<p>My mom and I attended my college orientation yesterday. I’m going to a small state university in my hometown. I live in Missouri. I know that I will transfer to the University of Missouri - Columbia after my freshman year. The local college gave me more money than Mizzou did.</p>
<p>The entire orientation was geared for students who will be living on campus. I will be a commuter student, so the information was not pertinent to me. </p>
<p>All degree-seeking freshmen are required to take this 3 credit hour class called “University Experience”. I don’t plan on seeking a degree from the college. My adviser told me what a big waste of time that it was and that since I will transfer to Mizzou, I didn’t need to take it. </p>
<p>However, my schedule was sent to this person whose purpose was to check to make sure that I was in the University Experience class. My original class schedule was: college algebra, programming I, international relations, biology, and advanced college composition. I was going to take government, but all the classes were full. I dropped programming I and added the UE class. </p>
<p>What annoys me the most is the person who put me in the UE class said that Mizzou has an orientation class, so I would have to take it no matter what. I called Mizzou and they don’t have an orientation class.</p>
<p>I have already read the book required for the UE class and I learned all of the information my freshman year of high school. </p>
<p>Since I’m only taking 13 credit hours this semester that I think are useful, I might not be able to graduate in four years. I’m already planning to take 6 hours next summer. I hope to major in finance and minor in computer science. I need my summers for internships, don’t I? </p>
<p>What should I do? I don’t know if I should talk to my adviser again…</p>
<p>During the open add drop period at the beginning of the fall semester, quietly drop the UE class and add something that will transfer. This sounds like one of those situations where it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. (You DID already check with Mizzou that your classes this year will transfer with full credit, right? If not, you should do so and make sure to register for classes that are likely to be offered there instead of obscure subjects that might not transfer or would only get you elective credit.)</p>
<p>My advisor can only recommend. I go to a large (40,000+) state school and they only have the power to suggest/check prerequisites. I didn’t use the schedule she advised me to take during sign up and I know nobody will care as long as I meet degree reqs.</p>
<p>Just do what was advised above, quietly drop the class and you shouldn’t be given any trouble.</p>
<p>Higher education is a business and colleges/universities will always compete for talented students and good education statistics. This smaller school is likely aware that students use it as a stepping stone for transfers into other colleges. The small school wants to keep their number of transfer students down, so that it is seen as a competitive, 4-year school (with students paying four years of tuition) instead of a stepping stone (with students only paying 1-2 years tuition). One way to do this is to require all freshmen to take “University Experience”, with the goal that the class will help students integrate into campus life and entice them to stay at the smaller school, instead of transferring.
If you cannot drop the class quietly, then use the class to boost your GPA. In your post, you mentioned that smaller college is giving you money, and that you intend to transfer. It’s hard to argue that smaller college should adjust their requirements to make it easier for you to graduate on time from another university.
I transferred after my sophomore year at a large, public university. There will be more difficulties about applications/transfer credits/requirements. Be ready to play their game, take some redundant classes and spend a lot of time with your advisor. Once you transfer to your goal university, take the time to find a good academic advisor who can help you on the transfer process/class work.</p>
<p>Stradmom: Yes, I have checked with Mizzou and all of my courses will transfer. What stinks is I’ve already rented the book that will be used for the University Experience class. </p>
<p>noimagination: According to the catalog, my adviser is there to help me develop my “plan of study”. </p>
<p>If I can’t drop the class, hopefully I’ll be able to study during it. I have college algebra after the university experience.</p>
<p>You can probably the textbook that you rented.</p>
<p>It sounds like University Experience is an introduction to college course. Mizzou might accept it they have something similar so do check with them. Otherwise it would just go in as an elective. </p>
<p>An advisor is simply a resource. They are not right all the time and it is excellent you are staying on top of things especially since you are transferring. You are preventing a lot of problems down the road.</p>
<p>I’m also in Missouri. Just from reading your post, I have a feeling we possibly attend the same school. However, I’m a grad student. I will say that Mizzou <em>for sure</em> has freshman seminar classes. I live about 25 minutes from Mizzou and most of my friends either currently attend or graduated from there. Heads up: start saving now because Mizzou is much, much more expensive than other schools in Missouri.</p>
<p>Look on the bright side - these classes are GREAT for meeting people and they actually should set them up so you share a similar class with others in your fresh seminar course. This allows you to form study groups, etc. Our prof even allowed us to study for exams during fresh seminar. </p>