OPERATION

Students do not apply to the Transition Program; rather, the Office of Admissions refers to the Director of the Transition Program a select set of applications from students who meet criteria for admission to North Carolina State University but do not meet the requirements for acceptance in the first and second choice majors to which they applied. The Director reviews applications and offers a predetermined number of students admission to the University through the Transition Program. These students must sign a pre-registration contract that commits them to participate in specially designed activities during their freshman year. To achieve a diverse population, the following criteria are used to make selections: high school grades, size and location of applicant’s high school, SAT/ACT scores, family circumstances, gender, and race.

The Transition Program is not a remedial program. Students admitted to the program take courses available to all other NC State students. Students are not required to take any special courses because of their status as Transition Program students. Entering the University through the Transition Program does not prolong a student's "required time" to graduate. The only condition of admission is that students must participate in Transition Program activities and follow program rules in their first year.

The Transition Program stresses parental involvement in the student's first year at NC State. Therefore, parents (guardians) are expected to attend Parents' Orientation at the same time their students are attending the New Student Orientation program.

The Transition Program offers the following four components in advancing students' opportunities for success:

Life Coaching

In collaboration with the Counseling Center, Transition Program students are required to attend at least three life coaching sessions per semester. Counselors help students on topics such as personal accountability and responsibility, the transition from high school to college and study skills.

Supplemental Academic Support Initiative (SASI)

Transition Program students will have 20-25 hours of structured study space per week available to them (except for abbreviated weeks due to the University calendar). In general, each student is required to earn a minimum of 8 hours of serious study time per week. At least half of the hours required for each week must be done at one of the two Transition Program study sites. SASI credit can also be granted for approved University Tutorials, Supplemental Instruction, and from the Writing Assistance Center. Approval for outside study credit must be done through the Transition Program office in advance. You will be given an attendance sheet on which any outside academic support staff (approved in advance by Transition Program staff) should legibly sign and document your study time.

The only excused absences will be those that can be documented due to extenuating circumstances such as hospitalization. Otherwise, you will be required to meet the minimum number of hours per week (see section titled "weekly hours required").

You will be responsible for choosing the hours you attend. If you need your adviser to help you plan a schedule for attending SASI, please make an appointment as soon as possible. SASI sites will be located at: FYC Commons Building, Cates Avenue, Room 110 and in the Park Shops Building, Room 211D. SASI sites will operate Monday through Thursday, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (except for abbreviated weeks due to the University Calendar). Upon availability, daytime hours will be offered.

The number of hours of SASI each student completes will be totaled at the end of each week. A student can only earn 8 hours of SASI per week for credit. However, we encourage students to utilize the study site far beyond the required 8 hours per week. In addition, there are no "Roll Over" hours!! You will not be able to make up hours you miss from a previous week. A new count will begin at the start of each week.

The number of SASI hours you earn will affect your grade in USC 105/106 in the following manner: (Numbers relevant to 2009 - 2010)

SASI Hours Chart (Example)
114-100 total hours	no penalty
99-85 total hours	lose 10%
84-70 total hours	lose 15%
69-55 total hours	lose 20%
55 OR LESS total hours	lose 25%

Again, SASI hours will be totaled at the end of each week. Each proctor is responsible for his/her site only. We strongly advise that you keep a record of the number of hours that you earn during the semester. The Transition Program will total all site hours at the end of each semester. A letter of alert will go out to parents around mid-semester for any student who has not met approximately half of the requirement.

USC CLASSES

USC 105 (first semester) and USC 106 (second semester) are one-credit hour orientation courses that all Transition Program students are required to take. The courses focus primarily on study skills, time management, effective use of campus resources, selecting an appropriate major, decision making, and student responsibilities. The courses feature out-of-class assignments designed to supplement classroom instruction. Transition Program staff teach both courses.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

The Transition Program staff prepares first semester class schedules for all students. Class selections are based on students' SAT/ACT and SAT Level II scores, the majors to which students applied for admission, class availability, the success rate of former students who took first year courses, and the capacity to “cluster” Transition Program students in the same class sections. Students may work with their academic adviser to make appropriate schedule changes during New Student Orientation. For second semester class schedules, students meet individually with their adviser to select courses. The adviser makes recommendations based on the students’ performance in courses they completed in the first semester and the area of study in which they would like to majorThe Transition Program integrates these four components to form a complete student support system. At the end of their first year, most students transfer to their majors. However, some majors require students to complete pre-requisite courses before they are eligible to transfer. Students who are on track to matriculate into these majors but need more time to meet transfer requirements remain in the Transition Program for another one or two semesters. All students must transfer out of the Transition Program by the end of their fourth semester.

No Transition Program student has a commitment to attend any program activity after their first year regardless of whether they transfer to a major or remain in the program during their second year.