FAQ

If students are having trouble using the Carleton Central system they can click the “?” button from within Carleton Central. All the instructions for each feature in Carleton Central are fully explained in the online help. For technical issues, you can also contact the Registrar’s Office.

You can change your courses on Carleton Central before the published academic deadlines in the Registration Information Booklet.

The University strives to provide students with access to courses. However, factors such as room size can limit the number of spaces available in a course. Academic departments may also restrict certain courses to a particular year level or degree program. If no spaces are available to you, that course will appear as “Closed” (C) in Carleton Central. Students needing to register in closed sections of any course, laboratory, or tutorial section, as well as students seeking permission to register in a course for which they lack the prerequisites, must complete the Course Registration Override Request. The Override Request can found on the Add or Drop Classes page in Carleton Central. For more information please visit http://www.carleton.ca/summer/registration/errors.htm

The grade point average is calculated on a twelve-point scale at Carleton. Students will need to learn how to calculate their GPA (Grade Point Average) and their CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). Information may be found in the student agenda or the Undergraduate Calendar.

Students can access their final grades on Carleton Central. Access requires a user name and password and anyone without this information cannot view the grades.

Student must maintain full-time status (2.0 or more credits per term), and a GPA of 10.0. A unique feature of Carleton’s scholarship program is that students who lose their scholarship can gain it back the following year if they meet the requirements. For more information please visit the Awards Office.

An Honors degree refers to a 20-credit program in which the average student taking a full course load graduates within four years. The General three-year degree refers to a 15-credit program in which the average student taking a full course load normally graduates within three years. Both degrees provide Carleton students with the critical skills and training required for a professional career. However, the four-year degree offers students an opportunity to pursue education at the Masters level.

Most programs offer students the opportunity to branch off into a more specific area within their program. Depending on the program, this focus may be referred to as a stream, concentration, specialization or theme. Students can also double major (combined honors) and minor in subject areas that are of particular interest to them. These decisions are not usually made until a student has completed at least five credits or one year of full time study.

Whatever area in the Arts or Social Sciences you choose to study, you will develop a set of core skills that many employers seek in their new recruits. As a student in the B.A. program, you will learn to read with a critical eye, to spot errors in logic, and identify new possibilities. You also develop critical thinking, communication, writing and research skills.

A Major is the field in which a student focuses during the course of his/her degree. A student will generally complete 10 out of the necessary 20 credits in an Honors degree in the Major subject area. A Minor is a secondary concentration of courses that often complements the Major. This usually requires completion of 5 credits in the Minor subject area.

A double major (or Combined Honors) is simply two Majors completed in one degree. Although it doesn’t necessarily take longer to complete a degree, pursuing a double major does reduce the student’s overall number of elective courses.

The best thing to do is to take the introductory course of the major that you’re currently registered in. Once you’ve fulfilled these requirements feel free to take the compulsory courses that you’ll need for your other major as electives. It is very important to see an advisor from the Student Academic Success Centre after September 3; they will be able to help you switch. If you are adamant about switching your major before you register please make an appointment with the Admissions office in Robertson Hall. They will help you make a formal declaration of your change in major.

No, students do not have to declare a major until the end of their first year of study. Advisors at the Student Academic Success Centre are available to help all exploratory students choose their major in an informed way. Students can also do some background work at home by visiting the Major Exploration website.

If you are taking a degree under the Faculty of Arts or Social Sciences (FASS) you are required to take a First Year Seminar. Students in other Faculties, such as Engineering do not need to take one. If you are unsure, consult your program guide in the Undergraduate Calendar.

The advisors in the Student Academic Success Centre will be able to go over your academic audit and provide you specific information on an individual basis. It is highly recommended that you consult an academic advisor before dropping a class. Dropping a class may also affect your student loans, so be sure to contact the Awards Office as well

The answer, for the most part, is yes. It is easier to change programs within your Faculty than outside of your Faculty because programs in other faculties will often have pre-requisite courses that must have been completed. If you are interesting in changing, it is advisable that you make an appointment at the Student Academic Success Centre to discuss with an advisor your plan of action and which courses you will need to take.

Yes there are! For a complete list of programs, please visit the Co-Op Program. In addition to our co-ops, we offer internships, placements, practicums, and field courses in close to 20 disciplines. Please speak to your department for more information about admission to the co-op program or visit the website for more information.

Yes, there are many wonderful opportunities! Carleton has more than 80 exchange partners in more than 33 countries around the world including Australia, Cuba, France, Russia, Spain and Tanzania. For more information and application procedures, visit Carleton International.

Carleton University accommodates students who, by reason of religious obligation, must miss an examination, test, assignment deadline, laboratory, or other compulsory event. You should make a formal request to your instructor, in writing, during the first two weeks of any given academic term, or as soon as possible after a need for accommodation is found to exist. Please see the Undergraduate Calendar for more detailed information. You can also visit the Equity Services website for more information about Carleton’s policies on religious accommodations.

You should talk to your professor in your department as soon as possible. • Arts and Social Sciences • Public Affairs • Sprott School of Business • Science, Computer Science, Math and Statistics • Engineering, Architecture and Design You may be required to get a notice from your doctor. • Health Services

The Student Academic Success Centre, Learning Support Services and the Student Experience Office all offer free study skills workshops throughout the year. These workshops include information on effective reading, essay writing, note taking and other useful topics. Appointments can also be made with SASC to take the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) which can help students identify areas in which they need specific attention.

Class sizes will vary depending on the program and year. For example, a first-year lecture may be as large as 400 students while an arts or science seminar can have as few as 30 students. All Bachelor of Arts students will register for a First Year Seminar, which are capped to provide a small, personalized learning experience. In general, as students move along in their studies they’ll find that class sizes become smaller.

Visit the Campus Map for a full list of the various buildings and their abbreviations, as well as parking locations and an overlay of the tunnel system.

Many first-year students live off-campus. There are a number of ways for students to get involved with campus activities. An excellent start is orientation week, which runs from Saturday, September 2nd to Friday, September 8th. More information can be accessed Carleton’s Orientation website, which will provide links to each of the individual Fall Orientation options available.

There are numerous off-campus accommodations available to students. You can visit the Housing Office for assistance in seeking accommodation and ideas on where to look and what to look for. A list of available off-campus accommodations can be found at the Housing Departments Off-Campus Accommodations page.

No, please contact the Housing Office for an application form. So long as you have been admitted to the university as a full time student, you are welcome to apply. However at this time, most of the spaces in residence have been spoken for. If you are not accepted into Residence, your name will be placed on a waiting list, which will move according to cancellations and other students declining their offers over the remainder of the summer. Be persistent and keep up to date with your number on the waiting list. Remember that the waiting list is no guarantee of a residence room so it is important to also look into off campus accommodation. Contact the Housing Office for more information about residence living.

If confirmed residence students plan to arrive in Ottawa early they will have to make alternate off-campus accommodation arrangements. Unfortunately, we are limited in our ability to offer accommodation prior to September 3, 2005. Suggestions for accommodation: YMCA -YWCA – 237-1320 Nicholas International Hostel – 235-2595 The Travelodge Hotel on Carling Avenue is offering overnight accommodation at a rate of $69 for single or double occupancy, including Continental Breakfast. This specific accommodation offer is available from August 29, 2005 to and including September 2, 2005. Students who wish to book accommodation should make reference to the $69 rate being offered to Carleton students. Those wishing to make accommodation arrangements may call toll free: 1-800-267- 4166 or visit their web site.

A list of things to bring and not to bring can be found on at the Housing Office.

The Housing Office will provide you with the name of the building you have been assigned to and the type of accommodation (either double or single/traditional or suites) in the Residence Information Package, which is sent out in late July. The Housing Office does not disclose information about specific room assignments until the move in day because as students are accepted, decline offers, withdraw or decide not to live in residence, the assignments can change from day to day. Therefore, instead of giving students information that is not correct about roommates and room numbers, they wait until move in day when all the information has been finalized.

In efforts to reduce waiting time, long line ups and make your move in as smooth as possible, Residence Check-In will be centralized at each Residence building. Registration will take place on your specific move in date from 9am-6pm in the foyer of your designated building (as noted in the Residence Information package). Students arriving outside these days and hours should report to the Residence Information desk located in the Commons Building foyer. Once you have registered and received your room keys you are able to unload your car and move into the community you will call home for the next 8 months! Orientation facilitators will be available to help students move into their rooms. Students will be able to head into the Fenn Lounge, located in the Commons Building, to set up and receive their Campus Cards and make arrangements with Primus for long distance calling.

Yes. All residence rooms have ethernet connections to permit access to the University Intranet, and the World Wide Web. More information on this will be provided in the residence package that students will receive.

This information will be provided in the residence package. The first deposit for first students guaranteed a spot is due June 12. The first payment is due on August 31 and the second payment is due January 2. The updated 2006-2007 Residence Fees are available online.

The Residence Life Staff take pride in creating a safe, supportive and enjoyable living environment for students. Each building is supervised by a Senior Resident, and staffed by many Residence Fellows (normally one per floor) who work year round to build a sense of community, assist students, and plan educational/social events. Also, the front desk in Residence Commons is open 24 hours to assist students.

How long have you lived together? If it’s less than a month, wait it out – you’re probably still working out some of the kinks involved in living together. Many roommate problems can be solved with a little bit of communication, but if you have tried to work it out and are just not able to work it out, contact your Residence Fellow. He/she may help you mediate further or provide guidance as to next steps. It is important to know that you don’t have to be friends with your roommate. It is encouraged to be civil, but if you do not get along you don’t have to make an attempt to be his/her friend. Also, the traditional double rooms share a bathroom with another double room. This means that you’ll be sharing a bathroom with 3 other people. This gives you an opportunity to be in contact with people other than your roommate. If your living conditions become unbearable, talk to your res. fellow or visit the housing office and they will move you based upon the level of your comfort.

You are allowed to have guests in residence with written permission of your roommate. Guests are permitted to stay no more than 7 nights per term and no more than 3 consecutive. As well, you (the host) is fully responsible for the behaviour of your guests. (Keep in mind that the residence contract is reviewed each summer, and changes to the guest policies may occur.)

The Rideau River Residence Association, or RRRA (pronounced raw) for short, is the oldest and largest residence association in Canada and was founded in 1968 and incorporated in 1976. All undergraduate students living in residence are members of RRRA and their membership fee is included in their Residence fees. They run a number of activities for residence students including the convenience store Abstentions, the arcade Procrastinations, the newspaper, The Resin, as well as a number of special events.

Student e-mail accounts are provided through MyCarleton. Detailed information and sign-ups can be found on the Computing and Communications Services web site.

The MyCarleton portal offers students an e-mail service, online chats, course chats, services links, campus updates and national news. Students can also connect directly to their Carleton Central account. All students are encouraged to sign up for their own personal accounts. On campus students can visit any computer on campus and follow the directions for new users. Off campus students can visit the Computing and Communication Services web site to sign up.

Yes; the university network can be accessed remotely through Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. For more information, instructions, and the required client download, visit Carleton Computing and Communications Services.