Frequently Asked Questions
F (frequently) A (asked) Q (questions): This page contains answers to common questions that are received by the Office for Academic Affairs, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions.
How do I register for courses?
Students choose courses in consultation with their academic advisors during the registration period preceding each academic semester. Thus, courses offered for the spring semester are chosen before the end of the fall semester. Fall semester courses for the sophomore, junior and senior years are selected at the end of the preceding academic year.
Students entering the College for the first time choose courses for the fall semester at one of the regularly scheduled orientation sessions over the summer. As a rule, the Registrar's Office processes registrations in the order in which they are received. No fall semester course selection will be processed unless the student has paid the required deposit for the coming year.
Students are placed in their chosen sections unless the section has already been filled or unless placing students in the chose section creates a conflict with other courses in the student's schedule.
Can I take courses elsewhere and transfer them into Mount Ida College?
Matriculated students may petition for approval to take courses at another institution when the College is not in session. Students may do so by completing a petition form (available at the Registrar's Office in Holbrook Hall) and attaching a copy of the catalogue description of the desired course to the petition. Approvals for coursework outside Mount Ida College, if granted, are typically limited to no more than two courses a year. Students who have credit deficiencies due to course failures, course withdrawals, or placement in developmental courses are strongly encouraged to resolve such deficiencies by taking appropriate courses at Mount Ida College, if courses are offered, or elsewhere during the summer.
If courses are approved to be taken elsewhere, students are responsible for having official transcripts sent to the Registrar's Office at Mount Ida College from the institution where they are taking the course(s). Students may also hand carry the official transcript in a sealed envelope from the institution to Mount Ida College. Under no circumstances will the Registrar's Office accepted a hand-carried transcript that is not enclosed in a sealed envelope from the Registrar's Office where the course was taken.
Does the College cancel classes, courses or sections?
The College reserves the right to cancel any class, course or section of a course with insufficient student enrollment. Mount Ida College reserves the right to make such changes in course and program offerings as may be deemed necessary by the Administration and the Board of Trustees.
How do I add or drop a course or courses?
All course changes (additions and/or drops) must be processed by the Registrar's Office during the first week of classes. To change a course or section, students must obtain a drop/add from from the Registrar's Office and secure the appropriate approvals (as indicated by signatures). If dropping or adding a course, not a section, the student must obtain the signature of his/her academic advisor. If seeking entry into a course or section, which the Registrar has indicated is filled, the student will be placed on a waiting list and notified by the Registrar if they have secured a seat in the class or placed in a new section. No classes may be dropped or added after the end of the first week of classes for each semester. Note: Students will be charged for any class not officially dropped by the end of the stabilization period.
How does a student officially withdraw from a course?
To officially withdraw from a course after the end of the add/drop period, a student must file the appropriate form with the Registrar's Office. The course instructor will then assign a grade of W (if the withdrawal is between the end of add/drop and the end of the third week of the semester) or a WP of WF (if the request for withdrawal is between the fourth week and the end of the twelfth week of the semester). Any student withdrawing from a course in the last three weeks of the semester will receive a WF unless very special circumstances justify, in the instructor's opinion, a grade of W or WP.
Are students expected to attend classes?
Students are fully expected to attend classes. Excessive absence for any reason may lead either to failure or a low grade in a course. At the beginning of each course, the instructor will distribute a written statement of his/her policies on absenteeism, attendance , warnings, and make-up privileges.
Whether an absence is extended or of short duration, whatever the reason, students should contact their instructors promptly. Instructors appreciate learning of student absences before or during rather than after the fact. Students will be informed of the instructor's office hours and phone extension by the course syllabus distributed at the beginning of the course. In special circumstances, such as an absence due to serious illness that extends for a week or more, the student should notify the Dean of Academic Services at(617) 928-4556.