university email address when communicating with your professors. Keep
your emails professional: do not use colored text, backgrounds, or cute quotes,
etc., and do not use texting abbreviations. Be certain that the email contains
your first and last names as well as your course number and section number.
Don't ever cheat; not even
on homework. All cases of cheating are to be reported; here, at the University
of South Carolina, cheating incidents are reported to the Office of Academic
Integrity. The consequences of cheating could be expulsion, which you certainly
don't want. It is easy to share information or to copy information from the web,
so be certain that the work that you turn in is your own work. If you cut and
paste from the web into your work, it is plagiarism. Carefully provide
citations in your work to all quoted passages and referenced propositions and
materials.
It is okay to discuss your
work with others, but you need to understand the material and later do the work
on your own. If two students turn in the same work, the student who did the
work and gave it away is just as guilty as the student who took it and turned
it in as their own.
Think now
about how terrible you would feel if you were called in and the proof that you
had cheated was spread out on the desk. Frequently, students in this position
say, "I did this, but I want you to know that this really isn't me; I am
not a cheater." Are these students different from the other students who
cheat? No matter the amount of crying and begging, professors are obligated to
turn in all cheating cases. It is your responsibility to do what is
right; cheating is never worth the consequences.
If you are having technical
issues with your computer, your blackboard account, or your university account
or email address, contact the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). If you have problems with a computer account
that was given to you for a particular course or lab, please contact your
instructor for help. See Division of
Information Technology (DoIT). The technology
help you need is available from DoIT in any of the
following ways, among others:
The Carolina Tech Zone (CTZ) provides hands-on technology support for all students, including connecting to the network, installing software, diagnosing computer problems, removing viruses, providing mobile support, and more. The CTZ is located on the first floor of the Byrnes building, 901 Sumter Street, Suite 119, which is right across from the Horseshoe.
During the Fall 2020 semester, the CTZ will be operating on an
appointment-based system during hours that will be determined. Students can
call 803-777-1800 to schedule an appointment with the CTZ. Masks will be
required upon entry and students will be encouraged to stay six feet apart
while visiting. See Carolina Tech Zone for more information.
Blackboard
Blackboard
is the course management system used by the University of South Carolina
allowing students to see and upload assignments, view grades, take quizzes, and
communicate with the class. Every course at USC will have a Blackboard
site. Blackboard Support and Information and Blackboard Login
Student Health Services
Your personal well-being
affects your academic success. If you are sick, go to the student health
center. Don't wait! Go before you get worse. The link to Student
Health Services at the University of South Carolina is Student Health Services.
Mental Health Services
Taking care of your mental
and emotional health is one of the most important things you can do. The University
of South Carolina offers comprehensive mental health care and offers extended
hours, Walk-In Sessions, and after-hours phone services. Mental Health Services
If you are having trouble
functioning, are unhappy, think you could be suffering from depression, or have
a relationship or family problem, there is free help available to you on
campus. Don't be embarrassed; this is not uncommon. Call or go
online and make an appointment, and then go and get help. Your information will
be kept confidential. Don't delay! Get help as soon as possible. Counseling at the University of South Carolina
If you need help or know
someone who needs help concerning an incident involving harassment, sexual
assault, or interpersonal violence, please see the following resource: Interpersonal Violence Support
The Student Disability Resource Center helps students with many
different types of disabilities. Their new office location is 1705 College
Street, Close-Hipp, Suite 102. Phone: 803-777-6142.
Email: sadrc@mailbox.sc.edu. Student Disability Resource Center
Have a
problem and don't know what to do?
If you have a problem and don't know who to ask, talk
with your instructor, your advisor, or someone in one of the offices mentioned
above. Even if the problem is out of our field, we may know or be able to find
out who can help you. The faculty and staff, even those of us who appear to
have a gruff exterior, really care about students and want to help.