Читать книгу How to Succeed At University--International Edition - Danton O'Day - Страница 30

Most universities will have an admissions office and student services centre or similar facilities (e.g., office of the registrar) that provide information and assistance to current and prospective students. The admissions or registrar’s office is one of the most valuable resources for students that the university has to offer. When you first register you will find that you will be inundated with reams and reams of paper. Don’t throw this stuff away! Read it before you recycle it. Of particular interest to you will be information about academic counselling available through student services. In some universities, you will be assigned an academic adviser who will keep track of your progress and help you deal with any problems that arise. Either way, it would be very wise of you to talk over your programme with a counsellor to make sure that it is in order. You would be amazed at the number of students who have to scramble around in their third or fourth year to get a complete, acceptable programme for graduation.

At the student services or registrar’s office you can also get detailed information about fees and financial support (e.g., loans and scholarships), obtain official documents (e.g., academic transcripts) and take advantage of various support services (e.g., personal or academic counselling). The student services office is also a centre for career counselling and job placement (or if not will tell you where those services exist).

These facilities are important for other reasons. You can get detailed information about the degrees available, recent course changes and existing specialty programmes. If you have specific problems with your classes, the staff can help you. Often it’s left up to you to make sure that you are enrolled in all the classes you think you are. Here you can find out if you are. If things aren’t going well, the staff can also give you the lowdown on how many subjects you can fail and still be admitted next year or what you have to do grade-wise to remain in good academic standing.