Pre-Orientation Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the
recommended order for completing the Pre-Orientation materials?
A:
All of the materials can be accessed on TruView. (For assistance,
reference the TruView Login Instructions.)
We recommend completing your Pre-Orientation materials in the following order:
1. Summer Orientation session preference
2. Pre-Orientation Questionnaire
3. Math Placement Exam
4. Foreign Language Placement Exam
5. Communication Placement Exam (If you plan on majoring in Communication or have an extensive public speaking background)
Q: I am having trouble logging into TruView. What do I do?
A: Review the TruView Login Instructions. If you are not successfully logging in, try the following:
1. Check the letter included in your Pre-Orientation packet to be sure you are typing your username correctly.
2. Try logging in with your Social Security Number, date of birth (mmddyyyy), or your chosen password if you have previously logged into TruView.
3. If you cannot remember your password or if you still cannot successfully login to TruView, go to the Password Reset website.
4. If you have unsuccessfully attempted items 1-3, contact the Office of Admission.
Q: What if I
want to declare or change my major?
A: The Academic
Interest area on the Pre-Orientation Questionnaire asks you to identify and
allows you to change your major.
Q:
I have taken college credit classes while attending high
school. Do I really need to list all of the courses on the Pre-Orientation
Questionnaire, or can I just send a transcript from the schools during the
summer?
A:
We do not want to inadvertently recommend that you enroll in
an equivalent course at Truman, so we need to know what courses you have earned
or will earn college credit for before the fall. Hence, we need you to
list all the courses in the College Credit Section of the Pre-Orientation
Questionnaire and send us official transcripts after your final grades have been
posted. You can use the
College/University Transcript Request Form.
Q: I
do not plan to take anymore courses in the foreign language I have studied in
high school. Do I still have to take the Foreign Language Placement Exam?
A: Yes. All students who have studied French, German,
Latin, or Spanish in high school must take the placement exams.
Our experience has been that many students change their minds and decide to
continue with their studies in the same language. If this should happen to
you, the placement score, your high school foreign language experience, and any
college language courses you have completed, will be used to place you in the
appropriate language course. Your success in a foreign language is
important, and we encourage you to learn more about
Truman's foreign language requirements.
Q: I
took three years of a language in high school. Can I enroll in the Elementary I
class of the same language?
A: Students who have completed
three or more years of foreign language have acquired skills above the entry
level, and therefore, may not enroll in the Elementary I class of that language
to earn credit at Truman.
If you do not feel prepared for Elementary II, you may choose to audit
Elementary I or review Elementary I material over the summer before taking
Elementary II. Some students prefer to take the CLEP exam in Spanish,
French, or German before coming to Truman to demonstrate elementary proficiency,
and thus fulfill the Liberal Studies Program language requirement. Your
success in a foreign language is important, and we encourage you to learn more
about
Truman's foreign language requirements.
Q:
Are there ways to waive a portion or all of the foreign language requirement?
A: Yes, there are several ways for you to demonstrate
elementary or intermediate proficiency in a foreign language.
Option 1: Successful completion of a higher level course can waive the prerequisite courses. (For example, credit for Elementary II will waive Elementary I.) You can take these courses at Truman or transfer them from an accredited college or university, including through dual credit.
Option 2: Once your arrive on campus, take the appropriate local waiver exam in Latin, Classical Greek, Russian, or German. If you pass the exam at the elementary level, you will satisfy the elementary proficiency requirement, but you will not receive any credit. Likewise, if you pass the exam at the intermediate level, you will satisfy the intermediate proficiency requirement.
Note: The waiver exams are not the same as the Pre-Orientation foreign language placement exams. The placement exams will not earn you Truman credit or fulfill any proficiency requirements.Option 3: Take the appropriate CLEP, AP, or IB exams.
A wide selection of course
offerings can be applied toward
Truman's foreign language requirements,
and you can learn more by visiting the
Classical & Modern
Languages Department.
Q: I have taken foreign
language as dual enrollment through an accredited institution? Do I still
have to take the placement exam?
A: Yes. We prefer you still
take the foreign language placement exam. Foreign language courses through
different institutions can vary, and we want to ensure that you are placed at
the appropriate level for foreign language courses at Truman.
Q: In high school, I have taken a foreign language other than Spanish,
French, German, or Latin. What placement exam should I take?
A: If you have taken Ancient Greek, Chinese, Italian, Japanese,
Portuguese, or Russian, we do not have a placement exam for you to take.
Once you are on campus, we will arrange for you to meet with faculty members
from the Classical & Modern Languages Department to determine your appropriate
placement. Truman only offers courses in foreign languages listed above to
fulfill the foreign language requirement, therefore can only offer placement
exams in those languages.
Q: I have not taken a
foreign language in high school. Do I still need to take a foreign
language placement exam?
A: If you have not had any foreign language experience, you do not need
to take a foreign language placement exam. However, you will have to take
a foreign language at Truman as there is a
foreign language requirement in the Liberal Studies
Program.
Q: What is the
determining factor in math placement?
A: The mathematics
faculty would like your mathematical experience at Truman to be a positive,
successful learning experience, and one key element of this goal is the proper
placement of students in their first mathematics course. Your final
placement recommendation will be determined by the Mathematics Department.
The scores from your placement exam and self-placement assessment, along
with high school transcripts and ACT or SAT math subscore, will be used in the
evaluation of your abilities. If you think you have been inappropriately
placed you may discuss this with your first-year advisor or contact the
Mathematics Department.
Q: What are the mathematic requirements at
Truman?
A: Every student at Truman must earn college credit
for mathematics. Visit our
Math Requirements at Truman
page to learn about math in the Liberal Studies Program. You can also
reference
the
Math Courses page
for information about specific classes.
Q: Is MATH 194 (Liberal
Arts & Sciences Calculus) different from other calculus courses?
A:
Yes. In a traditional calculus course there is a great deal of emphasis on
learning formulas and methods for solving special types of problems, and a
variety of concepts are covered in a semester. In Math194 (Liberal Arts &
Science Calculus), the emphasis is on gaining a deeper understanding of the
central ideas of calculus and learning how they can be used to understand the
physical world, while also understanding the role calculus has played in Western
intellectual history. You can expect less emphasis on memorizing formulas, and
there will be fewer "example" problems to imitate.
Q: What are the
prerequisites for calculus?
A: Successful completion of MATH
186 (Elementary Functions) or equivalent (MATH 156 and MATH 157, College Algebra
and Plane Trigonometry) is required for MATH 194 (Liberal Arts & Science
Calculus), MATH 192 (Essentials of Calculus) or MATH 198 (Analytic Geometry and
Calculus I). Even though MATH 194 (Liberal Arts and Science Calculus) places
less emphasis on computation skills than would be expected of you in a
traditional calculus course, you must have these skills in order to succeed in
the course. The Mathematics Department will use your scores on the math
placement exam as well as your high school transcripts and your SAT or ACT math
subscores to place you at an appropriate level for your first math class.
Q: Will I need to buy a
calculator for my calculus course? If so, which one?
A:
Whether or not you are required to purchase a calculator for this course depends
on the particular instructor. Many, but not all, of the professors teaching this
course will want you to have a programmable graphing calculator. The Mathematics
Department recommends the TI-86 for those classes that require a calculator. It
is suggested that you check with your instructor before purchasing a particular
model.
Q: Can I substitute
transfer credit for my calculus course?
A: Any course that
transfers in as one of our calculus courses will satisfy the Mathematics Mode of
Inquiry requirement in the Liberal Studies Program. In addition, a score of 3 or
better on the Advanced Placement AB or BC Calculus exam will satisfy the
Mathematics Mode of Inquiry requirement in the Liberal Studies Program.
Specific
CLEP, AP, and IB exams can be taken to earn credit.
Q: I have transfer
credit in College Algebra. What is my next math course?
A:
Students who have earned credit in College Algebra with a grade of C or higher
are ready to take MATH 157 Plane Trigonometry.
Q: If I have college
credit for Calculus I, do I still have to take the Math Placement Exam?
A:
The Math Placement Exam is not required in this case. You may take the
exam to get an assessment of your current skills in pre-calculus mathematics.
Q: I am taking the
Calculus AP Exam and will not major in Math. Do I still need to complete
the Math Placement Exam?
A: Yes, we need the Math Placement
Exam score in order to make the best placement recommendation. The AP
results will not be back until later in the summer after you have registered for
fall classes. If necessary, there will still be time to make changes to
your schedule after the AP test results are received.
Q: Can I substitute transfer credit for my calculus
course?
A: Any course that transfers in as one of our calculus
courses will satisfy the Mathematics Mode of Inquiry requirement in the Liberal
Studies Program. In addition, a score of 3 or better on the Advanced Placement
AB or BC Calculus exam will satisfy the Mathematics Mode of Inquiry requirement
in the Liberal Studies Program. Specific
CLEP, AP, and IB exams can be taken to earn credit.
The Communication Placement Exam is not required in
this case. If you plan to be a Communication major, the
requirement to take the Communication Placement Exam is also waived. Please be sure to forward your official college transcripts
the Office of Admission to verify the transferability of your credit.
You can use the
College/University Transcript Request Form.
Yes. The Communication Placement Exam is required of
all Communication majors regardless of your level of previous public
speaking experience.
The
Communication Placement Exam is the first step in waiving the Essential
Skills: Public Speaking requirement of the Liberal Studies program.
If you score a high enough score on this exam, you will need to contact
the Communication Department once you are on campus to continue the
test-out process. By waiving the requirement, you are not earning
credit. For more detailed information, read the
Speech Essential Skill Test-out Procedure.
