FreshPeople Tips

Welcome

Welcome to the Honors College at the University of South Florida. This web page was compiled to assist in making your transition to University life as smooth as possible. Please know that the staff of the Honors College is here to help in any way we can. Please call or visit the Office with any issues you encounter. For a general overview of the Honors College, you can look at this powerpoint: Honors Overview.

We want you to succeed at USF and be competitive as you apply to medical, law and graduate schools or seek employment after graduation. Please participate in Honors and University activities; they are designed to ensure that you develop the skills you need to achieve your goals. Our weekly newsletter, Blackboard and the Honors website are your key information sources.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

The Financial Aid Office sets up an “account” for every USF student. Into this account goes all your scholarship and financial aid funds. At the end of drop/add (first week) each semester, Financial Aid pays your university bills including tuition, textbooks purchased through the USF Bookstore, housing fees, etc. If the money in your account is sufficient, you should have no out of pocket expenses. If not, you are responsible for any balances. Tuition must be paid by the end of the first week of classes, unless Financial Aid has issued you a deferment. Any scholarship balances will be mailed to you by check or directly deposited into your checking account (instructions to set up direct deposit may be found on OASIS). If you have any questions regarding your financial aid account, please visit the Financial Aid site.

Parking

If you drive a car to campus, you must have a parking decal. Complete details may be found in the Use Parking Services link under the Student tab in your OASIS account. We have two recommendations regarding parking. First, buy the less expensive remote pass and use the shuttle bus. Second, to avoid long lines, buy your pass online before school starts. Passes should be available for purchase in July, and will be mailed to you before the semester begins.

Parking Services http://usfweb2.usf.edu/parking_services/default.asp

Textbook Store

The USF Textbook Center stocks all textbooks needed for any class taught by USF faculty. They also have an online ordering system at http://www.bookstore.usf.edu. We recommend you use this service. It will save you time when school starts. The Textbook Center also allows you to charge your books against your financial aid account if you meet the criteria.

Student Health Services

Student Health Services (SHS) is an ambulatory-care facility which provides screening and evaluations by nurses; examinations by general-practice physicians, ARNP's, and PA's; laboratory services; a Health Education Department; and specialty clinics in Antigen and Gynecology. Student Health Services functions as a walk-in clinic with a brief-stay day infirmary. Student Health Services does not provide x-ray, dental, or optometry services. Referrals are available to private facilities which provide these services. SHS is here to provide you with exceptional care by a qualified professional staff. Remember, most routine care is covered by your health fee, and other services are provided at a savings of approximately 30-80%. So the next time you have a health and wellness concern, check in at Student Health Services.

A pharmacy is located inside the Marshall Center and can fill most prescriptions. They accept many insurance plans and also have a variety of health related items for sale.

Student Health Services http://shs.usf.edu/

USF ID Card

You are required to have a USF ID card. It gives you access to services on campus including the library, recreation center, and sporting events; you can also put money on it to use in campus vending machines. Your USF ID will serve as your “key” to your residence hall and meal plan card, in addition to providing you discounts at many area businesses. To purchase a USF ID, please stop by the Card Center on the first floor of the Marshall Center and have your picture taken. The cost is $10.

Confidentiality

By law the University will not release any academic information to any person without your written consent. However, the University can and will release information such as your name, major, and address. If you do not wish any information of any kind to be released to anyone, you must notify the Registrar’s Office at http://www.registrar.usf.edu/ by completing the USF Student Privacy Request form in Student Records Manual.

Find Your Classes

Prior to the start of each semester, make sure you know exactly where all your classes will meet. Take a map, your schedule and find all the rooms.

Campus Map http://usfweb2.usf.edu/parking_services/maps/Visitor_Map.pdf

Safety on Campus

The USF Campus is a safe place to be but it is an open campus and non USF affiliated people are part of our population. Therefore, it is strongly advised that students not walk on campus alone at night. If you must travel at night please use the shuttles or Safe Team (each night from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am, eight teams of two students patrol the campus watching for crime and escorting students around campus. To contact Safe Team please call (813) 974-SAFE). University police officers patrol the campus day and night by car, motorcycle, and bicycle. Additionally, there are blue light phones all over campus directly connecting you to University Police just in case you see something questionable or need their assistance.

Housing

USF offers a wide range of living options for students who wish to live on campus. There are three types of housing at USF: traditional-style, suite-style and apartment-style. It is important to make sure you choose the type of housing that will best fit your needs. Please visit the following site for more information about on-campus housing: Housing Homepage.

Fall: August 1

• with Financial Aid Deferment November 1

Spring: December 1

• with Financial Aid Deferment March 13

Students interested in a Payment Plan option should contact Housing at (813) 974-0001.

General Academic Policies

First Week of Classes
The first week of each semester is called Drop/Add. During this time a student can fine tune his/her schedule without academic or financial penalty. After this first week students may only withdraw from a course for the next nine weeks. You should talk to an academic advisor prior to withdrawing to understand all the ramifications of such actions.

First Day Attendance
USF has a first day mandatory class attendance policy. You must be in class the first day it meets or you could be dropped from the class roll. Since space is limited, you may not be able to re-register; so, be in class on time. Faculty do not accept, “I couldn’t find the room,” or, “I couldn’t find a place to park,” as excuses. Allow yourself plenty of excess drive-time and looking-for-parking-time during the first few weeks of classes.

Summer Hours
As of the printing of this document, the State of Florida has a law which states that every student must complete at least 9 summer credit hours at a state university prior to graduation from a 4-year institution.

Advising
You should schedule an appointment with your academic advisor prior to registering each semester. During the first year you will be required to meet with an advisor prior to registration. To schedule an appointment, you can stop by the Honors Office at ALN 241 or call (813) 974-3087 or by using the e scheduler.

Foreign Language Placement Information

Honors College students can demonstrate competency in a foreign language equivalent to the beginning college-level language I & II as part of the Cultural Experience Requirement. This may be done through AP, IB, CLEP, dual enrollment or by completing two semesters of the same language. Students may also take placement tests for any language by contacting the Division of World Languages at (813) 974-2548.

Placement exams are offered Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00pm and Wednesday at 11:00am in the World Language Department in Cooper Hall Room 419. Please arrive ten minutes before the exam time for paperwork and to pay the testing fee of $15.

*The Honors College will accept Beginning and Intermediate Sign Language (ASL 2140C and ASL 2150C) to satisfy the language requirement. However, if you are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, your major department may not accept Sign Language. Please check with a departmental advisor prior to starting Sign Language to make sure it is acceptable.

Individual questions should be directed to your Honors Advisor.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

CLEP is an opportunity for college students to earn credits through competency exams. The most relevant CLEP exams for Honors students are typically English Composition with Essay and foreign language exams in Spanish, French or German. However, there may be instances where other CLEP exams are appropriate, such as mathematics (ex. College Algebra or Pre-Calculus). To determine if taking CLEP exams would be beneficial to you, please contact an Honors College advisor. Additional information about CLEP and other testing services can be found at http://www.outreach.usf.edu/conted/testing/.

Honors College Required Courses

The Honors College offers nine courses as a part of the Honors curriculum. These courses meet most of the University’s Foundations of Knowledge and Learning requirements. Based upon the specific credits you bring to USF, you may not need to take all nine courses.

The required courses are:

• IDH 3100 – Arts & Humanities Honors (Fall of first year)
• IDH 2010 — Acquisition of Knowledge (Spring of first year)
• One course of your choosing during second year.
• One course of your choosing during third year.
• IDH 5975 — Thesis (taken twice during the fourth year)

Your Honors Professional Advisor will assist you in determining which additional courses are appropriate for your academic program.

Student Resources

While the University of South Florida offers significant resources for many aspects of college life, including counseling, advising and tutoring, students, themselves have a wide assortment of resources available to them. These include Honor Societies, interest, cultural, social and religious organizations, and community service venues. All Honors students should take advantage of these opportunities as part of their University experience. Relevant websites are listed below.

• Honors College Student Council http://honors.usf.edu/HCSC
• Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement http://studentleader.usf.edu/
• Student Government http://www.sg.usf.edu/
• The Marshall Center http://msc.usf.edu
• Student Organizations http://involvement.usf.edu/