Academic Advising at Carthage

College Success Seminar

This is Carthage's freshman seminar program. This program intends to help first-year students connect to multiple communities within Carthage in ways that will support and enhance individual confidence and success. The seminar covers topics of academic and extracurricular concerns such as: identity and community, learning and teaching styles, stress management, and academic and career planning. Seminars are led by Carthage faculty and staff members.

An orientation session, "Strategies for Success," will be held on Monday during New Student Orientation. See your orientation packet for the specific time and location. 

Goals and Objectives:

  • To develop active learning skills for college success
  • To improve academic skills
  • To increase awareness of campus resources
  • To effectively use technological resources
  • To demonstrate growth in decision making and life skills

There is no College Success Seminar during the first partial week of classes. CSS begins the first full week of classes after orientation and ends just prior to Thanksgiving Break. Listed below are the proposed topics that will be covered this semester in CSS. See your advisor for the specific sequence in which topics will be covered.

  • Strategies for Success: This session will focus on introducing you to all of the important information regarding your academic transition to Carthage. Be sure you bring a copy of your schedule and the handbook. Following are topics that will be discussed: Overview of advising and CSS, tips for academic success, tips for personal success, and important registration information. The session will end with a CSS group assignment.
  • AlcoholEdu: As part of our comprehensive alcohol prevention program, Carthage College requires each member of the first-year class to complete AlcoholEdu for College, an online, non-opinionated alcohol prevention program. Used on more than 500 campuses nationwide, the course uses science-based research to educate students about alcohol and its effects. Whether you drink or not, AlcoholEdu for College will empower you to make well-informed decisions and help you better cope with the drinking habits of your peers.
  • Values and Goal Setting: During this session, you will focus on learning more about what it is that motivates you. We will spend time defining what your dreams and aspirations are for your college experience. Success in college is a four-year journey. CSS will help you better understand what the final destination looks like. Topics to be covered include: Defining Your Core Values, Putting Your Dreams to the Test, and Writing Your Own Essay of Aspiration. 
  • Technology on Campus: CSS will include an interactive and practical session that will focus on personal computer use on campus. If you own a laptop, you should bring it with you to class for this session. In this session, some topics to be discussed include: Connecting your computer to the campus network, email, online learning management, Novell logins and passwords, and using your laptop for presentations.
  • Study Strategies: Many students have study habits that worked for them in high school, but quickly realize that college coursework requires a different approach. This session will focus in developing the strategies that work best for you, both in and out of the classroom. Topics for this session include: Memory Activity, Note Taking, and Test Taking.
  • Managing Your Time and Energy: Time is a precious resource during your days in college. Never before have you had so much to do, even when nothing is due. You have a lot more free time that you realize, and we'll work together on building a plan to keep you organized and efficient. Topics for this session include: Daily, Weekly and Semester Plans, Beating Procrastination, and Connecting Your Values and Dreams with Your Time.
  • Advising and Class Registration: Believe it or not, by the time we get to this session, you will almost be halfway through your first semester in college. During this session in CSS, we'll work together on mapping out your classes for J-Term and spring, as well as teaching you more about features of our Online Advising and Registration module. You will learn where to go on the campus website for information about registration and how to schedule a one-on-one meeting with your advisor to discuss your class option in detail.
  • Personality Awareness: Are you task- or relationship-oriented? Do you like to move at a fast pace, or do you prefer to operated more deliberately? This session will help you to become more aware of your personal preferences, as well as give you a better understanding of how others act and how you can best work and live with them. Topics for this session include: Understanding Your Personality Type, Conflict Resolution, and Matching Personality and Majors.
  • Library Research: This session will build on the previous technology session and will focus your attention on learning how to do research for your papers and projects. "I can't just use Wikipedia to write and research for my paper?" Find out what resources we have through the library that will help you located books, articles, and websites you can use as references. Make sure you bring your laptop to this session if you have one!
  • Writing in College: Ever get a paper back, thinking you did really well on it, only to find it covered with red ink from your professor? This session will include a hands-on assignment through which we will examine common writing mistakes and help you learn how to use this handbook to correct those mistakes, turning that "C" paper into a grade you will be much happier with. Bring your handbook to class for this session.
  • Mental Help: In this session, we will address a serious mental health issue that many college students face. We will watch a video and have an opportunity to reflect on what resources are available on our campus to help you or someone you know who may be facing emotional struggles.
  • Financial Management: This is the final session. Congratulations! In addition to doing an assessment of CSS and your experiences with your advisor, we will also spend some time discussing some important tips for managing your financial resources more effectively.

Grading:
You will receive a satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) grade on your Carthage transcript based upon your performance in the following areas:

  • Class attendance (Missing more than two classes will result in an unsatisfactory grade)
  • Active class participation
  • Completion of course assignments