Getting Started
Whether you're a new student, a transfer student, or a returning student, you've already made one of the biggest decisions of your life by choosing to attend IU East.
Planning your semester schedule?
Wondering how to approach a professor?
Here you'll get the help you need to have a fulfilling college experience.
- New Students
- Transfer Students
- Current Students (Already Attending IU East)
- Returning Students (IU East students who have not attended for two semesters)
- Probationary Students
- Suspended Students
- Planning your semester
- How to talk to faculty members
New Students
Welcome to Indiana University East!
Here are the first steps for new students:
- Admissions
- The first step to starting classes is being admitted to college. Contact our Office of Admissions at 765-973-8208 to get your paperwork started.
- Financial Aid
- Many of our students receive financial aid. Application deadlines may directly affect your aid package, so contact our Office of Financial Aid at 765-973-8206 to learn more.
- COMPASS
- COMPASS is a placement test for new students, administered by the Testing Center. You may need to take this test before meeting with an advisor and registering for classes. Contact University College at 765- 973-8235 to set up your COMPASS appointment.
- New Student Orientation
- Mandatory for all new students, New Student Orientation is designed to help admitted students enroll at IU East. Our program will familarize you with campus, academic programs and services, and extra-curricular opportunities. Orientation is a great way to meet IU East students, faculty, and staff. Contact the Office of Admissions to select your orientation date. New students will meet with an advisor and schedule their first semester's classes at Orientation.
Recommended First Classes
The classes below should make up your first 24 credit hours. If you are attending school part time, it will take more than one year to complete these initial courses. You must enroll in your Compass-recommended classes first.
- English
- W130, or W131
- Math
- MATH-M 110, MATH-M 123 and up
- Reading
- EDUC X151
- Public Speaking
- SPCH S121
- Computer Literacy
- often fulfilled with CSCI A110
- General Education
- requirements (psychology, history, geography, a lab science class, etc.)
- First Year Seminar
- UCOL-U 101 First Year Seminar
Learning Plan
Your advisor will help you develop your IU East "Learning Plan." This is a planning sheet that allows us to gather information about your interests, needs, and academic goals. Your advisor will use the Learning Plan information to ensure that you are receiving helpful, appropriate information and referrals. The Learning Plan stays in your advising file to help us record progress toward your goals at IU East.
Transfer Students
Here are the first steps for students transferring to IU East:
- Admissions
- The first step in starting classes at IU East is being admitted to the university. Contact our Office of Admissions at 765-973-8208 to get your paperwork started.
- Inter-campus Transfers
- If you have attended another IU campus, you don't need to be re-admitted, but you do need to complete the inter-campus transfer process. Contact our Office of Student Records for more information at 765-973-8271.
- New Student Orientation
- Even though you are not new to college, IU East is a new environment for you. We think you'll find the New Student Orientation provides very helpful information: you'll have a campus tour, learn about resources at IU East, and receive an IU East Bulletin. Contact our Office of Admissions to select your orientation time.
- Transcript Evaluation
- If Admissions has not received a transcript from your previous school, you will complete a Transcript Request Form as part of the admissions process. Your prior course work must be evaluated by our admissions staff before your advisor will know what classes to start you with at IU East.
- COMPASS
- Compass is a placement test for new students, administered by Bob Lang, Distance Education Testing and Advising Coordinator, you may schedule a time to take the Compass placement test by calling 765-973-8249. Transfer students are not typically required to take the Compass test, but your advisor may recommend that you take a portion of the test if you are unsure about your abilities. For example, if you are not transferring in any math courses, you may want to take the math section of the Compass to see what math course you place into at IU East.
Learning Plan
Your advisor will help you develop your IU East "Learning Plan." This is a planning sheet that allows us to gather information about your interests, needs, and academic goals. Your advisor will use the Learning Plan information to ensure that you are receiving helpful, appropriate information and referrals. The Learning Plan stays in your advising file to help us record progress toward your goals at IU East.
As a transfer student, your advisor will want to talk about your experiences at your previous college, and why you chose to transfer to IU East. If your official transcript has not been evaluated by Admissions, you should bring an unofficial copy of your transcript to the advising appointment. A photocopy will allow us to avoid duplicating credit you have already earned.
If you have earned more than 12 credit hours, and you know what degree program you want, you will be assigned a faculty advisor in that department as soon as possible.
Current Students (Already Attending IU East)
Congratulations on continuing your education! The earlier you contact your advisor and schedule classes, the better chance you have of getting into your preferred classes, so call early to set up an appointment.
If you havedeclared your major, you will be assigned a faculty advisor. Your academic department will contact you about advising dates and times. Otherwise, you will see an advisor in University College and work with the Office of Career Planning & Placement to help with career exploration and decision-making exercises.
Any student can review advising information by clicking on the "Forms" link to the left. Here we have placed advising check-sheets for IU East's degree and certificate programs. Information is also available on OneStart - ask your advisor to show you how to use this valuable source of information.
Choosing a Major
Visit the Office of Career Planning & Placement office in Whitewater Hall. They have resources available to help you focus your academic goals.
Returning Students (IU East students who have not attended for two semesters)
Welcome Back! If you have "stopped out" of school for a few semesters, you need to contact our Office of Student Records (973-8271) and ask to be "reactivated" in the IU system. In most cases, you do not need to reapply for admission to the university.
After you have been reactivated as an IU student, be sure to set up an appointment with an advisor. Degree programs, or specific degree requirements, may have changed since you last attended classes. Be sure to ask your advisor to show you the most current information about degree requirements. Let your advisor know about any changes since your previous attendance as a student--particularly if you are interested in changing degree programs.
If you have selected a degree program, you should contact the appropriate school office. The school staff can tell you the name of your academic advisor.
Academic School Contact Numbers:
- School of Business and Economics
- 765-973-8343, Hayes 273
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Criminal Justice Program: 765-973-8250, Middlefork 354
- All other HSS Programs: 765-973-8219, Middlefork 240
- School of Natural Science and Mathematics
- 765-973-8285, Whitewater 280
- School of Continuing Studies (General Studies)
- 765-973-8312, Whitewater 116
- School of Education
- 765-973-8224, Middlefork 340
- School of Nursing
- 765-973-8213, Hayes 271
- School of Social Work
- 765-973-8535, Middlefork 150
- Purdue College of Technology
- 765-973-8260, Middlefork 140
Probationary Students
So you had a rough semester. It can happen to any student, for a variety of reasons. At IU East, we want to help you succeed.
You have been placed on academic probation by the Dean of Students and have received notification through the mail of your probationary status. This means that you earned less than a 2.0 grade point average for a full-time semester. For more information, see our Academic Standards.
It is critical that you work closely with your advisor this semester. If your grades do not improve, you risk academic suspension.
As a student on probation, you are required to see your assigned academic advisor in order to register. As advisors, our main goal is to help you succeed academically, and we have many tools at our disposal to help you improve your performance in the classroom. It is important to maintain contact with your advisor while you are on probation. The sooner we know about a problem, the sooner we can help you work through it.
Some ways we will try to help you succeed include:
- Requesting weekly meetings to monitor your progress and help improve your skills for success
- Providing referrals to support centers on campus ( Tutorial Services, Office of Career Planning & Placement, Student Support Services, etc.)
Suspended Students
If you do not make satisfactory progress after being placed on academic probation, you will be suspended from IU East by the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students' Office will notify you of your suspension status via certified mail. That letter will explain your suspension and encourage you to appeal your suspension if you still wish to attend IU East.
If you decide to sit out for a semester as a suspended student, you must see the Dean of Students prior to future enrollment. Once you have re-enrolled, you will meet weekly with your academic advisor. This advisor will monitor your progress throughout the semester.
The Appeal Process
You may appeal your suspension by writing a letter to the Admissions and Academic Affairs (AAA) Committee and attending a scheduled hearing with faculty members to discuss your appeal. As academic advisors, we are available to assist you with the appeal process and help you plan for the hearing.
If you are reinstated as a student by the AAA committee you will enroll in the courses designated by the committee, and also sign an "Academic Performance Contract" for weekly meetings with a specified advisor. This advisor will monitor your progress over the semester.
Once your GPA is above a 2.0, and you have met any other conditions set by the faculty committee, you will be removed from suspension status. You are then permitted to enroll in a full course load, in collaboration with your advisor.
For more information, see our Academic Standards.
Planning Your Semester
Here are the tools you'll need to map out your next semester at IU East:
- Academic Advising Center Documents
- IU East Schedule of Classes--Available from Student Records or online at OneStart
- IU East Bulletin
How Many Classes Should I Take?
Each course you take is measured in "credit hours." Credit hours refer to the number of hours per week you are in the classroom during a 14-week semester. Most courses are 3 credit hours. For most courses, you will be in class approximately three hours per week.
To earn a degree you need to accumulate a minimum number of credit hours.
| Degree | Bachelor's | Associate |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum credit hours | 120 | 60 |
| Approximate # of courses | 40 three hour courses | 20 three hour courses |
Please see the IU East Bulletin for the required courses and credit hours for a specific degree program.
Course Load Recommendations
For every 1 credit hour in which you enroll, you will spend approximately two to three hours outside of class studying. Therefore, to help determine the course load most appropriate for you, use this formula:
- Example for 3 credit hours (1 course)
- (3 hours in class) + (6 to 9 hours study time) = 9 to 12 actual hours per week
- Example for 12 credit hours (4 courses)
- (12 hours in class) + (24 to 36 hours study time) = 36 to 48 actual hours per week
- Full-time students enroll in 12 to 18 credit hours per semester.
- Part-time students enroll in 1 to 11 credit hours per semester.
The course load that is best for you depends on a variety of factors, such as other commitments, study skills, time-management skills, and self-discipline. To determine the course load which is most appropriate for you, please refer to the following guidelines:
| Employment obligations | Course load if working |
|---|---|
| Working 40 hours per week | 3--6 credit hours |
| Working 30 hours per week | 3--9 credit hours |
| Working 20 hours per week | 6--12 credit hours |
| Working less than 20 hours | 12--18 credit hours |
Still can't decide?
It is important to remember that there are only 24 hours in each day and only 168 hours in each week. It is common for college students to try to participate in more activities than their time allows and, as a result, perform poorly in many of the activities. Unfortunately, this poor performance often extends to school work.
We offer the following questions in a worksheet format to help you make the most of your time.
Fill in the blanks:
Personal Time
You've probably noticed that items like "child care" and "spending time with friends and family" aren't specified above. These are difficult areas to break down into "hours per week" for most people.
Although college can take up a large chunk of your life, remember that it is important to make time for yourself and your significant others. This sort of personal time is crucial to your success in college.
How to Talk to Faculty members
Our small class sizes are ideal for faculty and student interaction. We realize, though, that talking with a faculty member can be a bit intimidating. The guidelines below appeared in a National On-Campus Report article called "Helping New Students Make the Most of Meetings With Faculty" (1993). We hope you find the information helpful.
Step 1: Make an appointment.
- Review the syllabus, or ask, for your instructor's office hours. Go to his or her office during those hours.
- If your schedule conflicts with the office hours, tell your instructor why you can't make the scheduled office hours. Then tell him/her about your specific concern.
- Set up a specific time to meet with your instructor. Be sure to indicate the amount of time you think you'll need.
Step 2: Establish rapport.
Be on time for your appointment. When you arrive, be pleasant, smile, introduce yourself again (include your name and class), and shake hands if appropriate.
Step 3: Present your concern.
Focus on the specific questions you've identified as problematic. Have your question(s) or problem(s) written out so that the instructor can see where your difficulties are.
Step 4: Provide background information.
Briefly tell your instructor about your high school background and preparation for the course--if relevant to solving the problem and explain the study strategies you've used to understand the material.
Step 5: Redirect for clarification.
If the instructor's explanation isn't clear, redirect his/her attention to the specific point where you became confused. Talk through your problem so that the instructor hears your reasoning.
Step 6: Summarize resolution of the problem.
"I was missing this step in . . . I need to apply this formula . . ."
Step 7: Thank your instructor.
And ask to come back if necessary.
