Youve received your placement letter Now what?

Step 1: E-mail your IREX advisor and introduce yourself. Step 2: E-mail your host advisor at your host institution in the US and introduce yourself. Tell them your major (field of study) and ask them to guide you with the course registration process. Please copy your IREX advisor in your e-mails to your advisor! Step 3: Review the Course Registration Guidelines. Then, visit your host institution website and find the course list and academic calendar for Fall 2011 semester. Remember, you are responsible for reviewing the courses available during the Questions you may want semester and selecting the ones that interest you to ask your host advisor: the most. While your host advisor can give you How do I register for classes? suggestions, they will not pick your courses for you. The course registration
process for each institution is different, but most colleges and universities have an online course registration system How many courses/credits can I take? Do I need to fill out any housing forms? What additional immunizations do I need?

Step 4: When youre deciding on courses, make sure you meet the following requirements: Are you taking at least 1 class in your major? Are you taking at least 1 class on an American Studies topic? Examples: American Civilization, Introduction to American Literature, Introduction to American Studies. Youre not exceeding the allowable credit limit

Step 5: Before enrolling in your courses, fill out the course selection approval form and e-mail it to your IREX advisor for approval
If anything is not clear, please feel free to contact your IREX advisor!

Global UGRAD-Pakistan Program Course Registration Guidelines

How Do I Choose my Courses? There are five basic steps you should follow: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Exploration Requirements and Prerequisites Scheduling Discussion and Advising Approval

1 Exploration: Look for the host institutions course catalog online, which provides a brief description of each course, as well as requirements for taking the course. Review the course catalog to find courses in your field of study and elective courses you would like to take. o Electives are courses that are not in your field of study, but that help make you a well-rounded, educated person. This is a good chance to explore fields that are new to you! At least one 3-credit course must be directly related to your field of study. At least one 3credit course must be in an American studies course. The rest may be electives. Remember that some classes fill up faster than others, so students do not always get into the classes they want. o Be sure to choose some alternative courses in case your first choices are already full. 2 Requirements and Pre-requisites: Check for class-standing requirements and course prerequisites for the courses that interest you: Some classes are not open to everyone. o Some courses require students to have Junior (3rd year) or Senior (4th year) standing to register for a particular course. Some classes may only be open to Freshman (1styear) students. Class standing may not be required for Global UGRAD-Pakistan fellows check with your host advisor to see if this applies to you. o Some courses require students to take another course (a prerequisite) before enrolling. Host institutions may make exceptions for students with international exchange status, depending on relevant coursework completed in your home country. 3 Scheduling Not all courses are offered every semester. Find the schedule of courses offered for that particular semester (i.e. Fall 2011) to learn which courses are offered. Make sure the courses you sign up for do not have time conflictsyou can only be in one place at one time. o Tip: The same course may be offered by different teachers and at different times of the day (sections). If you usually wake up early, 8:00 am classes may be better for you. However, if you prefer to sleep late, the same course (section) at 10:00 am is a better choice.

Consider balancing your classes evenly throughout the week so homework is more manageable. o If you sign up for 4 courses that all meet on Wednesdays, it may be overwhelming to prepare for the tests, quizzes, readings, and essays that are all due on the same day. 4 Discussion & Advising Put together a possible schedule to discuss with your host advisor and IREX. Courses should be chosen in consultation with a host advisor or academic advisor at your host institution and IREX. Your host advisor and IREX will make sure that your schedule fits the requirements of the university, Global UGRAD-Pakistan program rules, and your goals. 5 Approval ALL COURSES MUST BE APPROVED BY YOUR IREX ADVISOR BEFORE YOU REGISTER Use the attached Course Registration Approval Form to design a schedule that meets your program requirements and regulations Submit the course registration form to your IREX advisor prior to registering for courses After you receive approval from your IREX advisor, work with your host university advisor to follow the registration procedures at your host university Now, how do I Register for Classes? At some host institutions, you can register for courses online. At others, your host advisor will help you register over e-mail, or you will need to wait until you arrive on campus. You should ask your host advisor which is best. Students must register to take courses before the first day of classes. The registration deadline varies for different host institutions. Dont worry about the registration process. Stay in contact with IREX and your host institution advisor prior to your arrival and we will help you to register for your courses. Helpful Information What are course credits? At most US universities, each course you take is worth a certain number of credits. The number of credits is based on how often the course meets each week. The standard number of credits for a course is 3. A 3-credit course generally meets 2-3 times per week. You may receive more or fewer credits for certain courses: o Language courses or courses with labs (science and sometimes math) meet more often. They may be worth 4 credits. o Physical Education courses meet less often, 1-2 times per week. They are generally worth - 2 credits. This information is not the same for all host institutions. You can learn about your host institutions system in its course catalog or online. What are Course Sections & Labs: Course Sections o Beginning-level courses (such as Introduction to Microeconomics) are often offered at more than one time during the semester.

In order to differentiate between the Introduction to Microeconomics offered at 8 am and the same course offered at 10 am, they are labeled as sections: A, B, C, etc. Additional class time (usually once per week) that is required for a particular course. Labs may be required for language, science, and math courses.

Labs o o

How Many Courses Do I Take: You must fulfill the minimum number of credits required for full-time students at your host institution. Most host institutions require a minimum of 12 credits per semester from full-time students (generally 4 courses). The maximum number of credits you can take depends on your institution: o Fellows at SOME host institutions may take more than 12 credits without paying extra tuition or fees, but IREX does not encourage more than 15 credits or 5 courses during the semester o Fellows at other host institutions may NOT take more than 12 credits, because the host institution requires extra tuition or fees o Check with your host advisor and IREX about your host institutions policy on this issue. At least one 3-credit course must be in your field of study. Add/Drop Deadlines: Many universities allow students to change their selected courses during the first 1-2 weeks of the semester Sometimes after the first week of classes, students discover that the course isnt the right one for them for example, it may be too easy or too difficult During that first week or two, students have the option to add a course or drop a course If a course that you wanted was full, it may become available during this time In addition, many universities allow students to drop courses until the middle of the semester o If you are thinking about dropping a course, you must first be sure that you will still have a full schedule (usually 12 credits) o If you are thinking about dropping a course, you must first have approval from your host advisor and from your IREX advisor Rules to Remember: Global UGRAD-Pakistan fellows must be enrolled as non-degree, full-time undergraduate students. Fellows may not pursue or receive an academic degree while on the Global UGRADPakistan program. Fellows will take approximately 3-5 courses per quarter or semester depending on their institution. Fellows must not exceed the limit established by their institution, which could require payment of additional tuition or fees. Fellows must take at least one course in American history, literature, or government as an elective during the program. Fellows may not change their field of study during the program.

Quick Guide to the Global UGRAD-Pakistan program

1. The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Pakistan is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State and is administered by IREX. 2. Global UGRAD-Pakistan fellows are pursuing non-degree study for one semester in a host institution in the US. As a Global UGRAD-Pakistan fellow, you are required to: Stay enrolled in at least 12 credits Complete 20 hours of community service Do one country presentation Complete the critical study skills Complete the cultural passport program Refer to the Global UGRAD-Pakistan program handbook for more details. 3. Your IREX program advisor will be your primary Global UGRAD-Pakistan program contact. S/he will be responsible for your disbursing your monthly allowance and help make sure you meet the programs academic and cultural exchange requirements. 4. Your host advisor will be your main contact at your host university. S/he will answer important questions about academic courses, the registration process, housing and other university rules and regulations.