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 Maino Tom Jackson Hallo Rutledge Hall

• Middle Tennessee State Teachers College, 1925o 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)• 25000+ 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 Advisingo College Advisorso Faculty Advisorso University College Advising Center, McFarland Building

• Academic Counselorso Part of the University College Advising Centero Will be with you all 4 years!

• Tutoring Serviceso Writing, Math, Science, Economicso www.mtsu.edu/tutoring

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 Monohano Lyono Cummings and Corlewo Womack Laneo Scarlett Commons

What should I know about?• Disabled Student Services, KUC 120

• Health Services, 898-2988 o Free exams for all students, cheap serviceso Real doctors! Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00o Make an Appointment!

• Campus Recreation Center, 898-2104o Mon-Thurs 6-11 o Fri 6-8, Sat 9-7, Sun 2-11

• Counseling Services, 898-2670o Free service and confidentialo Licensed counselors and psychologists

What should I know about?• Food Services

o The Grill, Cyber Café, Student Uniono RFoC and Raiderzoneo Bistro @ Bragg, Buy and Fly, Walker Starbucks, etc.

• Housing, KUC 300o Resident Assistants

• Public Safety - 2424o Fully Accredited Police Forceo Raider Escortso Emergency Call Boxeso Text Messaging System

What should I know about?

• Parking Services, 898-2850o Car and Bike registrationo Raider Xpress – 3 routeso 5 tickets = 1 booto Speed Limit = 15 mph

• Financial Aid, Cope 218, 898-2830o Fill out FAFSA annuallyo Emergency loans availableo Scholarship Applications due Dec. 1st

What should I know about?

• Phillip’s Bookstore, New Student Uniono Books to apparel to greeting cardso Book buy-back end of the semester

• Post Office, KUC 1st Flooro All students living on campus have serviceo Off campus students = $12 per semestero ATMs located across from windows

• Involvement Opportunitieso 250+ Student Organizationso Community Service Projectso Leadership Opportunities

What should I know about?• Career Counseling – University College Advising

Centero Discuss work interests with an advisoro Explore possible careers and majors

• FOCUS o Looks at personality, work, and life interestso Available to all MTSU students

• Career Development Centero Formerly Career and Employment Centero Résumé writing, cover letter, and interview helpo Lightning Job Sourceo Career Coordinators in each Academic College

What should I know about?• All freshmen required to meet with an advisor

• General Educationo 41 hours of coursework

• Taking the Right Classeso Amounto Type

• Adding, Droppingo Add first 4 dayso Drop first 14 days, no gradeo Drop with grade of W through 60% of termo May affect Financial Aid, Lottery, etc.

Learn to use our technology

• PipelineMTo 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 supplemento 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 upo 120 attempted hours are reachedo 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 RequirementsHours

Good Okay Not Bad Not Good Pretty Bad

3 A A B B B

3 A B B B D

3 B B B C C

3 B C C C C

3 C C C D F

15 3.2 2.8 2.6 2.2 1.6

1st Semester Not Good, 2nd 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 14th 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 65th 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 2.75. 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 10-11This 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 17-18 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 24-25 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 1-2This 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 8-9Being 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 29-30This 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 5-6Having 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 12-13This 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 19-20 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

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P97W8DZ