Freshman Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about the admission and financial aid process:
What do I do after I've been admitted?
What do I need to do to apply for financial aid?
When will I get more information about living on campus, registering for classes, and campus life?
Questions about course registration:
What courses do most freshmen take?
How will my AP credits transfer?
What Math course should I take?
What Foreign Language course should I take?
What Writing course should I take?
How do I register for classes?
Are courses "weighted" differently like they are in high school?
What support services are offered to help me with my classes if I need help?
Questions about Summit Orientation:
Do I have to sign up to come to Summit?
What if I can't come to Summit?
Questions about campus life:
Who lives in the residence halls and what is it like?
How can I get involved in student organizations?
Are there on-campus jobs available?
What do I do after I've been admitted?
Your letter from Admissions will tell you what your next steps are. If
you're sure you want to attend UNC Asheville, you'll need to send in
your tuition and housing deposit. If you're still unsure that UNC
Asheville is the place for you, we encourage you to attend an
Admitted Student Day. The schedule for these days will be available
soon.
What do I
need to do to apply for financial aid?
The first step in applying for financial aid is completing your
FAFSA. Please see visit the
Office of Financial Aid
for important financial aid deadlines and procedures.
When will I get more information about living on campus, registering
for classes, and campus life?
Once you have submitted your tuition and housing deposit, you will
begin to receive more information about UNC Asheville, and you'll
get a list of "next steps"--things to do and things to know now that
you've decided to attend UNC Asheville.
What courses do
freshmen take?
Freshmen take a variety of classes, but they are limited
to courses at the 100 or 200 levels. All students
follow the Integrative Liberal Studies program, which is a core
group of required courses all
students must take regardless of their major. All freshmen
take an introductory course called Liberal Studies Introductory
Colloquium (LSIC). These courses are designed to introduce you to the liberal arts environment and assist
you in adjusting to college life. Your LSIC instructor will
also be your academic advisor until you declare your major.
Additionally, many of these classes have an upper level student
serving as the class mentor. A listing of these courses are available
at the
ILS Website.
For additional resources to help you plan your schedule and
understand the ILS requirements, visit
our
Freshman Advising
Resources. Most freshmen take 4 or 5 classes. In addition to
their LSIC, they usually take one class in their intended major (or
an area they would like to learn more about), and 2 or 3 ILS
classes. You'll learn about all of these requirements at
Summit Phase One.
How many hours should I take?
Most
students take around 15 semester hours each semester. To be a
full-time student, you must take at least 12 semester hours. Unlike high school, college courses have Semester Credit Hours
associated with them. While most courses are three (3) credit hour
courses, some courses, such as many of the Health and Fitness
courses, carry one (1) semester hour credit, while others, such as
science and math courses are 4 or 5 semester hours. The number of
credit hours a class is worth is roughly the number of hours it
meets each week.
How will my AP credits transfer?
You can find equivalency information about AP credit and IB
credit in the UNCA Catalog.
Credits earned through AP or IB tests fulfill requirements just like their UNCA equivalents. For instance, all students are required to fulfill our Academic Writing requirement. At UNCA, students take LANG 120 to fulfill this requirement. If you took the Language & Composition AP test, or the Literature & Composition AP test and scored a 5, you get credit for LANG 120. This means you have fulfilled Academic Writing requirement in the same way as students who take LANG 120 here.
What math course should I take?
If you are uncertain about your major, you may want to postpone your
math course. The Mathematics Department has online
information about course selection and an on-line placement test -
check it out to help you decide!
What foreign language course should I take?
UNCA requires all students to demonstrate proficiency through the
second introductory level of a foreign language. This can be done either through a
placement exam, AP exam, or completion of the appropriate
level course work. Students can choose from French, German,
Greek, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portuguese and Spanish. Students who wish to use
French, Spanish, or Latin to fulfill this requirement and who have
had previous exposure to their chosen language should take a
Foreign Language Placement
exam during Summit Phase One. Students who have scores of 3 or
higher on the Spanish, French,
German or Latin AP exams do not have to take the foreign language test unless
they plan on continuing in that language.
What writing course should I take?
Unless you have AP or college transfer credit, all freshmen register
for Language 120. You may take this during Fall or Spring
semester.
How do I register for classes?
You will begin registering for classes with an academic advisor during Summit Orientation, and you will be able to continue adjusting your schedule during the Summit registration period in July, then again during the Drop/Add period in August, which ends on the 5th day of class.
How do I log into
OnePort?
To
log into
OnePort, you must use the username and password
provided to you in your Admissions materials. You will use this
information to review your Financial Aid information prior to
Summit, and you
will receive more information at Summit outlining the necessary steps involved
in getting registered for classes.
Are courses "weighted" differently like
they are in high school?
What support services are offered to help me with my classes if I
need it? Who attends
Summit? How long is Summit?
Do I have to sign
up to come to Summit? What if
I can't come to Summit?
Who
lives in the residence halls and what is it like? Can I have
a car on campus?
How can I
get involved in student organizations? Are
there on-campus jobs available?
College courses are not weighted by level of difficulty - such as
Honors or AP. They are, however, weighted by the semester hours
credit associated with the course, and thus count differently in
your GPA. Your quality points earned for
each course is multiplied by the semester hours credit. Your total
quality points are divided by the total semester hours credit. For
example, if you have an A in Econ 101 (3 semester
hours) and a B in Astronomy 105 (5 semester hours), you would
multiply 4 X 3 cr. hrs and 3 X 5 cr. hrs. for a quality point total
of 27. Divide 27 by 8 to get 3.375 - your Grade Point Average (GPA).
Please see the Academic Policies section of the
UNCA
Catalog for more information.
Every faculty member has office hours when students can stop by for
help in class or just to talk. If you find you need more assistance, you can contact
the Advising & Learning Support Center to request a
Peer Tutor.
Peer Tutors are UNCA students who have been trained to work with
students in particular courses. If you need assistance with a
mathematics course, you should go by the
Mathematics Assistance
Center and if you need help with a writing project in any course,
make an appointment at the Writing Center. Not
only are these great resources to help you succeed, they're also
free!
All new freshmen and transfer student should attend
Summit Orientation. Summit is a
necessary part of your transition to UNC Asheville and it provides
you with all the information you need to know to further your
education at UNC Asheville.
Summit happens in two phases. Phase One, held in June, is a one day
program. For Phase One, you should plan to be on campus from
approximately 7:30am to 5:00pm. More information about the day's
schedule can be found on the
Summit Orientation
website.
In order to attend Summit, you must RSVP. We need to know in advance
if you plan to attend so we can make sure we schedule you an
appointment with an academic advisor. Freshmen can RSVP for Summit
here.
We work with students who are unable to attend Summit because they
are unable to travel to campus due to distance or other concerns.
Please contact the Advising & Learning Support Center if you have
concerns about your ability to attend Summit.
Students of all classifications live on campus, and freshmen are
required to live on campus. Living on campus gives you more than
just a room-it's convenient and provides you with a lot of
activities and resources! For more information, visit the
Residential Education website.
For the health of the environment and students' budgets, freshmen are not permitted to have cars on campus. For more
information, please visit the
Transportation website.
Students can get involved in many ways. There are academic, social,
and special interest student organizations, on-campus jobs, service
learning opportunities, and outdoor opportunities. For more
information, visit the
Student
Affairs website.
The Career Center
coordinates on-campus employment and can also help you find
off-campus jobs and internships.