Important academic dates and deadlines and how to access academic advising throughout the semester. This is a summary from the email you received from David Zach. "I" in this case is David.
Please read through all items carefully, but PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING:
- Express Drop-in Advising available this week (item 1c) – some form of drop-in advising will be available every day!
- How to schedule advising appointments this semester (item 1d)
- First Friday (August 23) deadlines in the Important Dates list (item 2)
- While you may still drop courses after this date, it is the final day to add courses to your schedule without special permission, the final day to get a 100% tuition refund on dropped courses, and the final day that waitlists run for courses.
- Remember that if this is your first semester at OSU (either as a first-year or a new transfer student), then all schedule changes must go through your academic advisor
Table of Contents:
Autumn 2024 Academic Advising
- Advising Location Information
- Drop-in Advising
- Express Drop-in Advising
- 30-minute Appointment Scheduling
- Graduating in Autumn 2024?
Important Dates for Autumn 2024 Semester
Autumn 2024 Academic Advising:
- Advising Location Information:
I will be on campus for 4 days per week this Autumn. My schedule most weeks will be as follows:- Mondays: 4012 McPherson Lab
- Tuesdays: Work from home
- Wednesdays: 1140 Physics Research Building (PRB)
- Thursdays: 1140 PRB (morning) / 4012 McPherson Lab (afternoon)
- Fridays: 1140 PRB (morning) / 4012 McPherson Lab (afternoon)
I will be available for in-person appointments on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and I will be available for virtual appointments through Zoom every weekday. One of my offices is in the Physics Department and the other is in the Astronomy Department, but for in-person appointments, you may attend an appointment in either office regardless of your major. All virtual meetings will be held through Zoom. You are welcome to leave your video turned off or to call in to the Zoom meeting via phone if you would like, but it is easier for me to have all appointments go through one system (rather than taking a phone call through my office phone, for example). In order to access my Zoom, you must be signed in to your OSU account using Single Sign-On (SSO). Full details can be found on my staff web pages for Astronomy (https://astronomy.osu.edu/people/zach.11) and for Physics (https://physics.osu.edu/people/zach.11)
There are several ways to meet with or contact me for advising help:
- Drop-in Advising:
Drop-in hours are for quick 5-10 minute questions or discussions with no appointment necessary. If you think you will need more than 10 minutes, please schedule a 30-minute appointment (see item 1d). I will have regular, weekly drop-in hours throughout the semester on Thursdays at 1:30-4:00pm, US Eastern Time. Information on accessing my Zoom room for drop-ins can be found on my staff web page (scroll down to “Zoom Instructions”): https://astronomy.osu.edu/people/zach.11 You will be notified of any changes to this schedule via email announcement.
- Express Drop-in Advising:
I will provide additional drop-in times at points in the semester where advising demand is high (such as around the beginning of the semester and around major university deadlines). Again, no appointment is required. Some of the times where this will happen are:- 1st week of the semester (August 19-23):
- Tuesday, August 20, 9:30am-12:00pm US Eastern Time
- Zoom (go.osu.edu/meetwithdavid) or in-person (1140 Physics Research Building)
- Wednesday, August 21, 9:30am-12:00pm US Eastern Time
- Zoom (go.osu.edu/meetwithdavid) or in-person (1140 Physics Research Building)
- Thursday, August 22, 1:30-3:30pm US Eastern Time
- Zoom (go.osu.edu/meetwithdavid) or in-person (4012 McPherson Lab)
- Friday, August 23, 1:30-4:00pm US Eastern Time
- Zoom (go.osu.edu/meetwithdavid) or in-person (4012 McPherson Lab)
- 10th week of the semester (October 21-25): TBD
- Other possible times TBD
- 30-minute Appointment Scheduling:
All other concerns should be addressed through 30-minute advising appointments. Please do not email me to set up an appointment – all appointments must be made through our online scheduling system, OnCourse (https://go.osu.edu/oncourse), most easily completed through my “Personal Advising Link” here: https://buckeyes.campus.eab.com/pal/DBhUypnYKD. Appointments must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Be sure to double check whether you are choosing an in-person or phone/remote appointment reason when scheduling. Remember that your times and days might be restricted if you choose an in-person appointment because I am not on campus every day (see item 1a).
Full instructions on how to schedule an appointment are available on my staff web pages: Astronomy (https://astronomy.osu.edu/people/zach.11); Physics (https://physics.osu.edu/people/zach.11)
- Email:
You can always contact me via email at zach.11@osu.edu, although I may ask you to schedule an appointment to discuss more complicated matters. In general, I check and answer email during working hours (9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday), and I generally aim to respond to all emails within 1 to 2 business days, not including university holidays.
- Graduating in Autumn 2024?
You must meet with me to fill out your Graduation Application! Plan to schedule a 30-minute appointment with me sometime during the first few weeks of classes after your Autumn schedule is finalized so that we can fill out an application. This is a relatively painless process of filling out a short form together (most of the work happens on my end), so do not worry about preparing anything ahead of time. Be sure to choose “Graduation (in-person)” or “Graduation (phone/remote)” as the reason for your appointment when you schedule in OnCourse.
Important Dates for Autumn 2024 Semester:
You can always find important dates listed on the Registrar’s website: https://registrar.osu.edu/academic-calendar/and https://registrar.osu.edu/student-hub/course-enrollment-information/
August 20 (Tuesday) – classes begin
1st Friday: August 23
- Deadline to add courses to your Autumn schedule (11:59pm). If you are a new first-year or transfer student this semester, you are unable to make adjustments to your own schedule, so all adjustments must be made by me, your academic advisor, before 5:00pm. Other students can make this drop on their own in Buckeye Link.
- Last day to get a 100% refund for dropped courses (if your tuition bill would change)
- Last day that waitlists run for Autumn courses
2nd Friday: August 30
- Deadline to add courses with instructor signature or email (5:00pm). Must be done through an academic advisor for all students.
- Deadline to enroll in Astronomy or Physics 4998(H)/4999(H) courses to get academic credit for research. Instructions:
- Astronomy: https://astronomy.osu.edu/undergraduates/undergraduate-research/research-course-credit
- Physics: https://physics.osu.edu/undergraduate-research-0 (expand “Research for Credit” section)
- Last day to get a 75% refund for dropped courses (if your tuition bill would change)
September 1 (Monday) – Labor Day – no classes, offices closed
September 6 (Friday) – Schedule of Courses released for Spring 2025 classes
September 6 (Friday) – Deadline to apply for Research Distinction if graduating in Spring 2025 semester if you are an Honors student: https://aschonors.osu.edu/honors/research-thesis
4th Friday: September 13
- Deadline to drop a course without it appearing on your transcript (11:59pm). Again, new students must do this through an advisor before 5:00pm
- Deadline to change a course to the Pass/Non-Pass (PA/NP) Option (5:00pm). Must be done through an advisor for all students
- Deadline to change a course to an Audit (R) Option (5:00pm). Must obtain permission from professor and must be processed through an academic advisor for all students
- Last day to get a 50% refund for dropped courses (if your tuition bill would change)
October 10-11 (Thursday-Friday) – Autumn Break: no classes, offices open
October 11 (Friday) – Deadline to apply for Research Distinction if graduating in Spring 2025 semester if you are a non-Honors student: https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/advising/research-distinction-research-thesis
October 14 (Monday) – Session 2 classes begin
October 14 (Monday) – Spring 2025 registration begins. Approximate dates found here: https://registrar.osu.edu/student-hub/course-enrollment-information/enrollment-appointment-windows/; exact registration date and time will be posted in Buckeye Link for each individual student
10th Friday: October 25
- Last day to drop a course with a grade of “W” appearing on your transcript (5:00pm). This must be done through your academic advisor for all students, not just new students
- Last day to apply for Grade Forgiveness (https://advising.osu.edu/grades-and-grade-forgiveness) for a course you are repeating this term. (11:59pm).
- University graduation application deadline for Autumn 2024 graduation. (5:00pm) This is a hard deadline. No exceptions will be made after this date.
November 11 (Monday) – Veteran’s Day: no classes, offices closed
November 27-29 (Wednesday-Friday) – Thanksgiving Break: no classes, offices open on Wednesday but closed Thursday-Friday
December 4 (Wednesday) – Last day of classes
December 5 (Thursday) – Reading Day: no classes, offices open
December 6-12 (Friday-Thursday) – Finals week
December 13 (Friday) – Departmental Graduation Application deadline for Spring 2025 graduation (more info to come later this semester)
December 15 (Sunday) – Autumn 2024 Commencement Ceremony
