Frequently Asked Questions

You can find your advisor two different ways.  The first is in banner web, student profile, general information.  You can also find it in degree works at the top of your audit. You can get to degree works in banner web as well under the same tab just click degree works.

 

Yes, you can change your advisor.  You need to contact the school office for the program you are in.  If you are not sure what school your program falls under, it will tell you at the top of your audit in degree works under school or in banner web, student services tab, student records, advisors/ student information, curriculum information, college.  The email addresses are as follows: SchoolofAGNR@cobleskill.edu and SchoolofBLAS@cobleskill.edu.

You can find your hold information in banner web, Student profile, once you get to the profile page - look to your right and you will registration notices and then  holds.  Click on Holds to view.. Below are the most frequently issued holds.  If you have one that is not on this list, check with your primary advisor about who to contact. 

 

Financial obligations you will contact Student Financial Services – 518-255-5539 (Student Account) 518-255-5623 (Financial Aid) or email studentaccounts@cobleskill.edu or FinancialAid@cobleskill.edu.

A public safety hold is from our University Police Dept and you will need to contact them 518-255-5317 or visit their web page https://www.cobleskill.edu/campus-life/university-police/index.aspx go to manage/pay citations.

Medical Hold you will contact the Wellness Center – 518-255-5225,  Wellness@cobleskill.edu

Admissions hold you will call or email 518-255-5525 or admissions@cobleskill.edu .

Student Affairs hold, specifically Judicial Affairs you will call or email 518-255-5229 or Hoerzel@cobleskill.edu

You need to meet with your faculty advisor and fill out a Change of Status form – here is the link to the form Change of Status Form. You will need your advisor signature, the current department chair, and the department chair for the major you want to go into to.  If you have trouble connecting with your primary academic advisor, you can reach out to a member of the advisement team.  The same change of status form will be used to add a minor, however, to add a minor you only need your advisor to sign or someone from the advisement team. 

Preparing for an Advising Appointment

Think of your academic success as a shared responsibility.  The best approach to achieving success is working with advisors to prepare for and achieve your educational and career goals.  Appointments are 30 minutes long, so you'll want to come prepared to get the most out of your time. To help you do this, you may want to consider the following points:

• Know that academic advising is more than course scheduling
  Feel free to discuss academic and non-academic matters with your primary advisor.  To get the most out of your advising relationship, get to know your advisor and let your advisor get to know you.
• How to find your advisor – you can find your academic advisor in banner web, student profile - you will see Bio Information and General Information to the right of your picture, advisor is at the bottom. You can also find your advisor at the top of your audit screen in degree works.
• Email them – introduce yourself and set up an advisement appointment – this meeting could be in person or virtual. Advisors location on campus is located in the directory.
• Review your degree audit report (DegreeWorks) and other important information
  • By reviewing your degree audit report (DegreeWorks) in Banner web, you will be able to develop some general goals and questions that can be discussed in your advising meeting.  Get a sense of which General Education requirements (7 different categories) need to be completed, and explore options for your major and/or minor.  Be sure to bring a copy of your degree audit with you and have your questions ready.
  • View the Important Dates and Deadlinesand familiarize yourself with important dates and deadlines.
• Consider your academic and extra-curricular experiences – (internships, Long term career goals)
  When developing a future schedule build upon your proficiencies and interests to help you create a fulfilling and comprehensive degree plan.  We suggest that you consider the following questions in order to gauge your interests:
  • What kinds of classes have I enjoyed in past semesters?  Are they in a specific area of study or do they require certain skills?
  • Is there a course sequence that I want to follow for a potential program of study?
  • Which electives will I find helpful in helping me to decide on a major and/or develop special skills or talents?
  • How can I use general education or college requirements to explore interests or majors?
  • Which general education categories need to be fulfilled, and how can I fulfill them in a way that best suits my interests? Do I have an intended major or a strong interdisciplinary interest?
• Identify a top ten
  After considering the above questions, develop a list of courses you are interested in pursuing.  As you are making the list, write down some notes explaining your interest.  An advisor will be able to help you identify target courses from your list, or other courses related to your interests, goals, and priorities. Verify that the course you want to take is being offered in the semester you want to take it. Some courses are fall only or spring only.
• Write down your questions and concerns
  Prepare a list of questions that you would like to ask an advisor in order of priority.  This way, you will get the answers you need, and you will be able to stay on subject during your meeting.

Tips on keeping your academic information organized

• Review your degree audit regularly.  This will allow you to plan for future semesters and understand remaining requirements - Remember to refresh your audit when you add or drop classes and be sure to click on process new.
• Check your Cobleskill e-mail often.  Important Cobleskill College information is sent to your Cobleskill e-mail account on a regular basis.  If you use an alternate e-mail, be sure to have your Cobleskill e-mail forwarded to that account.
• Connect with your primary advisor or a member of the Advisement Team.If you are experiencing academic difficulty, discuss your situation with your professors and academic advisors as soon as possible.  There are numerous resources on campus that can help you to improve your academic performance.
• Meet/Communicate at least twice a semester with your primary advisor or member of the Advisement Team.  Meeting with an advisor can be very helpful in planning and implementing a class schedule prior to registration.  Many of your long-term advising questions including degree planning and major questions can and should be addressed over a sustained advising period.
• Reminder academic standing can affect financial aid – progress towards degree completion.

Here is an instructional video on how to use Degree Works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFJ0yPOEmpQ

You will need to email your faculty advisor to set up an appointment whether it will be virtual, phone or by email will be up to you and your advisor.  If you would like to make an appointment with someone from the advisement team, please email advising@cobleskill.edu

The alt pin is different from your pin number for banner web.  You will only use this alt pin during registration (fall/spring), add/drop, and course withdrawal.  You will need to meet with your primary/program advisor to obtain this pin, or with a member of the advisement team if you are having difficulty connecting with your primary/program advisor.

You can find your registration day/time in banner web, student profile, then to the right you will see Registration Notices,click on this and you will see your day/time to register.  While here it will also tell you if you have holds that will prevent you from registering - click on the holds next to registration notices.  You should take care of any issues before course registration week.

You can do add/drop from banner web – enter the secure area, go to student services tab, registration and then click on add or drop classes or Schedule Planner New. You will need your alternative pin in order to complete the process.  See below for a video on how to use schedule planner.  There are directions for add or drop classes via this link – Add/Drop Instructions

Here are several short videos on how to use the schedule planner in banner web to build your schedule.

https://cobleskill.collegescheduler.com/helpvideos/MainVideo/spa.html

https://cobleskill.collegescheduler.com/helpvideos/Locks/spa.html

https://cobleskill.collegescheduler.com/helpvideos/CourseOptions/spa.html

 Remember to schedule for all components of a course

Some courses have multiple parts (lecture, lab, recitation). You must register for all components of a course. You may receive an error message if you do not add all components at the same time.

CLASS – on campus in the classroom 

REMOTE - online but at a scheduled time – ex. MW 2-2:50

COMBI – part of the class is online, and part will be a scheduled day/time. Ex. M 2-3:50 as scheduled by instructor.

HYBRID - part face to face in classroom, and part online as scheduled by instructor

ONLINE – all online no meeting day/time

Prerequisite – The course you are attempting to register for requires you to have taken another course previously. Ex. PSYC 350 – Abnormal Psychology requires you to have successfully completed PSYC 111 – General Psychology. All prerequisites are listed in the course description. You can view course descriptions in the college catalog

Class restriction – The course is restricted to a particular class standing, such as freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, and the student is not recognized in the systems as a member with the specific class standing.  Standing is determined by the number of credits completed; in-progress courses not included.

Closed section – Course section that the student is attempting to enroll is at capacity and closed.  You may reach out to the instructor of record for permission; however, they do not have to approve this request.

Program restriction – The course is restricted to a particular program. If this is an error, please contact your primary academic advisor and/or the department for additional information.

Corequisite required – The student must register for an additional required course.  Register for the lecture/lab or lecture/lab/recitation.

Duplicate course with section/duplicate section – The student is attempting to schedule same course and/or section twice. Course may be cross-listed, different CRN, but it is the same class with the same subject matter.

Instructor approval required – You need to seek approval from the instructor to register for the class.

Linked course required registration in a corresponding lecture/lab/recitation – The student must register for an additional linked course, ex. Lecture, lab, recitation.

Major restriction – Course that is restricted to a student in a specific major or minor. If this is an error, please contact your primary academic advisor.

Maximum credit hours exceeded (19+ Credits)– Students are prevented from exceeding the maximum semester credit hours, 19.5 credit hours.  Students requesting to take 19.5 - 21 credits in a semester must hold a GPA of 3.0 or better and must obtain the signature of the Academic Advisor. The student may appeal a denied request to the Department Chair.  Students requesting to take greater than 21 credits in a semester must hold a GPA of 3.25 or better and must obtain the signature of the Academic Advisor and Department Chair.  Students without an established GPA may pursue greater than 19.5 credits with Academic Advisor and Department Chair approval. The student may appeal a denied request to the Dean.

Registration is not available at this time – Registration is not open for the term. You will only see this message if you accidentally select a past or future term.

Time conflict – The student is attempting to register for a course that is offered at the same time another course is already scheduled. 

Here is a link to the Registrar’s Page with detailed information on how to read your class schedule.  You should use the Student Concise Schedule in banner web - How to read your schedule. To find your Concise Student Schedule in banner web – enter the secure area, click on the student services tab and there is a direct link to this.

You should see the course in Moodle within 15-20 minutes or by the end of the day.

To be dropped from a class it must happen within the first one or two weeks of add/drop, after that you will have a withdrawal and a “W” will appear on your transcript for that class.

There is no cost to drop or withdraw from a class.  You will not be charged a fee if you add a class within the one or two weeks of add/drop.  After the deadline for add/drop a $20 fee for each CRN/course component will be charged for each class you want to add.

An advisement team member is an additional support to students if they are having difficulty connecting with their primary advisor. 

To live on campus, you need to carry 12 or more credit hours.  12 credit hours is considered full-time anything below 12 credits is considered part-time or Students must register for at least 12 credits to be considered full-time and normally the maximum number of credits a student can register for will be 19.5.

You must contact the Registrar’s Office via phone or email – 518-255-5521/registrar@cobleskill.edu.

Official Withdrawal from College

Students may withdraw from the College without academic penalty on or before the last day of class.  Students are considered officially withdrawn when they complete the withdrawal process designated by the registrar. Students who fail to complete the process are liable for academic penalty.

Withdrawal from College in First Ten Weeks of Semester

Students who withdraw from College during the course withdrawal period (the first ten weeks of the semester) will receive grades of "W" in all semester‑length courses.  They will also receive grades of "W" in incomplete 5, 8, or 10‑week module courses.

Withdrawal from College After the Tenth Week

Students who withdraw from College after the course withdrawal period and before completing final examinations will receive grades of "W".  "W" may be the grade of record at this time only if there are documented extenuating circumstances. These must be stated in writing and they require the signature of the advisor, the dean of the school in the degree program in which the student is majoring, and vice president for academic affairs.

Leaving College: Unofficial Withdrawal

Students who leave College without officially withdrawing are considered enrolled students and their grades will be recorded. This regulation may be waived by the Provost/VP for Academic Affairs when circumstances warrant.

What is an academic leave?

Full‑time degree-seeking students who must interrupt their program at the College for reasons deemed acceptable to the vice president for academic affairs, may be granted an academic leave for a specified period of time. Full‑time students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 and must have completed one or more semesters to be considered for an academic leave of absence. Students may return to the campus following the leave by contacting the Registrar’s Office to select classes.

You will enter the secure area on banner web, go to your student services tab, then click on student records and mid-term or final grades. If it asks for a term, make sure you use the term you want to view.

Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 is either placed on academic probation or suspension (dismissed from the college).  The following information is used in retention standards at Cobleskill. 

After your first semester you must have a 1.50 cumulative GPA to be retained on probation, if you fall below that you will be suspended.

After your second semester you must have a 1.75 cumulative GPA to be retained on probation, if you fall below that you will be suspended.

After your third semester you must have a 1.90 cumulative GPA to be retained on probation, if you fall below that you will be suspended.

After your fourth semester and on, you must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA, or you will be suspended.

You will be notified of your probation or suspension by the Vice President of Academic Affairs Office in writing, via Cobleskill email or a letter home.

The guidelines for students on academic probation are that they are only allowed to take 15 credits (This includes courses which are being repeated to raise or remove a C-, D, D+ or F grade).  Any exceptions to this, must be approved by using the change of status form.

Probation and suspension can affect your eligibility for financial aid.  Please be sure to direct any questions you have regarding this to Student Financial Services, 518-255-5539 or 518-255-5623.