Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What if my daughter is having trouble deciding on a major?
A. Some students may know what major they wish to pursue upon entering college, while others need several semesters to explore various interests. If your daughter is undecided about her major, she is in good company. Approximately 70 percent of college students change their major at least once. So even if she enters Meredith with a very clear idea of where she is headed, she may find that she needs to consider alternative majors, due to interest or ability.

New students are encouraged to take courses in areas of possible interest while taking general education courses (i.e., English composition, foreign language, history, religion, math, science, social sciences, arts, health, etc.). Many students find that general education courses open them to new areas of academic interest and, eventually, lead to selection of a major field of study.

Meredith has many resources for students who wish to explore a variety of academic and career options, including Academic and Career Planning. If your daughter is undecided about her major, she should begin to explore majors at Meredith early. Students must declare their major by the end of their sophomore year. Undecided students should recognize that some majors require specific courses to be taken in a structured sequence. Being undecided for too long or changing majors can lengthen the time in college.

Q. Who will help my daughter select courses?
A. As a freshman, your daughter will be assigned an academic advisor who is specially trained to work with incoming students during the transition from high school to college. Transfer students work with a faculty member in the department for their intended major. Your daughter’s faculty advisor will help with course schedule creation, although the ultimate decisions belong to the student. Faculty advisors are responsible for:

Assisting students in their consideration and clarification of educational goals
Assisting students in developing a plan of study consistent with their goals and objectives
Providing accurate information to students
Being knowledgeable about programs, resources, policies and procedures
Being appropriately available to students
Providing timely attention to academic advising matters
Assisting students in evaluation and re-evaluation of progress toward established goals and educational plans
Making referrals to resources within and outside of the college as appropriate
Expecting the advisee to assume her share of the responsibility for the advising relationship and encouraging her to do so

Your daughter is responsible for :

Giving thoughtful consideration to personal goals, so academic and career/professional goals can be coordinated with them
Discussing long-range personal and career goals with her advisor
Knowing the basic requirements of her chosen major well enough to be able to ask meaningful questions (information found through the College Catalogue, which the student receives during Orientation, and from specific academic departments)
Planning ahead for meetings with her faculty advisor
Accepting responsibility for making final decisions on academic matters
Being familiar with the College Catalogue and the course schedule for the current semester
Keeping the advisor informed of all changes in her schedule, problems encountered, and those questions that arise which could affect her academic life (such as possible change of major, study skills concerns, etc.)
Visiting her advisor promptly if she receives any low grades
Keeping personal copies of grade reports, requirement sheets, etc.
Seeking out-of-class activities (i.e., cultural events, interest-related clubs, student organizations, convocations, etc.) relevant to her desired major and other interests

When your daughter declares her major, she will be transferred to an advisor from the major department.

Q: I heard that my daughter can take courses at other colleges while she is at Meredith. How does that work?
A: Meredith, Peace and Saint Augustine’s Colleges, and North Carolina State and Shaw Universities form a consortium through which they provide their collective educational resources to students at each of the five institutions. Under this agreement, full-time Meredith students may take collegiate level courses at any of the other campuses in the consortium. These courses are used for general enrichment, to strengthen particular majors, to enhance career training, and, in certain situations, to earn an additional major or degree. Web-based and video courses at North Carolina State University are not included under the CRC agreement.

A student may take up to three courses per year during the fall and spring semesters through the CRC agreement. She may not take courses available at Meredith, except in unusual circumstances. The approval process begins with the student’s academic advisor and requires approval from the head of the respective department or school. A CRC Application form is available at http://www.meredith.edu/registrar/forms.html and in the Office of the Registrar. Approval is subject to space availability, as determined by the host institution.

Q: My daughter is coming home for the summer, and she wants to take a couple of courses at the local college. How can she transfer the credit to Meredith?
A: Your daughter needs to fill out an application for off-campus credit. The form is available at http://www.meredith.edu/registrar/forms.html and in the Office of the Registrar. The completed form needs to be turned in to the Office of the Registrar before she takes the course. She will also need to order an official transcript from the college she is attending to be sent to the Office of the Registrar, Meredith College, 3800 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27607, once she has completed the course. Only courses with a grade of C- or better will be transferred.

Q. How will my daughter know if she is achieving academically?
A. End-of-semester grade reports are available to the student on their WebAdvisor account, which requires a unique username and password. At Mid-Term, students who are performing at the D or F level receive mid-term reports on or about the seventh week of the semester. These mid-term reports also provide information on how a student may be able to improve their standing in the class.

Q. What should my daughter do if she is experiencing academic problems?
A. Because the transition from high school to college can be quite challenging, some students may discover that they are not doing as well as they could or should be. Meredith has several ways to reach students who may be academically at-risk, however, it is up to each student to work with her faculty members if she is unsure about her performance. The staff in Academic and Career Planning is also available for assistance and will make referrals to resources available on campus.

In addition to mid-term reports, students may also be contacted through the Early Warning System if a faculty member is concerned about them. A collaboration between the Dean of Students and Academic and Career Planning, the Early Warning System offers a comprehensive approach to preventing continued academic difficulty.

If a student finds herself on academic probation, she is given the chance to improve her grades the next semester. If she fails to achieve minimum standards again, she will be suspended for one semester. Academic and Career Planning provides support for students on probation through workshops and individual assistance. Additional information about satisfactory academic progress can be found in the Undergraduate Catalogue.

Q. What if my daughter misses classes because of personal illness or a family emergency?
A. It is her responsibility to notify instructors of personal illness or family emergency and to consult with the faculty to determine how the missed work will be handled. In cases of extenuating circumstances (emergency illness, accident, or extended illness) the Office of the Dean of Students should be notified.

Q: Where can I find the dates for classes, breaks and commencement?
A: You can access the academic calendar, which includes all of the semester dates online at http://www.meredith.edu/registrar/accallink.htm.

Q: My insurance company requires verification that my daughter is a full-time student. How can I handle that?

A: Your daughter can request verification from the Office of the Registrar after the dropadd period for the term ends.

Q: What if my daughter or family member is accused of violating Meredith College’s Honor Code?
A: Meredith College’s Honor Code is a treasured tradition and supports Meredith’s commitment to student self-governance. As members of the Meredith community, students pledge themselves to developing and affirming in each student a sense of personal honor and responsibility. The Honor Council, a branch of the Student Government Association, is composed of student officers, student representatives from each class, faculty representatives, and an administrative advisor.

If a student is suspected of violating the College’s Honor Code, in or out of the classroom, she is asked to report herself to the Solicitor General of Honor Council or the Dean of Students. If there is sufficient evidence of a violation, an Honor Council hearing will be scheduled to hear facts of the case and to determine an appropriate sanction if the outcome warrants one.

Often a student will contact her parents for guidance and support. Specific Honor Council hearing information, as with all college educational records, is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Although parents/family members may not attend Honor Council hearings, you may provide support and assistance to your student by encouraging her to be an active participant in the Honor System.

You can help your family member by staying calm and encouraging her to stay connected with herstudent support counselor and to prepare for the hearing. Information about specific Honor Council process and procedures may be found in the online Student Handbook. Please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at (919) 760-8521 for more information or assistance.

Q: What is my daughter is having conflict with her roommate or she is having difficulty with another issue related to residence life?
A: The residence life staff is here to help your daughter with her adjustment to college and to community living. Living on campus is like no other experience your student will have and at times she may find it challenging and exciting. To help your daughter have a positive experience, residence life staff are available for assistance. If a student is having difficulty with a roommate conflict, community living, or with other residence life concerns (maintenance, noise, etc.), please encourage her to contact a member of the residence life staff.

Residence life staff members include:

a Resident Assistant (RA) - a student leader on each floor responsible for conducting hall meetings, providing information to residents, fostering a sense of community among residents and assisting with issues such as roommate concerns and homesickness.
a Residence Director (RD) – full-time professional staff member who lives in the residence hall. Provides supervision for RAs, acts as resource and mentor to residents, and provides support for the community.
Director of Residence Life – supervises the Residence Directors and oversees the operation of the residence halls. The Director serves as part of the staff in the Office of the Dean of Students.

Students are encouraged to contact a member of the residence life staff about her concern to work toward a solution. Students may also contact the Director of Residence Life and her office assistant by emailing reslife@meredith.edu

Q: How can I help my daughter if she is feeling overwhelmed, emotional, depressed or anxious?
A: Let your daughter know you care about her and are concerned about her. You may want to identify some of specific behaviors that are worrying you. Encourage her to make an appointment with a counselor in the Counseling Center by calling 760-8427 or dropping by Carroll 106. Follow up and ask her if she’s made the appointment. Ask her how the appointment went. If she is having trouble making an appointment, you can ask her what’s getting in her way. She may feel more comfortable about making an appointment after learning about the Center and its staff at www.meredith.edu/students/counsel/default.htm.

The Counseling Center provides free and confidential short term counseling to all students. And yes, that translates into the Center not being able to share information about your daughter without her written consent. Confidentiality is an important aspect of counseling that allows students to truly share what their issues are and work on them directly.

Q: What if my daughter is busy or too shy to pursue an issue or concern?
A: Acknowledge finding time and/ or being assertive can be difficult. Let her know that if the issue or concern at hand is important enough she can make time to place a phone call, send an e-mail, or seek faculty or staff who can answer her question. Remember, the answer to her question might be online, in the Student Handbook or College Catalog. Encourage her independence.

If she is shy or hesitant about approaching faculty or staff, you can role play with your daughter. Have her practice asking her question or discussing her concern with you prior to approaching faculty or staff to build her confidence and fine tune what she wants to say. Encourage her to write out her questions or concern. She can refer to what she’s written during the phone conversation or face-to-face meeting. Ask your daughter to assess the situation; does it lend itself to an e-mail correspondence? She may want to start off by asking her question or sharing her concern with an e-mail.

Q: What is the Parents’ Council, and how can I serve on it?

A: The Parents’ Council is made up of caring parents who want to learn more about Meredith, effect change when necessary, and support worthy programs for the advancement of the College. Members of the Council support the College in three areas: student recruitment, fundraising, and on-campus events. The Council meets two times per year during the fall and spring semesters. If you are interested in learning more about or serving on the Parents’ Council, please call Jane Mitchell at (919) 760-8060 or email parents@meredith.edu.