Mapping the way to semester success

Students should take five classes to stay on track to graduate when Wright State switches to semesters in fall 2012.

For a busy student like Spencer Brannon, creating a MAP (My Advising Plan) did more than prepare him for Wright State University’s conversion to a semester calendar this fall; it gave him peace of mind.

Brannon, a junior pursuing majors in political science and economics and a minor in Spanish, has a lot of classes to juggle throughout his college years. “Before I made a MAP, the idea of when I was going to graduate was abstract,” he said. “The MAP tells me everything I will be taking, and when, so I know exactly what I will be doing until I graduate.”

Active in Model United Nations, Student Government, Rainbow Alliance, Black Student Union and numerous committees, Brannon needs to make effective use of his time. “My MAP will help me plan for study abroad and an internship, or to have my summers free, and my work schedule,” he added.

As the name implies, a MAP is a road map to graduation. It is an optional tool transition students can use to map out the courses they need throughout the semester transition to complete their degree without delay. Graduate students can create a G-MAP (Graduate My Advising Plan) and University College students can work with their advisor to create a Course Plan.

Brannon says the process to create a MAP was very straightforward. First he met with advisors in the College of Liberal Arts and the Raj Soin College of Business to determine the classes he needed for each major. He then met with an advisor in Liberal Arts to determine the best sequence to take those classes and to complete the MAP process. “We got a lot done in a half-hour appointment,” he said.

MAPs and G-MAPs must be submitted by June 2, 2012, the last day of Spring Quarter 2012. University College students who will be accepted into their major by the end of Spring Quarter 2012 may submit a MAP by August 17, 2012.

Students should carefully follow their MAP in order to be guaranteed the promises made to them under Wright State’s Pledge to Students: the transition will not adversely affect the time to graduation or the cost of their degree.

Visit Wright State’s semester transition website at www.wright.edu/semesters to learn more about the transition and instructions for creating a MAP or G-MAP.