Dear Parents, We wish your student much success here at Bergen Community College and trust this information is helpful. Sincerely,

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1 Dear Parents, Making the transition from high school to college may be challenging and sometimes difficult. Students must adjust to new academic standards, make new friends, and make appropriate decisions about important events, often for the first time in their lives. As students enter college, they make career, academic, and personal decisions that may impact them for many years to come. As college students, the responsibility now lies with the student to make the most informed choices available and to seek assistance when needed. Roles of the parents change dramatically in the college environment, but it continues to be an important one. Perhaps the biggest challenge of all is finding the necessary support to help understand and respond to these changes. The Division of Student Affairs will play a large role in this transition process. We offer a myriad of services to help support your student as they begin this new phase in their lives. Experience has shown us that when students experience problems or have concerns, their parents are the ones they turn to. So we want to provide you with information to support their success. As your student begins college, we want to support YOU as you support your student. We hope to alleviate some of the anxiety you may feel by providing information that eases the process as your student becomes our College student. We wish your student much success here at Bergen Community College and trust this information is helpful. Sincerely, The Academic Advising Team

2 Roles of Parents: Your role is different in the college setting but your child still needs your support. The transition from High School to College may prove challenging for you both. Here is some advice to ease the transition How can you help? q Become familiar with the College website. The online College Catalog, The Registration Calendar and the College Portal are at the top of the list to read and understand. q Watch the website for important events relevant to your student. q Encourage involvement on campus through student clubs, organizations and activities q Become familiar with the college policies, procedures and timelines q Talk to your student about classes, work load, possible academic problems that may arise, and how to deal with them q Know the important dates: q Early registration (the earlier your child gets registered, the more choices they have with the classes offered, the time the class is offered, the professor teaching the class, combined with shorter lines and wait times) q Refund dates q Withdrawal deadlines q Final exams q Students need to study on average at least 6 hours per week per class (more if they have a 4 credit course). A full time student should be hitting the books at least 24 hours per week. If your student is not logging those type of study hours, they may be falling behind q Encourage your student to seek out free academic assistance through their instructors, our Tutoring Center, our Math Lab, or the Writing Center

3 Paramus Campus Directory Admissions A115 Bursar L127 Counseling A118 Health Services HS100 International Student Center C102 College Recruiters Applications Campus Tours Open House Information Transfer Credit Evaluations from other Colleges/Universities Health Profession Applications Pay tuition Billing & Refund questions Pay for shows & events sponsored by Student Life Career Counseling Academic Counseling Service Learning Transfer Counseling Federal Work- study/ Campus Employment Academic Forgiveness Change of Major Academic Reinstatement Immunization updates College Health Insurance Information First Aid/ Medical Emergencies Personal Counselors Immigration and academic advisement Immigration / USCIS Compliance / F-1 Status Maintenance Cultural Adjustment Counseling F-1 International Student Orientation (Fall and Spring semesters) Verification for social security and invitation letters Public Safety L154 Registration A129 Veteran s Center L113 Parking Permits/Decals Student ID Cards Report Problems Dial 6 from any campus phone Change student data Verification Forms BCC Transcript Requests Graduation Application Workforce/Tuition Waivers Late Withdrawal Request Work with you to assess your military experience in relation to your academic goals

4 College Terminology: Academic Calendar Bergen s Academic Calendar contains key dates important to every student, including the start and end dates of classes, holidays, Tuition refund, registration dates and more. More information can be found in the online registration book. Admission - Students who have completed and filed the College Application, taken the placement test and received a student number are admitted to the College and are eligible to register for classes. Advising - The College provides free advising services to all students for help with program planning and to teach how to select courses and use web advisor Application for degree- In order for your degree/certificate to be awarded, you need to apply for graduation. Before you complete the application, check your records to be sure you have met all requirements for graduation. If there are any discrepancies, contact the Center for Student Success (see a counselor). Students must complete the form in order to participate in the college graduation ceremony and have their transcripts updated to verify degree has been completed. Applied Associate Degree - The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) are degrees designed to prepare individuals to become employed or improve their employment status in a career or technical occupation. The "applied" (AAS) degrees are composed mainly of applied courses in the program major and are designed to prepare graduates for immediate employment (or improved employment opportunities) in a career or technical field. AAS program graduates may be able to transfer some coursework to a four-year institution, but they are not guaranteed to transfer. Articulation - special agreements with more four-year colleges and universities. These joint agreements define the way programs transfer to another institution and may include admission guarantees. Audit - Students who audit a class attend class meetings but do not receive credit or a grade for the course. Tuition rates are the same. BCC Student ID - This is a unique identification number assigned to each student, faculty and staff. Career Services - offers a variety of services to support the career and employment needs of students and local employers in the areas of career development and job search skills. Catalog - Establishes degree requirements, college calendar, administrative information and policies, student development services and course descriptions. Certificates - Are completed in less than two years of full-time study by individuals who are seeking to become employed in an entry-level position or who are seeking to improve their current employment opportunities in a career or technical field. Certificate programs also usually prepare graduates to continue their education by meeting some of the program requirements for an associate degree in the same field of study. Continuing Student - Any student who is currently attending BCC and is in good academic standing is considered a continuing student.

5 General Education Courses - courses that are the required courses within a degree or certificate. General Education Courses are grouped in categories: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Diversity. Complete course listing is available online. Cumulative GPA Minimum Requirements (GPA Rule) - Students must earn at least the minimum cumulative grade point average, as shown below, once they have attempted a specified number of credit hours. Only courses with grades of A, B, C, D and F are included in this calculation. In order to graduate a minimum of a 2.0 curriculum grade point average is required. Total Number of Regular Credits Attempted GPA Requirement 0-11 Not applicable * Withdrawals (W grades): Are recorded on the student's permanent academic transcript will be included as credits attempted and will have an adverse effect on the student's ability to meet the requirements of the completion rate for financial aid. * Incomplete Grades: Courses that are assigned an incomplete grade are included in the cumulative credits attempted. These cannot be used as credits earned in the progress standard until a successful grade is assigned. * Repeated Courses: Enable the student to achieve a higher cumulative grade point average. However, repeating courses may adversely affect the student's ability to meet the requirements of the completion rate requirement for financial aid. Cumulative GPA - A cumulative GPA is the average of all the GPA s for all of the semesters. Degrees - Are awards granted by community colleges that are two years in length and are designed to meet one of the following two purposes: 1) to prepare individuals to transfer to a senior institution in order to pursue a baccalaureate (four-year) degree (AA and AS), or 2) to prepare individuals to become employed or improve their employment status in a career or technical occupation (AAS). Diplomas - Are awards granted by community colleges that are intended to be completed in two years by individuals who are seeking to become employed in a technical field that requires significant practical training prior to (or concurrent with) employment. Diploma program graduates are frequently prepared to seek industry certification in their field when they have completed sufficient supervised work experience along with their education. Diploma program graduates are not generally intended to continue their education by seeking to complete an associate degree in the same field of study. Drop - This term refers to the short period at the beginning of any semester or session when students can drop a class and receive a refund. Dropped classes will not appear on an official academic transcript. The percentage of refund depends on when the course is dropped. We recommend keeping a copy of the transaction that is dated in case verification is needed. Dual Enrollment - Refers to a student being enrolled in two separate academic institutions, most often a high school and a community college.

6 Free Elective in some degree programs, students have a Free Elective category. A free elective is any college level course that a student wants to take. Federal Work Study - A program that provides part-time employment opportunities to students enrolled full-time with financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Students must file the FAFSA by college FAFSA Receipt Date. Based on the results of the FAFSA, eligible students are awarded an allotment, which may be earned through part time employment in FWS approved positions either on or off campus. Students are responsible for their own job placement and should obtain a position as soon as possible. F-1 Status - This term refers to international students certificate of eligibility for non-immigrant (F-1) student status for student visas. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - This is a required form that must be completed as the first step in applying for many types of financial aid. This application can be found at or obtained at any campus Financial Aid Office. Full-Time Student - Students are considered full-time if they are registered for 12 or more credit hours in a semester (18 credits is the maximum. Over 18 credits a student must request permission from a Counselor) Grade Point Average (GPA) - The average grade earned by a student, figured by dividing the grade points earned by the number of credits attempted. There are two types of GPA, Curriculum and Cumulative. Curriculum refers to only those courses applicable to the student's curriculum. It s computed to ensure that the student satisfies the graduation requirement for that curriculum. When students repeat a course, only the last grade earned is counted in the computation of the curriculum GPA. Cumulative refers to the overall GPA. General Education Courses - courses that are the required courses within a degree or certificate. General Education Courses are grouped in categories: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Diversity. Complete course listing is available online. Hold - Students who owe fees or fail to return materials will have a hold placed on their record. This hold must be resolved before a student is permitted to register for further classes. If a hold is placed on their account, students should see the office that placed the hold to find out how to clear their student account. In-County Student Rates - Refers to those students who reside in Bergen County. New Student - a first time student to BCC. It may be a first time college student or a transferring in from another college. Part-Time Student - A part-time student is a student registered for less than twelve credit hours Phi Theta Kappa - The largest honor society in American higher education. To be eligible for membership, a student must complete a minimum of 12 hours of associate degree course work and generally earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Members must maintain a high academic standing throughout their enrollment in the two-year college. Prerequisite - A prerequisite is a required course that a student must successfully complete before enrolling for another course. Prerequisites are listed in the college catalog with the course description or posted online under the course description.

7 Returning Student - Returning students are those students who have not attended BCC for a few years. Status may have to be updated within our system.. Transcript - An official transcript is issued by the College Registrar and contains a master list of the courses a student has taken, the grade earned, and the cumulative grade point average. An unofficial transcript is available through web advisor. "W," grade are also noted on a transcript but are not calculated in the student's grade point average. Transfer Associate Degree - The Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Arts and Science (AA&S) degrees are all intended to prepare individuals to transfer to a four year institution in order to pursue a baccalaureate (four-year) degree. The 'transfer' (AA, AS ) degrees are designed to allow students to complete the general education (English, math, science, social science, humanities, etc.) component of a bachelor's degree to prepare for transfer to a four-year institution with junior-level standing and all lower division (freshman & sophomore level) courses completed. The successful transfer student is prepared to complete the upper division (junior and senior level) program major coursework required for their bachelor's degree at the transfer institution. Transferrable - Students seeking to transfer to a senior institution in order to pursue a baccalaureate (four-year) degree should choose a transferrable degree at a community college. The Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) degrees are all intended to prepare individuals to transfer to a four year institution in order to pursue a baccalaureate degree. Applied degrees, certificates, and diplomas are designed to prepare individuals to become employed or improve their employment status in a career or technical occupation. Tuition - Fee charged for educational instruction tuition at BCC is charged per credit. Withdrawal ("W" grade) - Students who wish to receive a "W" in a course on their student transcript, must officially withdraw from the course. This can be done via web advisor (if the student is in good academic standing) or in person at the registration office. We recommend keeping a dated copy of the transaction. A "W" grade is not factored into a student's grade point average but may impact financial aid.

8 Current Semester: Paramus Campus Information Meadowlands Information Hackensack Information