ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS Academic integrity, honesty, fairness and responsibility in our scholarship and personal lives form the bedrock on which our UK experience is built. You will significantly enhance your success at UK as a student/scholar by meeting the following academic expectations and accompanying behaviors.
1. Attend and prepare for all classes.
3. Create and respect relationships.
If you are a full-time student, treat your student status like a full-time job, devoting at least 40 hours per week to homework, study and classes.
It is your responsibility to build relationships with people (professors, advisors, students) who will support you in reaching your goals.
Be open to incorporating new study behaviors that will help you reach your goals.
Each semester, introduce yourself to your professors to begin building relationships.
Examine old habits that may inhibit your success as a student and be open to changing them.
Each semester, connect with your academic advisor at least once in addition to your priority registration appointment.
It is up to you to read and understand assigned material; lectures and assignments proceed from the assumption that you have prepared for class.
2. Reflect on and apply what you learn. College is a learning environment in which you take responsibility for thinking through and applying what you learn. Mastery is often seen as the ability to apply what you have learned to new situations or to solve new kind of problems.
4. Expand your education beyond the classroom. Take advantage of opportunities outside the classroom that will enrich your education and college experience. Investigate these possibilities with your academic advisor, professors, student leaders and other professionals on campus.
5. Believe in your ability to succeed. Develop a growth mindset. Stretch and challenge yourself academically and personally, knowing that hard work, grit and effort are the keys to success. Believe in yourself and be persistent in utilizing campus resources and online tools. Maintain positive behaviors and attitudes that will help you reach your goals.
FIRST YEAR:
FOUNDATION The University of Kentucky community cares about your success as a college student and is dedicated to helping you reach your goals. The Blueprint is a series of milestone programs and steps, that once completed, will build a solid foundation for your college experience. Visit the listed websites or call for more information.
BLUEPRINT MILESTONE PROGRAMS
“see blue.” U
www.seeblueU.com; 859-257-3256; orientation@uky.edu Making the transition to UK is a two-step process that begins with your “see blue.” U Orientation and continues through K Week in August. As a part of your “see blue.” U Orientation, you will begin the academic transition to UK by completing placement exams, meeting with your academic advisor and registering for your first-term classes. Additionally, you will interact with current UK students; learn how to get involved in activities and organizations; be introduced to academic expectations and strategies for success in the classroom; and have all your questions answered by representatives from across campus. We also invite your parents and guests to be a part of “see blue.” U to learn about your transition to the Wildcat family and how to best assist you in your journey through college.
Awareness & Prevention Programs To support your well-being as a student and to strengthen the overall campus community, UK offers a variety of prevention initiatives including AlcoholEdu and Haven.
AlcoholEdu
Haven
AlcoholEdu is a confidential, online substance education course. The course uses sciencebased research to educate you about alcohol and its effects. Whether you drink or not, the course will help you make informed decisions about alcohol and better deal with drinking behavior that may occur around you. The course consists of two parts, both of which must be completed to satisfy this requirement. Campus and AlcoholEdu staff will never see individual student surveys or responses.
Haven is the premier online program addressing the critical issues of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. Created in collaboration with leading campus practitioners, researchers, and national thought leaders including renowned expert Dr. Alan Berkowitz, Haven reaches 700,000 individuals at over 650 institutions across the country. Participants will learn about the dynamics of interpersonal violence, relevant university policies, and resources available at the university.
You will receive an email in mid-July notifying you that Part I is activated and you may begin the online program. Part I will be available for approximately five weeks, and it usually requires only about two hours to complete.
The program provides you with useful information and helps shape a safer UK campus community. Prior to the start of the fall semester, you will receive an email prompting you to complete the web-based violence prevention program.
Forty-five days after your successful completion of Part I, you will receive a second email notifying you that Part II is activated and available for you to complete. Students who do not complete this required online program will have a hold placed on their spring semester registration.
About 45 days later, you will receive another prompt to complete a brief follow-up survey. Students who do not complete this mandatory program will have a hold placed on their spring semester registration.
www.uky.edu/WISE; 859-257-9687
www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/VIPCenter; 859-257-3574
Common Reading Experience (CRE) www.uky.edu/commonreading; 859-257-6597 Each year, a group of faculty, staff and students select a common book for all new UK students to read during the summer months. You receive your CRE book, Orphan Train, during “see blue.” U. Read it utilizing a reader’s guide and then complete a brief assignment that is submitted on Canvas and discussed during K Week. In addition, a number of fall semester courses incorporate the book into their curriculum. Reading and reflecting upon the common book helps immerse you into the university’s academic community as you exchange thoughts and ideas with your peers, faculty and upperclass student leaders. You have an opportunity for further academic discourse about the book’s themes during numerous programming events (including a campus lecture by the author) throughout the first year.
K Week
www.uky.edu/kweek; 859-257-6597 Kick off the beginning of the school year with K Week, your crash course in life as a UK student! K Week is UK’s official welcome week that begins the weekend before the start of the fall semester. Opportunities abound for you: meet a diverse array of new people, including other first-year students, upperclass student leaders, faculty and staff; participate in programs and events that help you learn how to make the most of your first year on campus and beyond; discover the many campus resources to help ease your transition to college; attend academic and information sessions, including your college orientation, to receive tips on student success; experience UK traditions; learn how to get involved in a student organization; and enjoy free food, giveaways, music and more. As a part of K Week, new students are placed in K Teams, small groups led by K Crew upperclass student leaders. As a K Team, you will attend K Week events together and be able to get your questions about UK answered.
College Meetings Contact your college if you have questions. Attend scheduled college meetings, the first occuring on the Monday of K Week.
UK 101
(General and College-Specific Sections Offered) www.uky.edu/UK101; 859-257-6597 UK 101 is a first-year orientation course that is strongly recommended for students. The course helps you transition to and engage in University life, build a strong foundation of academic success and embrace opportunities that promote intellectual and personal growth. Numerous college-specific, living-learning community and general sections are offered. The course is co-taught by a faculty or professional staff member and an upperclass peer instructor and the small class size allows you to get to know your classmates and instructors. The one-credit-hour UK 101 course meets for the first 12 weeks of the semester and the two-credit-hour option continues for the full semester.
Student Success Workshops
www.uky.edu/studentsuccess; 859-218-1561 Workshops on study strategies, career exploration, time management, campus resources, presentation skills, wellness, finances and many other topics are offered throughout your first year. Sponsored by a variety of colleges and support areas, these free, hour-long sessions cover a wide range of subjects to equip students with tools and resources to excel academically and personally. UK students are strongly encouraged to attend one or more of these meaningful workshops. Those enrolled in UK 101 are required to attend at least one workshop. Visit the “see success.” website for a schedule.
Academic Majors Fair
www.uky.edu/studentsuccess; 859-218-1561 The Academic Majors Fair, hosted each fall semester, provides you the occasion to inquire about academic majors at UK. Information gathered from the fair assists you in making educated decisions on declaring, adding or changing your major and/or minor and placing you on a successful and timely path toward graduation. You can explore opportunities within UK’s undergraduate colleges; faculty and staff from each of the colleges are available to answer questions from program requirements to related career opportunities. Learn more about enhancing your educational experience through participation in programs such as National Student Exchange, Education Abroad, the Academy for Undergraduate Excellence, and the Career Center.
BLUEPRINT M I L E STONE
Download UK Mobile App and myUK App and visit frequently.
Complete the Survey of First-Year Students emailed to you.
Connect with your academic advisor at least 2 – 3 times per semester.
Complete AlcoholEdu and Haven.
Read your K Book, the student handbook written by students for students.
STEPS
Check your UK email and myUK frequently to look for messages from your college, academic advisor and the university.
Complete Common Reading, Orphan Train, and assignment.
Create an OrgSync account and find an involvement opportunity of interest to you.
Create a Wildcat CareerLink account.
Visit www.orgsync.com; click on “Sign Up”; choose your community (University of Kentucky); and log in with your link blue ID and password. You will be prompted to create a profile and then you can look at more than 550 student organizations and service and leadership opportunities.
Create a Wildcat CareerLink account at seeblue.com/wildcatcareerlink Wildcat CareerLink is an online career management tool that includes many features to help you in your career journey. Use it to learn about Career Center events, career exploration, internships, practice interviews, resumes, job opportunities and more. Your college may also offer career services; check with your academic advisor.
Develop a four year plan of study with your academic advisor.
Embrace campus academic resources.
Ask a librarian for research help.
UK research shows that students who fully utilize campus resources achieve higher GPA’s than those who do not. Go to www.uky.edu/StudentSuccess to learn about many of UK’s academic resources such as The Study; UK Libraries; Presentation U; Media Depot; The Writing Center; Mathskeller; Disability Resource Center; CARES; Student Support Services; CATS; 1st Gen Initiatives; Financial Ombud; Academic Ombud and Career Center. Research is a process that you learn little by little, year by year. Librarians can assist you through this process by showing you new places to look for information and providing different ways to think about and refine your topic. Many of you will have library research assignments through UK 101 and CIS/WRD courses. When you need assistance with these or other research assignments, ask a librarian for help!
Check midterm grades through myUK.
Check your student financial account.
You are responsible for your student account and any charges or credits posted. It is important that you check your student account regularly to be sure that all of the financial aid that you expect to receive is processed. Just visit myuk.uky.edu and click on the financials tab. Monthly billing statements will be directly emailed to your official UK email address, so check it often. If you have questions about your financial aid, please set up a meeting with your financial aid counselor at myuk.uky.edu
Complete CATS survey.
Priority register for the next semester through myUK.
Check final grades through myUK.
FIRST YEAR
OUR VALUES • • • • • • • • • • •
Integrity Excellence Mutual respect and human dignity Diversity and inclusion Academic freedom Personal and institutional responsibility and accountability Shared governance A sense of community Work-life sensitivity Civic engagement Social responsibility