ASP: Frequently Asked Questions

A: In your first year, you should go to the college or departmental advisor for your major preference for all official advising. If you're No Pref, you should see the advisors in the Undergraduate University Division (UUD, with offices in Bessey, Brody, Akers, and Wonders). Even if you've declared a major preference and have an advisor in your major, you can also talk to the UUD advisors, who know a lot about the University and are often closer to where you live in your first year or two than your college or department office.

If you become a member of the Honors College in your second year, you'll have an advisor in your major (possibly a specially designated Honors advisor) and also get advising from the Honors College staff. If you don't join Honors College, you'll still have your major or UUD advisor(s) from freshman year.

The ASP Faculty Coordinator is your primary resource for how you can fulfill your Academic Scholars requirements. The ASP Coordinator is not your official advisor for your major requirements, but will be happy to help you track down answers about MSU programs, give you a general professorly perspective on academic questions you may have, and serve as a liaison with other advisors. You should also keep an eye out for potential faculty mentors among your instructors -- look for professors with whom you feel especially in synch, and get to know them by dropping in during their office hours.

Q: I'm a first-year Scholar who couldn't schedule any Honors classes into my courses this year: what should I do?

A: First, now that you're on campus and have a little more time to check out available courses, you should talk to your advisor and see if you can change your schedule for Spring semester to include an Honors Integrative Studies course or an Honors course or section in any area that makes sense in your program. You can also take an Honors Option (for details on how H-Options work and what courses are authorized for H-Options, see http://www.msu.edu/~honcoll/H-Options.html) in a course or two during this year -- you should talk to your professors early in the semester you want to do an H-Option -- and then make sure to sign up for an Honors Integrative Studies section/course and an Honors course or section in another area next year, making sure you have the 4 required ASP courses under your belt by the end of your second year.

Q: Can I enroll in an Honors course on my own or take an Honors Option if I am not in the Honors College?

A: For Honors courses/sections in Integrative Studies and other approved Honors courses/sections on the Academic Scholars course list, you can enroll directly if there is space in the course. For other Honors courses/sections, the answer is Yes, with an override from the Honors College -- it's usually a good idea (and the courteous thing to do) to contact the faculty member teaching the course to see if there's a good fit between your preparation and the expectations of the course. If the professor is willing to give the override, he or she can then ask the Honors College to enter the override into the computer enrollment program. You should be prepared to explain to the professor why you are specially interested in the course and give him or her a little background on your high school and MSU performance till now.

Any MSU student may take an H-Option in a class, if the course is authorized for H-Options, and if the professor is willing to offer one and the student meets any restrictions put in place by the department offering the course (usually a matter of grade-point and/or performance in the course). H-Options can be excellent ways to give yourself an additional point of engagement and excitement with the course material, often making the material more enjoyable and memorable because you are undertaking something on your own initiative.

Q: Am I allowed to enroll for classes early, like Honors College students?

A: No, this is a privilege reserved for people who are either already in the Honors College or who have applied for admission to the Honors College (after qualifying for application by strong academic performance in their first semester). The application process occurs in February, and it is important to meet the deadlines in order to receive Honors enrollment priority.

REQUIREMENTS

Q: Does taking an H-Option in an Integrative Studies course count for the requirement of an Honors Integrative Studies course?

A: Sorry, but the answer here is no. Part of the value of Honors courses is the interaction you get with other very good students, and an H-Option can't offer you that experience.

Q: Can one of the non-Honors enhanced substitutes for an Integrative Studies requirement count as an Honors-calibre course if I'm admitted to the Honors College?

A: No -- not even Honors College students can use lower-level substitutions for Integrative Studies toward their 8 H-courses. However, the substitutes do increase your flexibility in designing a curriculum that makes particularly good sense for your own interests (which is true for the HC privilege of substituting appropriate courses for requirements as well).

Q: I'm a science (engineering, agriculture, pre-vet) major with an alternative track for my General Science requirement. Am I still allowed up to two substitutions for Integrative Studies in ISS and IAH?

A: Yes. And the same also applies for Madison students with an alternative Social Sciences track for their ISS requirement and RCAH students with an alternative Arts and Humanities track for IAH; Madison students can have up to two substitutions in IAH and General Science (ISB/ISP) and RCAH students can have up to two substitutions in ISS and ISB/ISP, but again no more than one in each area. (A few other majors also have an alternative ISB/ISP track: Kinesiology, Dietetics, Nutritional Sciences, Landscape Architecture, etc., so this applies to them too.)

Q: Does an Honors lab section count as an Honors course toward ASP requirements?

A: A single Honors lab section by itself isn't weighty enough in credits to count alone as an Honors course for ASP purposes; however, if you take 2 Honors lab courses of 2 credits each (such as CEM 185H and 186H, or LBS 158H and 159H) then together those two labs will count as one Honors course.

UNIVERSITY NITTY-GRITTIES

Q: According to my advisor, students have to complete a 200-level ISS course before taking a 300-level course, and an IAH "A" course (IAH 201 through IAH 210) before taking any other IAH courses. If I take a substitute for ISS or IAH, do these prerequisites apply to me too?

A: No; the prerequisite would be waived, and you may use a substitute course for either (but not both) of the courses in ISS and/or IAH. However, because of the complexities of the computer enrollment system, you may be told by the Enroll program that you can't get into a 300-level ISS course or an IAH "B" course -- if this happens, just e-mail the ASP Faculty Coordinator (at asp@msu.edu) and we'll get an override put in the system for you very quickly. Keep in mind that you may not have more than two substitutions for Integrative Studies and you can have no more than one in any given Integrative Studies area (Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, General Science), unless you join the Honors College after you get to MSU.

Q: Can I take two IAH "B" courses or two 300-level ISS courses for my Integrative Studies requirements?

A: No. If you do take two IAH courses, one must be an "A" course (anything in the 201 through 210 range) and one must be a "B" course (anything from 211 on up); similarly, if you take two ISS courses, one must be at the 200 level and one must be at the 300 level.

Q: If one of the ASP substitutes for Integrative Studies also fulfills one of my major requirements, can I use it for both?

A: No. In general, the University does not permit double-counting of courses for both Integrative Studies and one's major. Thus, if you are required to have EC 201 for your major, you can't use EC 201H as a substitute for ISS, though taking EC 201H will definitely work as part of your ASP requirements, and similarly for other substitutes and the corresponding majors.

Q: If I take a 3-credit substitution for a 4-credit ISS or IAH course, do I have to take another class to make up the extra credit?

A: No. As is also true for Honors College students, the substitution counts as a whole IAH or ISS course, even if it's only 3 credits.

Q: I don't see my ASP substitutions for Integrative Studies on Degree Navigator -- will they be counted toward graduation anyway?

A: Yes. Degree Navigator isn't flexible enough to automatically track the substitutions you are allowed to make as an Academic Scholar (it doesn't automatically track Honors College substitutes either), but you and your advisor can always consult the ASP website for the list of approved substitutes or contact the ASP Coordinator at asp@msu.edu to find out for sure whether and how your substitutions apply toward your University requirements. Your own advisor (either at the department or college level) will need to enter the substitution in your Degree Navigator record, since the ASP Coordinator does not have authorization to make such changes.

COMPLETING

Q: Is there a minimum grade-point for receiving Academic Scholars recognition?

A: Yes, you will need to have at least a 3.0 at the end of your second year (normally the Spring semester, though if you're enrolled at MSU in the summer of your second year, we can go to the end of the summer for the completion deadline), as well as having the 4 enhanced ASP courses completed by then. If you have a bad semester, don't worry too much about it -- you should be able to bring the overall gpa back up by doing well in the rest of your first two years.

Q: When does the Academic Scholars notation appear on my transcript and my diploma?

A: The transcript notation should actually appear after your second year, assuming you have completed the requirements for the program within your first two years as the ASP program requirements stipulate. Once you graduate, the diploma notation will appear right above the seal of the University on your diploma, unless you join the Honors College and complete the HC requirements -- in which case, the Honors College membership "trumps" the ASP completion, and the diploma will show "Honors College" above the University seal (but your transcript will show both programs).

Q: If I don't finish my requirements in two years, what happens?

A: There's no penalty for not finishing the requirements, if you decide that the program doesn't make sense for you, though there won't be any indication on your transcript that you were in the program. If you took any non-IS courses as substitutes for regular Integrative Studies courses, those substitutions will be honored by the University. And hopefully, you'll have found that the enhanced courses you did take through the program gave you more stimulating learning experiences than if you hadn't been allowed to take them.

Q: Can I still take ASP Honors courses or substitutions after my second year?

A: Yes, even if you don't join the Honors College, you'll always have the Scholar coding that lets you enroll in ASP-approved Honors courses. Also, if you haven't already used your two permitted Integrative Studies substitutions before the end of your second year, you may still do so (but remember that they have to be in two separate knowledge areas). However, Honors courses or ASP substitutions you take after your second year cannot be counted toward giving you transcript recognition for the program – for that, you can only use courses taken in the first two years.

Q: If I do a semester on a co-op program off-campus, I won't be able to take any MSU Honors courses that semester -- will that prevent me from finishing the program? What if I take a Fall or Spring semester-long Study Abroad program, since there are almost no Honors courses in Study Abroad programs?

A: No, because we won't include the semester when you are away from campus in the two-year window for completing the ASP requirements. You'll have the first four regular (i.e., non-summer) semesters in which you are taking on-campus courses to finish the program. If you are in a Study Abroad program in which you are not enrolled in MSU classes (where you will be transferring back classes from another university), the same exception applies.

However, if you go on a Fall or Spring semester Study Abroad program in which you are taking MSU classes and if you still need ASP coursework, we recommend that you ask the faculty member(s) teaching the program about doing an Honors Option in one or two of the MSU courses you’re enrolled in – in most Study Abroad programs, there are plenty of opportunities for adding further dimensions to your coursework.

THE FUTURE

Q: How do I find opportunities for research experience on campus?

A: For most freshmen, the usual starting point is to actually go around "knocking on doors" -- go to departments in fields that interest you and ask faculty if they could use an undergraduate research assistant or (and this is more likely what they may be able to help with) if they know of other faculty or Ph.D. students who might need such help. It may be that Ph.D. candidates in the sciences would be able to use volunteer assistance, and if you found someone willing to take you in, then you'd be in the lab of their faculty advisor so you'd be getting some faculty contact as well.

Chances are the work would be relatively basic at first, and it's unlikely to be paid work during the school year, but advisors in the sciences say that paid undergrad research opportunities often become available in the summer. If you've already been working as a volunteer and shown talent and conscientiousness, then you'd have a really good shot at getting paid summer research work. You could also check with the MSU Career Services’ “My Spartan Career” job-listing service, which includes on-campus jobs, at http://careernetwork.msu.edu/my-spartan-career-login.

These suggestions are more relevant to science, engineering, and other quantitative research areas than to the humanities and some of the social sciences. But even in fields where faculty tend to work on individual projects, it is worthwhile to find out which professors work on things that interest you and go talk to them about how one learns how to do their kind of research. Many departments list faculty research interests on their departmental home pages.

Q: If I'm eligible to join the Honors College, how do I go about it? and should I do so?

A: The answer to the first question is pretty simple. If you earn a 3.5 gpa in your first semester (which means you have made the Dean's List if you took 12 credits or more) and will have at least 28 credits by the end of Spring semester, you'll receive an e-mail from the Honors College inviting you to informational meetings early in the Spring semester, where you'll also receive the relevant application forms. Here's a link to the HC's page on Admission. If your first semester gpa was slightly below 3.5 but you believe that your overall first-year gpa will end up at 3.5 or above, you can make an appointment to discuss possible eligibility with an Honors College advisor.

As to whether you should apply if you're eligible, the answer to this for most Scholars will be a definite yes, since the HC is likely to open up options for you that might not be available otherwise. These range from the extrinsic, pragmatic ones like early access to enrollment to the more important intrinsic benefits such as information about scholarships and research opportunities, access to advanced classes earlier in your education, and the chance to meet important visiting speakers and take part in a variety of cultural and other activities. See the main HC web site for a general overview.

However, if upon careful consideration you discover that there are better ways to achieve the kinds of educational goals you have set for yourself than through HC membership, that's okay too (though you might still apply, in order to keep your options open). The key thing is for you to find -- or if it's not there yet, to create! -- the best path your years at MSU can provide to the places you want to reach after you graduate.

One last recommendation: If you think that HC membership might be a good thing for you, do make sure you meet the deadlines for application (usually in late February or the first week of March) -- otherwise you may not be given the early-enrollment privileges for your second year.

Q: If I join the Honors College, what happens to my ASP requirements? What if I don't join?

A: The ASP requirements and privileges are basically a subset of Honors College requirements and privileges, so everything would "transfer in" to Honors College membership, which will then give you even more flexibility. To actually receive the ASP notation on the transcript after your second year, you would still need to complete 4 ASP/Honors courses in the first two years, but this should be pretty easy to do and the courses you take will then fit in under your Honors College requirements. The one thing that ASP requires that the Honors College does not is that you have an Honors section of one of the actual Integrative Studies courses (ISB/ISP, IAH, ISS) in your first two years; however, that course will also apply to Honors College requirements.

If you don't join HC, you're still in ASP and have access to ASP-approved Honors courses and course substitutions throughout your time at MSU. Whether you join the HC or not, you should ask your departmental advisor to have the ASP substitutions entered as approved exceptions into your Degree Navigator record as well as your paper advising file, so that they will not be overlooked at a later date.

Q: To be in the Academic Scholars Program, do I have to do extra stuff besides the 4 ASP courses? If not, why should I do so?

A: The only absolute requirements to be in the Program are the expectation of completing 4 ASP courses in your first two years and earning at least a 3.0 gpa by the end of your second year. But since the primary goal of the program is to aid you in taking full advantage of the opportunities MSU has to offer high-achieving students, we hope that you'll see how much more you can learn by seeking out and participating in activities outside the classroom.

What kind of activities should those be? There are lots of possibilities, but some to watch out for especially are those that let you connect what you do in the classroom with your dreams and passions; those that give you a chance to collaborate with others or to meet potential MSU mentors and outside leaders in fields that interest you; those that help you reflect on your goals and build the roads that will lead you to them; those that enable you to serve others both on- and off-campus. The fact that these kinds of "above the crowd" activities look good on a resume is a practical reward for being involved in them, but it also reflects society's and employers' awareness that real leadership and creativity comes from people who take the trouble to go above and beyond.

For some examples of student organizations at MSU, see the link for Academic & Service Clubs and Organizations on the ASP home page.

TECHNICAL ADVISORLY QUESTIONS (the small print)

Q: How are Academic Scholars identified to advisors?

A: They have a "tracking major" that shows up in the TERMMAJR menu selection in SIS and STUINFO. At AOP, Academic Scholar status will appear on the Academic Orientation Test Profile along with their primary major.

Q: Who is responsible for determining whether a Scholar has earned the transcript notation at the end of two years?

A: The Honors College will certify completion of the program.

Q: Are the ASP-approved Honors courses and sections the only ones open to Academic Scholars?

A: No, but Scholars will need to get an override for Honors courses and sections not on the pre-approved list. Students interested in other Honors classes at AOP should be referred to the HC advisors or, in the case of Honors biology, chemistry, and mathematics courses, to those consultants. During the academic year, Scholars interested in other Honors courses should be referred to the faculty teaching those courses or to the HC advisors. (See above.)

Q: If an Academic Scholar has a declared major preference that permits an alternative natural science track, will the alternative-track courses count as IS substitutions?

A: No. Students in those majors will still be able to substitute for one ISS and one IAH if they wish to do so (and similarly for students with alternative ISS or IAH tracks, mutatis mutandis).

Q: We notice that ENT 319H appears an an approved substitute for ISB, ISP, and ISS. Is this a typographical error?

A: No. Given the nature of that course and the range of departments participating in its development and instruction, it is an appropriate substitute for any of the three areas. The student, in consultation with an academic advisor, will be allowed to designate the area for which it substitutes.

Q: Do the Academic Scholars have a special enrollment priority?

A: No.

Q: Are Academic Scholars held to prerequisites and restrictions in enrollment?

A: Yes, except in the 300-level ISS course and the "B" IAH course (see above).

Q: How do advisors know what courses can be counted as Integrative Studies substitutes for Academic Scholars?

A: If the Scholar has joined the Honors College, then the general principles that apply to I.S. substitutions for Honors students go into effect (see the HC's page on these principles, at <http://www.msu.edu/unit/honcoll/GenEd.html>), though the substitutions need to be approved by an Honors advisor and should not be applied retrospectively. If the Scholar has not joined Honors College, then the courses that can be used are listed in the Course Archive for the Academic Scholars Program, at <http://www.msu.edu/~asp/course-arch.htm>. These courses will remain more or less the same from year to year, aside from years when particular classes aren't offered.

One detail to keep in mind: if a course in the substitute list is a requirement for a student's major (for example, EC 201H for students in Madison or Business, or ENG 310D for an English major, etc.), then it cannot be double-counted as an Integrative Studies substitute.