Answers and definitions to the most common questions and vocabulary
WHAT is MYWaY?
- MyWay is MCC's portal where you will have access to your student academic and Financial Aid records. In MyWay you will be able to see what courses you need to complete in order to graduate, what courses you have taken, and apply for graduation.
- You will register for classes in your MyWay account.
- You will be able to access your financial Information, too.
What is Orientation?
What is a credit hour?
- A credit hour is based on the number of hours per week spent in the classroom throughout a quarter. For a 4.5-credit-hour class you can expect to be in that class approximately four hours a week.
What is a major?
- A major indicates a specific group of classes needed to complete a certificate or degree program. It is also referred to as the programs of study.
What are general education requirements?
- Required core classes (general education) that are a part of your degree and help to ensure that every student receives a well-rounded education. They include core courses in math, english, social science, humanities, information literacy and natural science.
What is full-time? Do I have to be full-time?
- Students enrolled in 12.0 or more credit hours during a quarter are considered full-time students. Anything less than 12.0 credit hours is considered part time.
- While you are not required to be enrolled in any certain number of credit hours for academic purposes, if you are receiving funding for your school you should be aware of the requirements of your funding source. Some benefits packages such as financial aid, scholarship and VA benefits base their award funds on the requirement that you are to be enrolled in a certain number of credit hours. If you are receiving financial assistance for college, make sure you understand the enrollment requirements of your aid package.
- F-1 international students need to enroll full-time, unless they have authorization from International Student Services.
What is the catalog?
- The catalog contains College policies, programs of study and course descriptions. It is your most important resource for meeting your goals.
What is the Class Schedule?
- The class schedule is where you can find times, dates, and locations for all courses offered in a quarter.
- Each course is assigned a section and synonym number. The section number or synonym number identifies the course day, time, location and instructor.
Will my course(s) transfer to another college?
- MCC has transfer agreements, called articulation agreements, with many area colleges.
- Use the Transfer/Articulation page to see if your prospective college is listed and how it might transfer.
- Still not sure? Check with the prospective institution.
What should I know about adding/dropping a class?
- Adding and dropping classes may impact your financial aid or immigration status if you are an F-1 int'l student.
- Each class has a noted Last Day to withdraw. Dropping a class will spare the impact of an "F" grade on your GPA if the class is dropped before the last day to withdraw.
- Depending on when the courses are dropped, students are not always entitled to refunds for classes that are dropped. Please visit the tuition refund modeler in My Way. Go to "My Services" for students, then "student accounts" and select "tuition refund modeler."
What is a withdrawal?
- Withdrawing from a class will not affect your GPA. Instead of receiving a grade for the course, a "W" will be listed on your transcript. Withdrawing from a course is a last resort based on your ability to be successful in that course. Withdrawals may impact your financial aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please check with financial aid before withdrawing from a course.
- If you are an F-1 int'l student, withdrawing from a course may impact your immigration status. Please check with International Student Services before withdrawing from a course.
What is the difference between an academic advisor and an advocacy counselor?
- Advisors assist students with developing an educational plan, promoting successful student practices, and providing general direction to support their academic and career goals. Advisors connect students to valuable resources and information about MCC's academic programs, services, policies and procedures. Advisors also guide students through career exploration, utilizing interest and assessment tools.
- Advocacy Counselors assist students who need to strengthen their basic skills in reading, writing and/or math and students who are English-language learners. Advocacy counselors provide intervention or professional community referrals to students experiencing personal problems and/or crisis situations.
For more general questions and common procedures on navigating college, please visit the How Do I ...? page
You may also contact your advisor for further advising questions.
