First Announcements, Fall Semester

Posted on by

Here are some important first announcements and reminders as the Fall 2018 semester begins.  Topics:  Appropriate Class Schedules, Schedule Adjustments, Online Courses, RELLIS Campus, Blinn ID Cards, First Football Game, Degree Plan Due for Sophomores

Appropriate TEAM Class Schedules

Each semester TEAM students must be enrolled in a minimum combined (Blinn+A&M) schedule of 12 credit hours. At A&M students must be enrolled in a minimum of one “solid academic course,” which is defined as a three or four credit hour course that satisfies a degree requirement in the student’s intended academic major. The course may be a general elective if your intended major allows any general electives in the degree plan.

  • Courses required for participation in the Corps of Cadets, such as Military Science, Naval Science, or Aerospace Studies, are not considered “solid academic courses.” Cadets must enroll in one solid academic course in addition to any ROTC/SOMS/KINE (Band) courses.
  • Enrollment in less than three credit hours at A&M is a violation of  TEAM policy, as is enrollment in three or more credit hours which do not include a three or four credit hour course.

Schedule Adjustments

Students may add and drop courses at A&M to adjust their schedules during the first five class days of each semester. At Blinn, courses may be dropped without penalty during the first five class days, but a course may not be added after it has met for the first time. This means that it is best to make any needed adjustments before Monday. After Monday classes have met, only Tuesday/Thursday classes may be added.

Online Courses

Both Blinn and A&M offer online courses. These have certain benefits.

  • Some online courses are available to students who have not yet entered their intended major, whereas the traditional classroom sections of that same course are often restricted to students already officially in that major.
  • Online courses can sometimes help avoid time conflicts for students who are co-enrolled at Blinn and A&M.

There are several reasons students should avoid schedules at A&M consisting entirely of online courses.

  • The purpose of TEAM is to provide the complete A&M experience, including time on campus and in classrooms.  Online courses don’t provide these things.
  • Being too anxious to take online courses in your intended major deprives you of the opportunity to get to know your professors and fellow students, and interact with them. By waiting to take your major courses in a classroom setting you’ll gain these  intangibles in addition to the knowledge, credit, and grades.
  • Online courses have cost implications.
    • Online courses include convenience fees.  If you take an A&M online course, it should be in a section that has a 500 series number, such as 599. Sections with a 700 series number are considered “distance education.” These sections are even more expensive and are intended for students who are not within the local area. Students exclusively in these sections aren’t charged campus use fees, and can discover they’re ineligible for certain on-campus services/activities such as use of the Student Recreation Center or participation in intramural sports.

For more information about online courses see the Blinn TEAM Blog entry from August 29, 2017.

RELLIS Campus

This year TEAM freshmen will break-in the brand new RELLIS campus by attending their Blinn classes there. Most questions about RELLIS center on Transportation (bus routes and parking). Texas A&M Transportation Services will send a representative to Blinn’s Walter C. Schwartz Building at RELLIS to answer questions about parking options and bus services. They will distribute Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) handouts for future reference.

At the start of each Fall semester it takes a week or two for many new students to determine the best plan for getting to-and-from class. During this period it’s important to start early if you will be traveling by bus. Our best advice is to catch the earliest bus you can until students develop their routines. After a couple of weeks you’ll learn how late you can sleep and still be on time.  Remember: First thing in the morning no passengers will be exiting at your local bus stop, students will only be boarding buses to get to class. When a bus reaches capacity the driver will not stop to take on more passengers. If you have to wait for later buses you might not arrive on time. Be early!

Blinn ID Cards

You’ll need a Blinn ID card for many things, to include: printing on campus, checking out materials from the Blinn library, and using financial aid at the Blinn bookstore. Student ID cards may be picked up at Enrollment Services in the Central Administrative Services Building located at 3125 S. Texas Ave., Suite 1900. This is in the “Tejas Center” shopping center at the intersection of Texas Avenue and Villa Maria Street in Bryan. The H-E-B grocery store and Whataburger are your landmarks.

Tejas

First Football Game

Texas A&M will host a Thursday football game at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, against Northwestern State. This means the university will host two typical days in one: regular classes and football gameday. Here are the objectives:

  1. Plan ahead for the day – things will be different.
  2. Know your travel options and allow extra time.
  3. Attend class and the game.

Degree Planner Due For All Sophomores!

All sophomores at A&M have a future registration hold in place (from the Registrar) that will become active on October 1 for those who have not submitted a complete, accurate degree plan for their intended major. Failure to complete a degree plan will prevent your registration for Spring 2019 courses! The Degree Planner feature in Howdy can be found in MyRecord (see below). Transition Academic Programs advisors will conduct classes in the use of the Degree Planner. Watch the Event Registration System (http://ers.tamu.edu) for dates, times and locations.