Semesters, Semesters, did I mention...SEMESTERS?!?

The conversion is coming; will you be prepared? Typically, colleges will divide the academic year using either the semester system or quarter system. We all know that UCBA goes by the quarter system but we also know that soon there is going to be a big switch that's leading us into semesters. The two are very different, and if you're not ready for the switch, it can be very tough on you.

We as students really don't know what to expect when it comes to this big change that's going to happen come August 27, 2012. The only thing most of us have been doing is either asking questions to try to prepare or doing nothing at all. Well, I myself am a questionnaire kind of person, and since I wanted answers, I had to talk to not just a source but a good source. That person had to be Associate Dean Marlene Miner.

Associate Dean Miner is the Dean of Academic Affairs, and also works and deals with all academic matters at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College made her my perfect candidate. We discussed what exactly is being done right now to prepare for semester conversion this fall including converting our quarter courses into semester courses. This change will allow students who used to be in classes for 10 weeks to now be in classes for about 16 weeks. Dean Miner also explained that the transition will be easy and convenient with our credits and courses we have already earned. She stated that all credits earned will transfer to semesters and that it wouldn't look like you earned any less or anymore than what you have already earned. Also, if you are going to be finishing your degree under semesters there will be specific classes you will need to take based upon your major, something that your advisor can easily help you with. Associate Dean Miner stressed that in order for students to be properly advised they had to have declared a specific major for graduation.

Associate Dean Miner also stated that since she and other members of faculty have been setting up changes for semesters, it also caused them to look at other areas of the college. This includes aligning classes that are offered at our school with the classes offered at other UC campuses even better so that students can transfer from UCBA to the uptown campus even easier. The final thing that we discussed was something called transition courses. These are classes you can take if you were in a sequence course and did not get to finish due to the change to semesters; you will be able to take the proper transition courses to receive the credits you need.

We as students and faculty should have no need to feel anxious about the semester conversion because Associate Dean Marlene Miner is making sure that this "Big Change" will be a smooth transition.