This is a ten-week seminar series with guest speakers designed to support students who are experiencing academic difficulty. A small subset of students is chosen each year to participate. Through assessment, education, and advising, students learn to identify and resolve the underlying causes of their academic difficulty. We also explore the “hidden curriculum,” the rules and expectations the make university so different from high school, and help students navigate the RU landscape.
Course Number
01:090:181
Add/Drop is by Special Permission Only
Program Description
This program is designed to help students, like you, experiencing academic difficulty. Through the use of assessment, remediation, education, and advising we will help you to identify, examine, and resolve the underlying causes of your academic difficulty.
The purpose of mandatory registration for this program is to convey the gravity of your academic situation as well as Rutgers' commitment to your success. It is not to penalize you for your current academic hardship. As such, this seminar is worth 1 degree credit and graded on a Pass (PA)/No Credit (NC) basis. A Pass is awarded when a grade of C or better is earned and degree credit is earned toward your degree completion. No Credit is awarded when a grade of D or F has been earned and degree credit is not earned. Pass/No Credit courses are not computed into your GPA.
Textbook
On Course: Strategies for Creating Success In College and in Life, 8th Edition – Skip Downing
Program Requirements
Completion of a 10-week seminar. All students required to participate in this program will be registered into the course by a Dean. You will be added to the section that best fits your current registration. If your current schedule will not accommodate the available times that this course is offered, you should adjust your schedule accordingly to fit one of the available sections by the end of Week One or the Dean will revise your schedule on your behalf.
Seminar Topics
Schedule and seminar topics are subject to change.
- Week 1 - OAS Course Overview
- Week 2 - Getting On Course to Your Success
- Week 3 - Accepting Personal Responsibility – Time Management
- Week 4 - Academic Purpose and Self-motivation
- Week 5 - Mastering Self-management Employing Interdependence
- Week 6 - OAS –Gaining Self-Awareness – Values Clarification “Major” Review
- Week 7 - Adopting Lifelong Learning
- Week 8 - Developing Emotional Intelligence
- Week 9 - Non-Academic Problem Solving
- Week 10 - Staying on Course to Your success
Advice from past ASSP students
Read what fellow students, who have taken the Academic Success Seminar, have to say about how this course has helped them.
“There are many things I have learned from this course, I learned how to accept my faults, I learned how to get back up from a loss ... I learned how to work hard and I learned how to be myself and not blame others for my own mistakes. [...] Life has its ups and downs, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay down. This class will help you throughout and will guide you to success.”
“[The course] helps you understand that you are [as] capable a human being as everyone else walking this earth. It shows you a great sense of equality and that asking for help doesn’t make you any less of a person, it simply makes you interdependent which is [a] great quality to have in life.”
“This course teaches you to value yourself, take personal responsibility, and to increase interdependence skills. And, these skills are important to become a well-rounded and mature adult. In a way, it would make your transition much easier from high school because it teaches you what is expected at the college-level. ... This course is designed to get you on your feet after falling in the previous semester.”
FAQs
Why do I have to participate?
As a student on Academic Warning, Probation, or returning from Suspension, your academic situation is too fragile for SAS to risk waiting for you to seek us out for help. We are here to help you and we want you to be successful! We want to help you achieve your goals and we want to see you graduate! We are here to assist you in making the necessary adjustments that will lead to your academic success.
What if I have a time conflict?
Unfortunately, you must revise your schedule to accommodate this requirement or the Deans will make the adjustment for you. Work and/or extracurricular conflicts are unacceptable.
How do I add this class?
If you are required to participate in the Academic Success Seminar you will be added by the special permission of the SAS Deans for Academic Standing.
How do I drop this class?
If you are required to participate in the Academic Success Seminar, you will not be permitted to drop this class unless you have completed grade changes sufficient enough to restore your cumulative GPA to that required for your class year or higher prior to the first meeting of the course. If you qualify to drop this class, your instructor will complete the course drop by special permission for you.
What does this program entail and how can it help me?
During the seminar, you will participate in 80-minute seminars facilitated by Rutgers SAS student support professionals. You will be able to identify the right people and methods to help you succeed academically. So please do not let embarrassment about this temporary situation hinder you from taking advantage of our help. You do not have to figure it all out on your own.
Recommendations
Seek out academic advising now! Do not procrastinate. You can come to any Advising Center to discuss your registration and/or educational goals before the semester begins.
Our Advising Centers are open during the Winter and Summer breaks offering limited appointment availability. We are here to help you so we invite you to use us. Come prepared to participate in each seminar! This is your education!
