Getting Started at

The Beginning Founded September 11, 1911 as Middle Tennessee State Normal School Originally only a school for teacher education First three buildings: o Kirksey Old Main o Tom Jackson Hall o Rutledge Hall Middle Tennessee State Teachers College, 1925 o Bachelor of Science, first 4-year degree offered Middle Tennessee State College, 1943 Middle Tennessee State University, 1965

MTSU Today 100+ buildings (started:3) 500 Acres (started: 100) students (started: 125) o Largest undergraduate University in Tennessee 900 faculty members (started: 19) Honors College, 1998, first founded in TN Now with 100,000 alumni! First Ph.D. awarded in English, 2003 “The People’s University” o Example: the sidewalks

Construction Student Union Building – now open One Stop Shop (Student Services Building) – Fall 2014 Parking Garages – Fall 2013 Science Building – Fall 2015

High School vs. College Differences? ? ? ? ?

High School vs. College Size Accountability Responsibility Independence Difficulty Level Diversity

College Survival Set goals Take personal responsibility Persist, persist, persist Get involved Manage your time wisely Learn about available campus resources Know yourself Live in the present, look to the future!

What should I know about? Academic Advising o College Advisors o Faculty Advisors o University College Advising Center, McFarland Building Academic Counselors o Part of the University College Advising Center o Will be with you all 4 years! Tutoring Services o Writing, Math, Science, Economics o

What should I know about? James E. Walker Library Business and Aerospace 24/7 Computer Lab Learning Resource Center Multimedia Library and Computer Lab Departmental Computer Labs Residence Hall Computer Labs o Monohan o Lyon o Cummings and Corlew o Womack Lane o Scarlett Commons

What should I know about? Disabled Student Services, KUC 120 Health Services, o Free exams for all students, cheap services o Real doctors! Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00 o Make an Appointment! Campus Recreation Center, o Mon-Thurs 6-11 o Fri 6-8, Sat 9-7, Sun 2-11 Counseling Services, o Free service and confidential o Licensed counselors and psychologists

What should I know about? Food Services o The Grill, Cyber Café, Student Union o RFoC and Raiderzone o Bragg, Buy and Fly, Walker Starbucks, etc. Housing, KUC 300 o Resident Assistants Public Safety o Fully Accredited Police Force o Raider Escorts o Emergency Call Boxes o Text Messaging System

What should I know about? Parking Services, o Car and Bike registration o Raider Xpress – 3 routes o 5 tickets = 1 boot o Speed Limit = 15 mph Financial Aid, Cope 218, o Fill out FAFSA annually o Emergency loans available o Scholarship Applications due Dec. 1st

What should I know about? Phillip’s Bookstore, New Student Union o Books to apparel to greeting cards o Book buy-back end of the semester Post Office, KUC 1 st Floor o All students living on campus have service o Off campus students = $12 per semester o ATMs located across from windows Involvement Opportunities o 250+ Student Organizations o Community Service Projects o Leadership Opportunities

What should I know about? Career Counseling – University College Advising Center o Discuss work interests with an advisor o Explore possible careers and majors FOCUS o Looks at personality, work, and life interests o Available to all MTSU students Career Development Center o Formerly Career and Employment Center o Résumé writing, cover letter, and interview help o Lightning Job Source o Career Coordinators in each Academic College

What should I know about? All freshmen required to meet with an advisor General Education o 41 hours of coursework Taking the Right Classes o Amount o Type Adding, Dropping o Add first 4 days o Drop first 14 days, no grade o Drop with grade of W through 60% of term o May affect Financial Aid, Lottery, etc.

Learn to use our technology PipelineMT o RaiderNet Personal Information Tab Student Tab Financial Aid Tab Employee Tab o Campus Directory MTMail Online Catalog – catalog.mtsu.edu D2L o Many courses use as a supplement o Accessible through PipelineMT

Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Requirements

The Basics Eligible students receive $4000 per year o $2000 in fall, $2000 in spring, and up to $2000 in the summer You may receive the Hope until whichever comes first: o 5 years from when you start college are up o 120 attempted hours are reached o When you get a degree Some students may receive more money based on factors such as family income, like the Aspire Scholarship, and the same rules apply

Grade Requirements After 24 attempted hours: 2.75 GPA After 48 attempted hours: 2.75 GPA After 72 attempted hours: 3.00 GPA After 96 attempted hours: 3.00 GPA If at the 72 and 96 hour check points you have a 2.75 – 2.99 GPA, and a 3.0 semester GPA, you can keep your scholarship as long as you continue to make a 3.0 each semester

Grade Requirements Hour s GoodOkayNot BadNot GoodPretty Bad 3AABBB 3ABBBD 3BBBCC 3BCCCC 3CCCDF st Semester Not Good, 2 nd Semester Good = 2.7, Scholarship Lost

Enrollment Requirements You may be a full-time or part-time student to get the Hope Scholarship Full-time students receive $2000 per semester Part-time students (6 hours to 11 hours) receive part of that $2000, depending on how many hours they take You cannot skip a semester, unless it is the summer semester. If you take the spring off and reenroll in the fall, you will not have the Hope Scholarship

Enrollment Requirements After the 14 th day of the semester, you may NOT drop below full-time status, or else you will lose your Hope Scholarship FOR-E-VER You are allowed to drop classes until the 65 th day of class, but never, ever, ever drop a class without consulting your advisor first If you are taking 16 hours, you could drop one 3 hour class and still be at 13 hours, so you would be eligible still Part-time students can’t drop below 6 hours

Grade Replacement If you fail a class or do poorly in one and you retake the class, that grade can be replaced in your Lottery GPA Lottery (or TELS) GPA is different that your regular MTSU GPA! Your TELS GPA counts all grades, no matter what you have retaken; MTSU replaces your grade automatically if you retake a class once You are allowed to replace only ONE grade in your TELS GPA over the course of your educational career, and a form must be signed by an University College Advising Center advisor to do so

Regaining your Scholarship If you lose your scholarship due to grades at a checkpoint, you can get it back at another checkpoint by bringing your GPA back up Example: You lose it after 24 hours with a 2.5 GPA. When you hit the 48 hour check, you have a You can fill out a form and get it back! You can only regain the scholarship ONCE! Again, if you lose your scholarship because you dropped below full-time status or skipped a semester, it is gone for good

Lottery Tips (and for Life) Grades should be A’s, B’s, and a few C’s Try not to drop classes, start with what you think you can handle, those classes count against your total hours! On that same note, you should try and take at least 15 hours just in case something goes wrong with a class and you have to drop it ATTEND CLASS – It really does help your grade Consult an advisor often, at least once a semester if not more

Academic Success Series How to Get Started at MTSU: September This session will cover topics including how to navigate RaiderNet & D2L, understanding the Lottery Scholarship, and helpful tips about GPA and academic standing. How to Use Your Time Wisely: September Time management is something most students struggle with on a daily basis. This session will cover techniques to help you better manage your time. How to Use the MTSU Library: September Come find out what successful MTSU students know about the library and learn how to utilize the various resources available. How to Give a Winning Presentation: October 1-2 This session will cover tips and tricks that will help students refine their presentation and public speaking skills. How to Relax, Chill & Still Be a Successful Student: October 8-9 Being a college student is stressful! Academics, jobs, friends, and family can pull you in many directions, and there never seems to be enough hours in a day to get everything done. This session will cover how stress can impact your academics and your health. Leave with some surefire strategies to help you de-stress your life. How to Use Your Academic Advisor: October This session will cover information on how to know who your advisor is; how to get the most out of your time with your advisor, and what questions you should ask your advisor. How to Choose the Right Career for You: November 5-6 Having trouble choosing a major? This session will cover techniques on helping you find the right major and career field that best fits your personality and abilities. How to Think Critically: November This session will go over what critical thinking is (and isn’t), provide a structure for evaluating your thinking, and show how it can be applied to college level classes. How to Prepare for Finals: November This interactive session will focus on helping students prepare for final exams. Specific attention will be placed on assisting students with time management, reviewing helpful study skills, and discussing effective test taking strategies. All sessions will be in Walker Library Room 446 at 4:30pm

EVALUATION & PROOF OF ATTENDANCE