Orientation is an exciting time! You will...

• Attend your first academic meeting.

• Experience life as a student.

• Schedule classes (we'll help).

• Plan your degree (we'll look at the big picture).

Looking over the following information will be helpful to you as you prep yourself for orientation.

An Ohio State Degree

Our college offers four degrees: B.S. in Agriculture, B.S. in Construction Systems Management, B.S. in Food Science, and B.S. in Nutrition. Depending on the degree, a significant portion of hours are drawn from a wide range of challenging general education university requirements known as the General Education Curriculum (GEC). In order to earn a degree from The Ohio State University, students complete coursework from five areas:

• Major requirements
• Minor requirements in the case of the B.S. in Agriculture
• College requirements
• University requirements
• Electives

The Scheduling Session

Reviewing information and making course decisions can be overwhelming. We promise you won't be alone in this process.

Our college and other Ohio State staff members will be available during this session to help you with your academic scheduling session. The two key advisors will be:

• Dr. Jill Pfister, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs
• Paul Heimberger, College Academic Counselor

We'll be more than happy to answer your specific questions. Our goal is to make the scheduling process as easy as possible. We want you to make the best decisions about your courses—take ones that let you explore your interests and expand your horizons.

Tips for a successful scheduling session:

1. Expand your academic horizons. Be curious! Take a course that stretches your knowledge base. Consider something you haven't experienced before such as Medieval and Renaissance Studies or Japanese Literature.
2. Be flexible. If you limit your time options, you will limit your course options.
3. Do not make assumptions about a course based on the name of the department. Read the course descriptions available and consult an advisor during orientation.
4. Have back-up courses that interest you. Come to orientation prepared with at least four choices in case there is a time conflict with some of your selections.
5. Have fun and enjoy your Ohio State orientation!

Schedule Input

After you complete the final draft of your schedule during the first advising session on day one, you will answer a few questions about the pre-orientation materials. When you're satisfied with your schedule, we'll collect it and you'll have the rest of the evening to grab dinner and attend evening activities.

Academic advisors will take your schedule outlines and enter them into the computer system after you leave. They will print off your final schedule and bring it to you on day two.

Now that you have read an overview of what happens during orientation, you can see how important and valuable it will be to have a "jump-start" by reviewing key course descriptions and making preliminary choices.

What will you schedule during orientation?

During your Academic Information Session on day one, you will complete your schedule request for autumn semester. In other words, you'll outline the classes you want to take. 

One of the biggest shifts from high school to college is the ratio of class time to homework/study time. In college you are expected to spend the majority of the time mastering course material outside the classroom.

A general rule of thumb: To earn C in a class you must spend at least two hours of study time outside of class for every hour you are in class. For example:

The time commitment per week for this example is 16 hours in class and 32 hours outside the classroom. That adds up to 48 hours, which is equivalent to a full-time job. Remember, this calculation is merely to earn a C. Higher grades will require a more extensive time commitment.

How will you schedule during orientation?

During orientation, you will receive a variety of materials that you will use to schedule classes. These include the following:

Registration Worksheet

You will use a registration worksheet to write down your course selections. 

After the Day 1 scheduling session is complete, an advisor will take this worksheet back to the office for entry into the university computer system. You will receive a final copy of your schedule during the Day 2 academic session.

Course Offerings Bulletin

The Course Offerings Bulletin lists all of the undergraduate courses that may be offered at Ohio State during the academic year.
You can find brief course descriptions, information on credit hours and prerequisites as well as the addresses and phone numbers of academic departments in the Course Offerings Bulletin.

You will receive the most current copy upon your arrival on campus. An online version can be found here.

Courses Taken at Other Colleges/Universities

If you took college level courses while in high school or at another college or university, it is your responsibility to submit official transcripts immediately after the completion of the course(s). You must request the institution to send the official transcript to Ohio State (see address below).

Ohio State's Transfer Credit Center will then evaluate the credit and inform you of the results. If you need to have any course(s) further evaluated, this should be done before you come to orientation (especially math). This process is explained when you receive your transfer credit evaluation. If you have not received a Transfer Credit Evaluation by the time you are ready to attend orientation please bring with you at least a list of courses taken, credit hours, and grades so that you can provide complete information to those assisting you at orientation.

*Send transcripts to:

The Ohio State University
Office of Admissions
Enarson Hall
154 W. 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1390

To learn more about orientation, visit Ohio State's orientation site.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

Contact:

Jill Pfister
Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs
(614) 292-1734
pfister.1@osu.edu

Paul Heimberger
College Adademic Counselor
(614) 292-6891
heimberger.5@osu.edu