Engineering Fundamentals News

Category: Academic

Getting Started: Resume Writing

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Your cover letter and resume are typically the first information a potential employer sees about you. Therefore, you want this first introduction to make the best impression possible.

Potential employers are going to spend about 30 seconds reviewing a resume before deciding if the applicant is worth more review, so be sure to make it easy to scan: well organized, concise, and descriptive. Every resume should be accompanied by a cover letter. The cover letter should grab their attention and generate interest by linking your abilities with their needs. Following an interview, you should send a thank you letter. It should be sent by e-mail or snail mail within 2 days following the interview.

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Last Day to drop without a “W” (Withdrawal), January 30, 2015 (Friday, Week 3)

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All first-year students must meet with their academic advisor to drop a class after orientation. All students must go to the Student Service Center to drop classes after 1st week.

When a student drops a full semester class between 1st and 3rd weeks, nothing appears on their transcripts. When a student drops a class between 4th and 10th weeks, a withdrawal grade (W) appears on their transcripts. This indicates that the student took the class for a significant amount of time (more than 3 weeks) and then decided to drop the class. One W on a transcript is not a big deal (check with Financial Aid to see a W grade will affect your financial aid, scholarships, or loans). More than a couple of Ws will start to indicate to a potential employer that a student cannot complete what they set out to do.

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No Time for Lunch?

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Do you have a meal plan with the Residence Hall but skip lunch because you have classes through lunch time? You could get a bag lunch from your dining hall, and here is how it works:

Dining Service provides bag lunches for students in the residence halls that cannot make it to lunch due to their class schedule (note, class schedules will be checked to confirm lunch-time conflicts). To request a lunch, ask any dining services staff person for a Bag Lunch form. To complete the form, you will need to specify service days and pickup times. Bag lunches, which will require a swipe when picked up, include a sandwich of your choice, fruit, chips, yogurt, and cookie. You will need to pick up your bag lunch at your dining hall.

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Repeating Courses

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If your earn a grade of CD or below in a course, the course may be repeated. By repeating a course, you have the opportunity to learn the material better, which will help you in future courses as well as improve your GPA. Below is a list of how it works:

  • You may repeat courses with a grade of CD or lower.
  • The most recent grade is used in your GPA calculation, even if it is lower than the previous grade.
  • Your official transcripts will indicate NR (no grade– repeated) for any earlier attempt(s) at the course.
  • You may repeat a course no more than two times (i.e., take a course three times).
  • Special permission from the Dean of Students (170 Administration Building, deanofstudents@mtu.edu, 906-487-2212), Financial Aid, and your academic advisor is required to repeat a course a second and final time.

If you have questions regarding which classes to re-take you should contact your academic advisor.

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How to Calculate Your Grade Point Average (GPA)

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To calculate a grade point average (GPA), the following equation is used:

GPA = Σ(Credits × Grade) ÷ ΣCredits

where the letter grade in a class is first translated to points earned (A = 4 points, AB = 3.5 points, etc.).

When a course is transferred from another institution to Michigan Tech, the grade is not transferred. Therefore, the credits and the grade for the transferred class are not used in the Michigan Tech GPA calculation.

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Final Exam Preparation

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Fall 2014 final exams are December 15th through 19th. All exams are two hours in duration. Click for a list of each course, section, exam start time, building, and room. Or, students can view their personal final exam schedule by logging into Banweb, selecting Student Services, selecting Registration, and selecting Student Final Exam Schedule.

Please check your final exam schedule. If you have a time conflict or MORE than three exams on one day, the Registrar’s Office (Student Service Center) will be e-mailing one of your professors to have an exam moved. They will also cc you on that e-mail so you know what is happening. In addition, some larger courses have more than one room for the final exam, please check for your course section number and last name to determine where to go for your final exam.

To help you prepare for final exams, below are exam preparation tips from Engineering Fundamentals faculty.

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Do you need to late drop a class?

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After the last day to drop a class (Friday, Week 10), students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Student Affairs office for a Late Drop.
Late drops are NOT given because:
1. You forgot to drop the course, or you were not aware of the policy;
2. You spent too much time on University extracurricular activities;
3. You wish to avoid a poor grade;
4. You are changing your major or transferring to another school; or
5. You do not need the course to graduate.
The instructions for requesting a Late Drop can be found at: www.admin.mtu.edu/dos/latedrop.htm.

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Last Day To Drop With a “W” (Withdrawal) November 7, 2014, 5pm

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The last day to drop a class with a withdrawal (W) grade is Friday of Week 10 (November 7, 2014, 5pm). All first-year students must meet with their academic advisor and instructor to drop a class. This allows the student to discuss the ramifications before dropping a class. Therefore, do not wait until Friday to get signatures. All students must go to the Student Service Center to drop classes through the Friday of 10th Week.

After the last day to drop, students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Student Affairs office for a Late Drop. The instructions for requesting a Late Drop can be found at: www.admin.mtu.edu/dos/latedrop.htm.

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Registration Opens October 30, 2014

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Spring and Summer 2015 registration will be open October 3oth, 10:00 pm through November 16th, midnight. If you have questions regarding what classes to take, you should make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor.

Registration typically opens each night at 10:00 pm. Due to the large number of students, some days will have two start times, 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm. To find out what day and time you register go to: www.mtu.edu/registrar/pdfs/registration-priority-schedule.pdf.

  • Priority is based on the number of credits earned at the time of registration. This does not include the number of credits the student is currently taking.
  • Students may register anytime on or after their scheduled day.
  • The web will be unavailable for registration from 2:00–2:30 am each day.
  • Registration closes at midnight Sunday, November 16 and reopens again later in November.
  • Students with questions or problems should contact the Student Service Center at 487-2319 or e-mail schedule@mtu.edu.
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Mid-Term Grades

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All first-year students will receive mid-term grades for their classes; mid-term grades are viewable on Banweb at 5pm, October 20, 2014. The purpose of mid-term grades is to help first-year students see how they are performing in their classes. If a student has questions regarding a mid-term grade for a class, they should meet with the instructor. Mid-term grades are defined as satisfactory (SA), unsatisfactory (UN), not applicable (NA), and missing (M). NA is used for courses where credit is not earned. M is used when an instructor does not submit a grade. Mid-term grades are temporary grades and will be replaced when the student has earned the final grade for the class. Therefore, no permanent record of the mid-term grade is kept.

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