Use CAPP reports to your advantage

Posted 03-27-2002 at 6:28PM

It’s registration time again, and many of you are faced with questions about what to take next semester. In my advising experience, the questions typically can be broken down into two types: what courses satisfy degree requirements and what courses address specific interests. The second type is best answered by having a discussion with your advisor, particularly if you are trying to determine which might be best in terms of your career goals. He or she will gladly provide their impression of the value of the different options you may be considering. The first type of questions, however, can be quite complicated when trying to interpret some of rules associated with degree requirements and finding an answer may prove difficult at times. However, there are resources available to you that you may or may not be aware of. Let me briefly describe some of these.

First, there are the obvious sources of information, the Rensselaer Catalog, the CAPP report, and of course, your curriculum advisor. The Rensselaer Catalog you received when you entered is the official document of your degree requirements. You are ultimately responsible for being familiar with and satisfying those requirements. The Curriculum Advising and Program Planning report, which you can get to through SIS, provides you with an assessment of your progress in completing your degree requirements. The CAPP report is an unofficial assessment, so there may be some courses classified in areas that you don’t understand or agree with. Your department’s degree clearance officer clears up most of these problems when reviewing your transcript for degree completion, but you can check with your advisor to make sure.

This leads to the third place to get answers, your curriculum advisor. Make an appointment as soon as possible to meet with your advisor, bring your CAPP report, and any questions you have. If they don’t know the answer, they know where it can be found. Don’t know who your advisor is? Check the CAPP report; your advisor’s name is printed at the top.

There are extensive online resources as well at the Advising and Learning Assistance Center’s website (www.rpi.edu/dept/advising). Follow the link, “Undergraduate Degree Map to Success,” and you can find answers to questions on such topics as transfer credits, co-ops, undergraduate research, and study abroad. Want to know who the experts are in the various curriculums? Check the link on the ALAC’s website, “Resource Advisors by Curriculum”, which will lead you to the names of all the experts in the various curriculums.

Still can’t get an answer? Send an email to either me (gabrig2@rpi.edu), or Bob Conway, director of the ALAC, (conwar@rpi.edu). We’ll do our best to answer your question within 24 hours.

Remember, satisfying your academic requirements is your responsibility. Don’t let questions about it go unanswered.

Gary A. Gabriele

Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education