Transfer Advising Tips

General Tips
Advising
Academics
Education Majors
Core Curriculum/Degree Audit

General Tips:

  • READ the information given to you.
  • Check your email and student announcements often.
  • Be your own advocate - assume nothing and question everything. Do not look to your peers for advising; every situation is different. Be sure to double check your information and always consult the University Catalog to be sure you have the right information.
  • If you are missing transfer credits, contact the Office of Admissions at (508-531-1237) to see if your final transcript has arrived. If not, contact your previous institution and request one and follow-up on your request.
  • Obtain forms to change or declare your major(s) minor or concentration form the Academic Achievement Center in the Maxwell Library. Follow the directions on the back of the form.
  • Be aware of your major department’s requirements and deadlines. Some majors require students to go through an application process, audition, etc.
  • If you are feeling overwhelmed and not doing well in a course, do not assume the best thing to do is to stay in the course and receive a failing grade because you might lose your financial aid, housing or insurance. Seek advice from one of the many resources on campus. You can begin with the Transfer Coordinator or you can contact the Academic Achievement Center.
  • Print the College's academic calendar and know important dates, such as last day to drop/add and withdraw from a course.
  • Twice a semester, each professor is required to report attendance as mandated by the Federal Government. If you have not been attending class regularly, your professor may report that you are no longer attending his or her class. You will then be administratively dropped or withdrawn from the class. You will receive a letter from the Registrar's Office informing you of your status in the course. Be sure to act on the letter when you receive it. If you have been assigned a grade of WA (walk away), the professor may change the WA to an F if you have not returned the letter informing the Registrar's Office that you are no longer attending.
  • Be sure your correct mailing address is recorded with the Registrar’s Office.
  • Requesting a course substitution does not guarantee that you will receive a positive response. Be sure to provide as much justification as possible, such as the course description, syllabus, textbook, course work, etc. If you are prepared to support your request, you are more likely to have the substitution approved.
  • Taking a course in the evening may result in an extra fee; consult the tuition and fees section of the catalog.
  • There are limits to the number of credits that you may transfer to Bridgewater. The maximum number of transfer credits accepted is 90 credit hours. You may, however, transfer only 69 of those credits from a two-year institution.
  • Once you are a matriculated Bridgewater State University student, DO NOT take a course at another institution without prior permission from BSU. Note: Every procedure requires a form and every form requires a signature. It is up to you to return the form(s) to the Registrar’s office. Forms may be obtained from the Registrar's Web site or at their office located in Boyden Hall. Remember the transfer credit limit from a two-year institution is 69. Keep copies of all forms for your records.
  • Free Electives: Check your free electives carefully. If you feel a course should apply to the major or core curriculum, it is your responsibility to bring it forward for approval.
  • If you have course work that did not transfer, do not assume it will not. Find out why it is missing from your degree evaluation by contacting the Office of Admissions or the Transfer Coordinator.

    Credits that may NOT transfer?
    • You did not receive the minimum grade off C- in order to transfer.
    • You took remedial courses.
    • You took courses at a non-accredited institution
    • You took equivalent courses at two different institutions. You can only receive credit for the same course once.

    You may transfer other types of credits.
    • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams
    • Advanced Placement (AP) exams
    • Military Credits
    Note: Bridgewater does not award credit for life or work experience.

Advising:

  • Where do you find your advisor? Every department is different. Go to your major department's Administrative Assistant. She/he will tell you who and where to find your advisor and how advising is done in that department.
  • Most departments do NOT send emails to notify you of advising. Familiarize yourself with the college's academic calendar and check with your major to adhere to the timeline.
  • Know your major and core requirements. Do you need to apply to your major program? Is there a certain GPA you need to maintain? It is your advisor’s responsibility to guide you in this process, but ultimately it is your responsibility to be sure you are guided correctly.
  • Prior to preregistration, check the hold screen on INFOBEAR to be sure that you have no registration holds. You will be unable to preregister on the Web or in person if you have a registration hold.
  • What can you expect from your advisor? You can expect to receive guidance and advising information regarding your major curriculum. Talk to your advisor about your career choice. Is it the right one for you? Your advisor is a wealth of knowledge; take advantage of his/her expertise in the field.
  • What does your advisor expect from you? Your advisor expects you to be prepared for advising by printing and reviewing your degree audit and by preparing a tentative schedule of classes. It is important to meet with your advisor in a timely manner if you wish to preregister with your class.

 Academics:  

  • Be aware that classes may be conducted differently than they were at your previous institution and be certain to find out right away what is expected of you in class. Professors are approachable and have regularly scheduled office hours.
  • Some professors send warnings; some do not. If you are unsure of your standing in class, speak to your professor. Do not assume that because you did not receive a warning notice that you are passing the course. Midterm warnings can be found on InfoBear.
  • Worth repeating - DO NOT take a course at another institution without prior permission from BSC. Forms can be found on the Registrar’s Web site or at the Registrar’s Office located in Boyden Hall.

Elementary & Early Childhood Education Majors:

  • Declare a second major immediately and finish those requirements first. The only course you can take in the education field prior to admittance to the professional education program is either ELED 220 Introduction to Elementary Education or ELED 230 The Basics of Early Childhood Education.
  • Many core courses for elementary education majors are mandated by the State of Massachusetts. If you transferred in similar courses to those required, you might seek a "waiver of course substitution" from the chair of the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Pick up a copy of the Elementary and Early Childhood Education Transfer Guide from the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood.

Core Curriculum/Degree Audit:

  • Work towards completing the first five courses in the Skill Set on your degree evaluation (Writing I, II, Communications, Logical Reasoning, and Math Reasoning), as soon as possible.
  • What transfer courses qualify as Writing/Speaking Intensive? ( For TRANSFER COURSES ONLY)

Writing Intensive: If you transferred in a course where you had to write either a 15-page paper or a combination of 15 pages, edited and revised, you can submit a Core Substitution Form to the Office of the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in the Maxwell Library and request that this category be fulfilled. Provide as much documentation as possible, i.e. course description, syllabi – paper(s) themselves, etc. The more information you have the more likely you are to receive credit.

Speaking Intensive: Any course in which a significant portion of your grade was due to speaking (several presentations) and discussion took place around those presentations will serve as a speaking intensive course. You will need to submit a Core Substitution Form to the Office of the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in the Maxwell Library and request that this category be fulfilled. Provide as much documentation as possible, i.e. course description, syllabi – paper(s) themselves, etc. The more information you have the more likely you are to receive credit.

MassTransfer 34 Credit Block: If you are part of the MassTransfer Program, you are aware of the 34 credit block that will transfer to BSU and satisfy BSU's Core requirements, with the exception of two courses; 1) spoken communication and 2) logic and reasoning. If you need more information regarding this policy, please contact the Transfer Center at 508-531-2625 or schristoun@bridgew.edu.

Last Modified: March 2, 2011