We’re here to help you discover your path! Starting college is an exciting time in your life. The Learning Commons, academic advisors, and other campus offices are here to make sure your transition to college life is successful. Throughout your first year at Centenary, we will provide you with personalized support, make sure you know all the right people, and guarantee you have the resources you need.
Visit the Centenary Bound website to learn more about Centenary SOAR and Orientation >
SOAR stands for Summer Orientation and Registration. These events are full of energy! You will meet other new Centenary students, get advice from mentors, and handle a lot of business too. You will make your schedule for the Fall semester by meeting your academic advisor and registering for classes. You will also be able to handle things like financial arrangements, taking any needed placement exams, and you'll get your Centenary ID card.
Orientation happens in August before classes begin. At orientation, you will officially become a college student by moving into your residence hall, learn more about our campus systems and processes, prepare for attending classes, and learn how to get involved on campus. You'll do all of this while having a ton of fun!
At Centenary, your academic advisor is a faculty member, ideally in the area of study that you’re interested in pursuing. They help you decided on classes to take, talk with you about academic and career paths for the future, and can help you with college processes like registration, degree planning, changing your major, or dropping a class.
Whether you are a first time student or a returner, if you need to know who your advisor is you can check by going to Bannerweb and check under student profile. Go to Bannerweb and click on Student Self Service. You should see a list of student services. Click on the one that says "Profile." Your advisor is at the bottom of the list, after the General Information section.
Be on the lookout for an email from the Registrar's Office. This email will have the week that you will register for classes, based on the number of hours of classes you have completed so far (this does not include the hours you are currently enrolled in). After that, schedule an appointment with your advisor. Each advisor works differently, so either look out for an email from your advisor or email them yourself to set up a time to meet and pick out classes. Some advisors will keep up with your degree plan and some may expect you to. Either way, you should come with an idea of what classes you are interested in taking. If you need help preparing for your advising appointment schedule a meeting with a peer mentor in the Learning Commons on the “how to college” schedule.
Learn MoreYour schedule looks how you want it to in college! Centenary offers classes that begin at 8:00 am and go all the way to 9:30 at night. You can choose what classes to take and what time you take it. Twelve hours is considered a full time college student, we recommend that you complete 16 hours per semester, which is typically four classes. Some classes meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Some classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday. Often labs are in the afternoon. Class schedules are different for every student and you should consider with your advisor what is best for you. Since you do not meet for class every day of the week, you are expected to do a significant amount of work outside the classroom. This is very different from High School, so be prepared.
A syllabus gives you an outline for the class. It will include expectations, how grading works for the class, what books to get, as well as the entire work and exam schedule for the semester. You should use your syllabi to create a semester calendar for yourself so you are prepared and do not miss important deadlines.
Get your textbooks by going to our virtual bookstore!
If you need assistance, visit us in the Learning Commons and we can help.
Be sure to get all of your course materials early in the semester so you do not get behind and have everything you need to be successful.
Credit hours are what define a courses overall workload. One credit hour is equal to 50 minutes of classroom lecture along with 2 hours of outside of the classroom work per week. If you have a class that is worth 4 credit hours then you should plan to do 8 hours of work outside of class just for that one class.
Quality points determine a student’s progress toward graduation. They are figured by multiplying the number of courses credits completed by the numerical value of the grade earned. For example, for a 4 credit hour class that you earn an A in the quality points equal 16.
Majors and minors help define what field you are studying. A major will be your focus and you can add a minor by completing at least 16 hours in another area of choice.
If you are a new incoming student, you will make your fall semester schedule during summer orientation (SOAR). If you are a returning student, you will make your fall schedule at the end of your spring semester.
You will make your spring semester schedule at the end of the fall semester.
If you would like to change your major, you should first contact your advisor and let them know. Then, they will assist in setting you up with an advisor suited for your new major as well as signing the documents that will initiate that change. You can also visit the Learning Commons to talk with professional staff and/or peer mentors about majors and degree plans.
If you would like to change your advisor, you can either choose someone that you have in mind (as long as they have agreed to take you on as an advisee) or request a list of alternate advisors. You can also visit the Learning Commons to talk with professional staff and/or peer mentors about academic advisor options.
To access your grades you should go to Bannerweb under student services and click on the grades tab. You will then select the term you are looking for (i.e. fall 2022). Note that Bannerweb stores official grades. Grades in Canvas are not official.
If you want to take advantage of tutoring, you can go online to the Learning Commons website and click “make an appointment”. Then, you can select what subject area you need assistance with and book an appointment with one of our peer learning consultants.
Depending on what kind of help you need, there is a variety of options. You can always come to the Learning Commons and let us know what kind of help you need. We will either be able to assist you or get you to the proper individual who can help you. In addition, Centenary provides free counseling. You can access counseling by visiting them in Rotary Hall lower level or completing this online form. We also have virtual options via TimelyCare.
The Learning Commons is a one-stop shop for academic success, disability services, internship opportunities, tutoring, and international education. There are professional staff, peer learning consultants, and peer mentors available to assist you. The Learning Commons is an inclusive, welcoming environment and is home to a large meeting room, a library of textbooks, access to school supplies, and free coffee!
A peer mentor is an upper level student who is there to help guide you and give advice on how to be a successful college student. They can also do things like peer academic advising and peer interview coaching.
A peer consultant is a student who is there to help assist you on a given subject. They are there to help provide educational support as well as moral support.
© 2024 Centenary College of Louisiana
