The Starting Line

Access

Tech/Access

MyPath is the hub for your online student information. From here, you can access Blackboard for your classes, your student email account (which should be checked every day), and the Self-Service Center. Self-Service is where you can look at your financial aid, your tuition bill, final grades, update your information, and much more

• Help with Your Accounts
• Student Account

Blackboard

All classes should have a page on Blackboard. In-person classes may use it differently, but your online classes will be done completely in Blackboard. The Courses tab will show your classes by the semester and allow you to click into each class page. Be sure to review the syllabus for each class, read through the Start Here module, and complete an academic activity/assignment during the first week. Failure to do that activity/assignment in the first week may get you marked and dropped as a no show. 

• Online Learning
• New Online Learning Students

Schedule

Double check your class schedule as things may have changed since you enrolled! You can review your class schedule on MyPath -> Student Self-Service -> Online Schedule

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Finances and Supplies

Bookstore

You may need books and supplies for your classes! To see what you need, you can look these up on the bookstore website and verify with the information in your course syllabus. Some items may be required to purchase and some may be optional, which you'll see when you search on the bookstore website. Many classes use digital content where the e-book is already loaded into your course and part of your bill. You can purchase online or on campus at the bookstore location in Somerset or London.

• Bookstore

Aid/Tuition

If you have more financial aid than your tuition for the semester, that surplus amount can be used at the bookstore in the week before your classes begin. You can use that online or on campus when purchasing. Any leftover aid not used at the bookstore will be refunded to you 6-8 weeks after the start of your classes.

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Mindset and Success

Success

The most important skill for college success is time management. Balancing home responsibilities, work, and the demands of multiple classes requires both the ability to stay motivated to get the work done and the capacity to juggle multiple priorities and don’t let anything drop. Developing a calendar system and set of routines will help you with this. It’s also important to know who you are as a learner and what type of study strategies work best for you – auditory, vocal, visual, etc. SCC has many resources to help you get off to a good start and be successful in your first semester. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

• Academic Resources
• Learning Commons

Motivation

Remembering your WHY

A college degree or diploma is not earned overnight. For many, it will take multiple years of continuous effort – completing assignments, reading, studying, writing papers – to reach those goals. It can be easy to lose motivation or question what you are doing along the way. This can lead to missed assignments and once a student feels like they have fallen behind, it is challenging to get caught up. It’s so important to remember the “WHY” of starting college and use that as your motivation to complete your program and move into the career or transfer goals that you are working towards.

Online Classes

Classes in modules; most are asynchronous, meaning no live class to join or set time to be in the class; importance of a good system to keep track of due dates and have time to complete them (routines); note use of calendar and gradebook tools, plus announcements; contacting instructors; publisher content.

• Online Learning Student Guide

Resources

Advising

The academic advisor is meant to be your primary contact at SCC to help you understand your academic journey to complete your program. They make sure you are taking the right classes and are on the right path to get to the goals you have in mind. You can find your advisor in the Self-Service page on MyPath and can contact them via email with questions or to set up a meeting. Be sure to include your student information when reaching out so they know who you are. They can also help point you in the right direction if you have questions about anything college-related. Lastly, when it is time to sign up for your next semester or complete a graduation application, they will be there to help you out with those steps.

• Advising