STUDENTS: Conversion Cookout Set for May 9 on McMicken Commons

A Conversion Cookout is set for Wednesday, May 9, on McMicken Commons, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

During the event, the University of Cincinnati’s Student Government will be grilling and providing free food, and UC advisors will be on hand to answer questions related to semester conversion.

CURRENT CONVERSION EFFORTS FOCUS ON STUDENT IAPS

UC will convert to semesters on Aug. 27, 2012. Just over half  of UC undergraduate students who will make the transition from quarters to semesters on Aug. 27, 2012, have already received their Individual Advising Plans from their academic advisors. About 11,400 of the approximately 20,000 undergraduate IAPs to be prepared have already been sent to students’ UC e-mail accounts.

His or her IAP will take each transitioning student through the conversion process. It will outline the courses needed and show how quarter credits apply to a semester program. It documents an expected degree-completion term.

Only students who entered and have taken classes at UC prior to Aug. 27, 2012, but who will graduate after August 2012 will need an IAP.

In general, the transitioning students who are closest to graduation after August 2012 are completing the IAP and advising processes first

, as determined by the UC college from which a student is earning his or her degree.

Each college notifies students via his or her UC e-mail account when a student's IAP is ready for review and approval.

Remember, students who will graduate before Aug. 27, 2012, will not need an IAP.

And students who enter UC as of Aug. 27, 2012

, will not need an IAP, as their entire academic career will take place under the semester system.

The most important thing students can do in order to achieve a seamless transition is to pay attention to and respond to communications from his or her academic advisor. For instance, if an advisor needs information to complete an IAP, the student would be contacted via his or her UC e-mail. And, as stated above, when a student’s IAP has been prepared by an advisor and is ready for review by the student, that student will receive an e-mail from his or her advisor.

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO RIGHT NOW

There is a five-step IAP process for students, and any

current UC student can take the first step in the process right now

.

The five steps are

• Verify your major.
• Read and respond to communications from your college advisor.
• Review your IAP online at OneStop, after you are notified by e-mail that it is ready for review.
• Meet with your advisor as necessary OR
• Approve your IAP online at OneStop.
  

The goal of students’ IAPs is to uphold the university’s conversion

Pledge to Students

regarding academic progress and degree completion for transitioning students.

NEW RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS

Complete information for students related to semester conversion is now online in the

Semester Conversion Guide

. The guide contains background on UC’s semester conversion, calendar information related to conversion, FAQs related to academic credit, grades, courses and classes, information on conversion advising and more.

New links and information is continuously added to UC’s

conversion web site

. Recent links and information added include

• Undergraduate co-op cycles on semesters

• Co-op during the transition summer of 2012
  

• Co-op calendars and deadlines
  

• Information on financial aid and scholarships on semesters
  

Among several

FAQs

already online, a

Financial FAQ

has been added that gathers information from online sources and the Semester Conversion Guide. This Financial FAQ includes information about UC’s existing

monthly payment plan

.

• Also, students can see sample bills, which outline what bills will look like under semesters, including an undergraduate sample bill, an undergraduate distance learner sample bill, a graduate student sample bill and sample bills from UC’s Clermont and Blue Ash campuses

• See more links related to money matters and semester conversion, including estimating your bill and financial aid.