What You Need to Know

New Student Orientation 

To learn more about our New Student Orientation program. 

Placement and Assessment

All incoming students are placed into Dean College English and Mathematics classes and sections appropriate to their declared major as well as their skill level based on information submitted to the College during the admission process, including high school transcript, transfer credit, and/or any submitted standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, AP, IB or CLEP). Students will then review these class placements when they receive their course schedule for the upcoming semester and can request adjustments to these placements at that time by speaking with their Success and Career Advisor.

Placement into English Classes

Incoming first-year students will be placed into Composition I (ENG 111) during their first semester unless they have college transfer, AP or IB credit for an equivalent course. The precise section will vary based on the student's placement as determined by a review of the student’s submitted application information:  some will be placed into the standard ENG 111 section; some will be placed into ENG 111 Workshop; some will be placed into an Honors ENG 111 section; and some will meet the criteria to be exempt from Composition I (ENG 111) or both Composition I (ENG 111) and Composition II (ENG 112).  Students can request an adjustment to their placement by speaking with their Success and Career Advisor.  Additional information about these courses is listed below and available here.

• The standard version of ENG 111 is designed for students who feel fairly comfortable reading lengthy magazine articles and books and writing 3-5-page (or longer) essays that assert and support a thesis with evidence and discussion.
• The workshop version of ENG 111 is designed for students who find longer or more complex readings challenging, and who do not have much experience writing 3-5-page (or longer) essays that assert and support a thesis with evidence and discussion. Additional class time is devoted to more interactive exercises and in-class writing. 
• The honors version of ENG 111 is for students invited to participate in the Honors Program when they were admitted to Dean College.  It is designed for students who are quite comfortable reading lengthy magazine articles and books, and writing 5-8 page essays that assert and support a thesis with evidence and discussion.  

Students for whom English is a second language will be placed into the appropriate level of the College’s FOCUS Program based on their English language assessment scores submitted with their application for admission. Some students will be placed into an ESL-supported workshop version of ENG 111 or an ESL-supported standard version of ENG 111. Students who do not submit these scores will complete an English language assessment during their orientation. Please click here for more information about the Dean College FOCUS Program.  

Self-Placement into Math Classes

Incoming first-year students take a math course during their first academic year. A few majors require a specific math course, and Success and Career Advisors will place students into that course. Most majors provide a list of options to fulfill the math requirement, including Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning (MTH 155), Mathematical Problem Solving in Performing Arts and Entertainment (MTH 125), Mathematics for the Biological Sciences (MTH 132), Introductory Statistics (MTH 130), Personal Finance (BUS 150), Precalculus I (MTH 151), Statistics for the Social Sciences (PSY/SOC 132), or Symbolic Logic (PHL 130). Students will be able to indicate their preference when they meet with their advisor during New Student Orientation.

• Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning (MTH 155): This course teaches the mathematical skills and quantitative reasoning needed for today’s world, including those needed for personal financial and consumer literacy. Students will also learn by working on the kinds of real-world quantitative problems they will encounter in the careers and personal lives.
• Mathematical Problem Solving in Performing Arts and Entertainment (MTH 125): This course is designed for students in the performing arts, and develops mathematical thinking and skills through problem-based projects like the kinds of projects performing arts professionals encounter, such as set design, budgets, setting ticket prices.
• Mathematics for the Biological Sciences (MTH 132): Required for Pre-Nursing majors and recommended for Biology, Health Sciences, and Science majors, this course teaches students the essential mathematical skills needed for success in nursing, allied health sciences, biological research and the life sciences. Students will learn these skills in the contexts they will see in future classes and in their careers.
• Introductory Statistics (MTH 130): This course, required for students majoring in health sciences, pre-nursing, and criminal justice (associate degree), focuses on descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency, probability rules and distributions, and simple hypothesis testing.
• Personal Finance (BUS 150): Open to all majors and required for Business, Business Management, and Marketing majors, this course combines theory and practical application to teach students key aspects of personal finance, including budgeting, banking, credit, insurance and taxes.
• Precalculus I (MTH 151): This course is first of two gateway courses between Algebra II and Calculus I. It is designed for students who have experience and are comfortable with manipulating expressions containing variables and solving linear equations.
• Statistics for the Social Sciences (PSY/SOC 132): This course, required for Psychology and Sociology majors, introduces students to the application of statistics to the research process in the social sciences. Students will learn both descriptive and inferential statistics, with an emphasis placed on understanding, critical evaluation and interpretation of statistics within the context of research in the social sciences.
• Symbolic Logic (PHL 130): This course introduces students to logic, the study of reasoning and arguments. Using formal, mathematical symbols, students learn how to follow and evaluate the validity of an argument, deepening their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Students who would like to take a higher-level math course during their first semester to meet this requirement, including Precalculus II (MTH 152), or Calculus I (MTH 241), complete a math evaluation with the math faculty. The results of this evaluation will determine the student’s math placement.

For More Information

Students who feel unsure about which sections or courses to choose after reading the guided self-placement instructions may contact Melissa Read, Assistant Vice President, Academic Affairs, at mread@dean.edu or 508-541-1654.