Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Being a Student At ISU But Were Afraid To Ask!

Who hasn't felt like this at the onset of a college career?

       So, you’ve finally decided that Idaho State University will be your home for the next few years, now what? There are many aspects of being a student here that are important. Knowing what happens when during the academic year, knowing what to expect as far as weather goes, and making sure you are prepared to keep up with the load of work you will be assigned are just a few.

       Many of these issues will be covered by various individuals across the campus, but take it from me – they will not be able to cover everything in one session. There are many important things that slipped through the cracks for me when I was beginning, and I have condensed them conveniently for you below in the hopes that may avoid some of the mistakes that I made.

       First, let’s cover the basic needs you’ll face every day. Your parents aren’t going to be there to provide you with three hot’s and a cot anymore! Ultimately you need to decide what is right for you. Will you live on campus or off? Utilize a university meal plan, or do your own grocery shopping and cooking?

·         Housing:  There is a $150 fee just to apply for housing at ISU. This might not seem like much, but I only pay $225 a month in rent currently, so keep that in mind. These options also include all utilities paid, wireless internet and basic cable.

o   Below are listed the different options, and places of residency that are available to you on campus.

FALL 2013 / SPRING 2014 (per semester):
Turner/Redfield/Owen/Nichols/Dyer Double Room rate:	$1275.00
Turner/Redfield/Owen/Nichols/Dyer Private Room rate: (as space permits)	$1725.00
Rendezvous Complex Rate: (suite style living)	$1825.00

o   Considering a semester as a roughly five month period, if you were to go through the college for a double room you would be paying roughly $255 per month, $345 for the private room, and $365 for a suite in the Rendezvous Complex.

o   You need to ask yourself these questions:  Do I want to live alone? Do I mind having a random roommate assigned to me for an entire semester if not longer? Are you willing to so some apartment hunting on your own to potentially save yourself money?

·         Meal Plans:  Keep in mind that Hall residents below the class level of junior are required to have a meal plan. There are weekly and semester meal plans, but I will be focusing on the semester long plans here.

FALL 2013 / SPRING 2014 (per semester):
Semester Meals and Flex Money
Plan 1: 100 Meals/Semester & $475 Flex Money	$1390.00 & 6% sales tax = $1473.40
Plan 2: 155 Meals/Semester & $400 Flex Money	$1590.00 & 6% sales tax = $1685.40
Plan 3: 215 Meals/Semester & $350 Flex Money	$1730.00 & 6% sales tax = $1833.80

o   Consider again the five month time period represented. The most inexpensive meal plan is $1473. This represents about $295 per month, and about $74 dollars per week.

§  I don’t know how much you usually eat, but since living on my own I have NEVER eaten that much money in food in my life.

§  Also keep in mind that Chartwells has a campus wide monopoly on serving food, so anything you get is coming from that company, regardless of what the sign on the front of the stall says.

o   With these totals in mind, I would highly recommend you look for off campus living quarters, and do your shopping and cooking yourself.

You probably won't ever have one of these rolls in your pocket...at least not while in college. 

·         Academic Advising & Tutoring:  I waited until my junior year to find out who my advisor was, and make an appointment. I’d highly recommend you don’t put this off as long as I did. Advisors are trained to offer you advice specific to what you want to get out of college. Seeking help in any course of study in which you find yourself struggling can make a huge difference in you overall performance. Tutors exist expressly for this purpose. I would contact an advisor asap.

o  The main advising center for the Pocatello campus is located inside the Museum Building #12 on the third floor, room 307. Office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 M-F for the fall semester. The office’s phone number is (208) 282-3277.

o   The Content Area Tutoring (CAT) program may be reached by phone at (208) 282-3662, or by going into the office located in room 323 of the Rendezvous building.

·         Know Your Way Around Campus!!!:  I can’t tell you how many people I’ve had nervously ask me where a certain building was two minutes before their class was scheduled to begin. Don’t be this person! Be proactive! As soon as your schedule is finalized, either ask someone where these buildings are, or check out a map like the one to the left to plan your route!

A map of the campus is available online at http://www.isu.edu/maps/, or at the Campus Connection located on the second floor of the Pond Student Union Building

·         GPA Concerns:  There are many issues that surround your GPA, many more than simply getting good grades! Below are a few things to keep in mind in regard to dropping/withdrawing from classes, and important dates which will come in handy to have memorized.

o   Financial Aid Eligibility:  In order to remain eligible for financial aid (assuming you are utilizing it, I know I need it) you must complete 2/3 of attempted credits each semester, and maintain a GPA of 1.75.

o   Dropping/Withdrawing Classes:  While withdrawing from a class does not hurt your cumulative GPA, it counts against the 2/3 rule mentioned above, and can end up hurting you in the long run, so be careful!

o   Important Dates:  Here are a few dates you would do well to remember for the fall semester!

§   September 8^th – Last day to add/drop classes for the semester.

·         Note:  Adding/Dropping classes at this stage of the semester will not affect your 2/3 completion or your GPA, so if you need to do it, do it before now!

§  October 31^st – Last day to WITHDRAW from full semester courses.

§  November 10^th – Registration opens for the spring semester!

o   Class Attendance:  I know when I started at ISU, I had the opinion that college was tailored to adults, who would be capable of making their own decisions in regard to such things as class attendance, but that is not always the case.

§  Make sure to check into each class’s attendance policy, because under most circumstances missing more than the allotted number of absences will result in an automatic failure!

The numbers speak for themselves!

·         Don’t Be A Statistic!:  Retention rates can represent many things about a college, and aren’t always an indication of quality. I’ve put all of this information together in the hopes that you will successfully earn whatever degree you choose to pursue. I don’t want you to become one of the 61% listed below! Make sure you pay attention to important dates, and use not only what I’ve gathered for you, but any available resource the campus has to offer! Good Luck!