ESP Student Guide

1. Registration & fees
   1. Courses
   2. Courses & majors
   3. How to register
   4. How to pay
   5. Refund and Withdrawal
2. Preparing for the fall
   1. Student cards, parking and lockers
   2. Bus pass
   3. Student health plan
   4. Carleton Email
   5. Carleton app
   6. Orientation
   7. Classes: Week one
   8. Textbooks
3. ESP Student FAQs
   1. Programs and courses
   2. How to choose a “major”
   3. What’s a “Special Student”?
   4. Am I a full-time student?
   5. Disabilities
   6. Money: loans, bursaries, scholarships
   7. Awards
4. Courses & Schedules
   1. ESP Courseload
   2. Timetable
   3. Full courses
   4. Hours of study
   5. Part-time work & study
   6. Can I take more courses?
5. ESP to Degree
   1. Qualifying for a degree
   2. Will my credits transfer?
6. Grades
   1. Calculating GPAs

Welcome to the Enriched Support Program! The first year of university is a new experience, and you may have many questions during this transition. As an ESP student some things, including registration, work a little differently.

Please use this guide to help you with your course selection, registration and to prepare for the Fall.

Registration & fees

Courses

ESP students are eligible to register in 3 full credits:

• One First-Year Seminar, a FYSM
• Two Elective Courses
  • supported by two ESP workshops

See the courses available for your stream of ESP on the Course Selection Form on our Registration page.
These courses are described on the Course Descriptions sheets on our Registration site, and for some we have video descriptions.

ESP students can take a maximum of three credits from the available courses. In general, one credit = one course running from September to April. Some courses are worth 0.5 credits; these run either from September to December or from January to April.

Courses & majors

What courses should you take for the major you’re considering?

Most degrees in arts and social science fields have a lot of room to take electives, so explore interests by taking subjects you are curious about. Science, Computer Science, Engineering, and Business programs have less flexibility, so your “elective courses” have been chosen for you on the Course Selection Form on our Registration page.

In the table below, courses in the Course(s) recommended column will count toward that degree’s “major requirements”. Courses listed in (brackets and italics) are not required, but have related content, so you may want to consider them. (Note: For Engineering, some programs require both CHEM courses, but some do not. Both courses will help you to qualify for Engineering programs.)

Wondering where to find “major requirements” for different degrees? Visit the Undergraduate Calendar for more information.

Arts & Social Science degrees (and most others) have room for electives, so even if you take courses that are not in your future major, they will likely count toward your degree anyway (as electives).

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of majors that are available at Carleton: for more information, please visit Carleton’s Undergraduate Programs page.

How to register

ESP students have a different registration method than other Carleton students. Instead of registering for courses online, you follow these FIVE STEPS:

STEP ONE: Preparation

• Return your acceptance forms to ESP
• Decide on your courses
• Use the Blank Timetable to build a sample schedule using the Course Descriptions and Class Schedules on our Registration page.

STEP TWO: View our step-by-step registration video

This video can be found on our registration page under your chosen stream. If you have any questions, you can email esp@carleton.ca for further assistance. As well, we will be hosting stream-specific Group Advising Sessions in the summer.

STEP THREE: Complete your Course Selection Form

Complete your online Course Selection Form (available on our Registration pages) to rank your choice of courses.

The ESP office will assign and register you for your courses. We will do our best to register you in your top choices, but limited enrollment and scheduling conflicts may prevent that. We will begin registration in late July.

STEP FOUR: Confirm your Schedule & Fees

Approximately 5-7 days after you submit your form, check the “Carleton Central” website, central.carleton.ca, to view your registration & assigned courses. (You can check on Carleton Central at any time after submitting your Course Selection Form, but in general it takes up to 5-7 days to process your form due to the high volume of requests.)

Follow the steps outlined below:

• Log on to Carleton Central: central.carleton.ca. See the site for instructions on how to log on. You will need your student number.
• Once you have logged on to Carleton Central, you will be on the Main Menu
• Click on Registration
• Skip Steps 1 & 2 in the Registration menu. These instructions do not apply to students in ESP.
• Click on Step 3: Student Timetable. Here you will see the courses to which you have been assigned. In the “Go to” field enter the date “2023/09/12” (the first full week of classes). Your Courses and Workshops will appear on the website schedule (the course code for workshops is ESPW 1000).
• Click on Step 4: Calculate Amount to Pay button to calculate what you need to pay.
• Click on the Review your Student Account Summary, which provides an overview of charges based on your registration activity and any payments made to date.
• Fees are due August 25^th. We will register you by this date, provided you have submitted your Course Selection Form.

On Carleton Central, you can expect to see the fees listed here. Please use the amount you view on Carleton Central to pay your fees (it is the most accurate fee information).

STEP FIVE: Pay your Fees

Payment Deadline

Payment for your Fall Term is due by August 25, 2023 and your Winter Term fees are due November 25, 2023 to avoid additional charges. If you are receiving funding from a Government Student Aid Program such as OSAP, you may be eligible to defer fee payment beyond the payment deadline. See the below for details.

What if I don’t pay by the deadline?

• Late Payment Charge: If you pay your fees late, you will be subject to a Late Payment Charge based on the outstanding balance as of the last working day of each month starting in September.
• Make sure you are aware of the late and interest charge penalties for late payment, as well as the financial hold policy.

Budgeting

Please visit the Awards office website for more information about how to calculate your expenses and fund your studies carleton.ca/awards/budgeting/.

How to pay

This site has the details about fees: carleton.ca/fees

• Electronic Banking (most common method)

Use “Carleton University” as the billing company name and your student number as the account number. Payments will be applied to the student number that you provide.

Your payment may take up to three days to be processed and recorded. Registration is not considered complete until the Business Office has recorded the remittance on your student account.

• By Mail

Payments may be made by cheque, certified cheque, money order or bank draft (not cash) and should be mailed to the following address:

Carleton University
c/o T27547
P.O. Box 4275, Postal Station “A”
Toronto, ON, M5W 5V8 CANADA

Be sure to include your student number, name, and the detail of what the payment is for (e.g. tuition, residence, UHIP, etc.) on the front of the cheque. The University does not accept postdated cheques. Cheques must have a current date in order to be processed.

• Assign OSAP to the payment of fees

This section applies to students who have applied for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) loans (osap.gov.on.ca).

If you are receiving funding from a Government Student Aid Program such as OSAP and intend to pay your fees with it, you will be able to pay after the payment due date if the following conditions are met by August 25:

Deferral Conditions for Ontario Students (OSAP):

• OSAP status on Carleton Central is APPROVED
• Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) has been received by the National Student Loan Service Centre
• All supporting documentation has been provided to and processed by the Awards & Financial Aid Office
• Funding Summary of your OSAP account (osap.gov.on.ca) shows funding is scheduled to be released.

If all four conditions are met on or before August 25, 2023, your tuition fee payment due date will be deferred until after the start of the term so that it aligns with the OSAP disbursement date. This will happen automatically.

Deferral Dates for Ontario Students (OSAP)

• For the fall term, the deferral is valid until September 13, 2023, allowing time for your first OSAP installment to be disbursed.
• For the winter term, the deferral is valid until January 16, 2024, allowing time for your second OSAP installment to be disbursed.

Carleton’s Awards Office will send you (to your Carleton email account) more detailed instructions on how to process, pick up and complete arrangements for your OSAP funding. It is critical to read all correspondence sent to your Carleton email account.

Monitor your application on the OSAP website the Awards and Financial Information section of Carleton Central for information on your OSAP application.

If you require more assistance with your OSAP or other provincial loan, contact the Awards office at 613-520-3600 or awards@carleton.ca.

• HigherEdPoints.com program

Students can now fund their school fees by converting Aeroplan® Miles through HigherEdPoints.com. 35,000 Aeroplan® Miles can be converted into $250 worth of credits at Carleton University. Students can also convert the Aeroplan® Miles of family members and friends to help pay for their tuition. For more information and to set up an account, please visit: www.higheredpoints.com/.

• Students sponsored by an agency/band

Ensure that you have mailed or faxed your letter of sponsorship to our Student Accounts office before the deadline. Their fax number is: 613-520-3987.
Address: Student Accounts, 301 Robertson Hall, 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6

See this website for more information.

• International Currency Transfer (International students only)

The University’s preferred method for international payment is CIBC International Student Pay for Students. For more information and step-by-step instructions, please visit Carleton’s “Payment from Outside Canada” website.

Refund and Withdrawal

Please note that once you have submitted your Course Selection Form and we register you in your courses, these policies come into effect.

Withdrawal

In order to withdraw from the program or a course, you must contact the ESP office. You will not be able to withdraw on the Carleton Central registration system.

Please note the deadlines for withdrawal:

• September 30, 2023: Last day to withdraw from full fall term and fall/winter courses and receive a refund of fees.
• November 15, 2023: Last day to withdraw from full fall courses (no refund of fall term fees if you withdraw after September 30th).
• January 31, 2024: Last day to withdraw from full winter courses and receive a refund of fees.
• March 15, 2024: Last day to withdraw from full winter courses (no refund of winter term fees if you withdraw after January 31st).

Refunds

You will receive a refund of fall fees if you contact us to withdraw before September 30^th. After September 30^th, you will not be eligible for a refund of fall term fees.

You will receive a refund of winter term fees if you contact us to withdraw before January 31^th. After January 31^st, you will not be eligible for a refund of any winter term fees.

Preparing for the fall

Student cards, parking and lockers

Here’s info about each. Please note that you must be registered in your courses and able to view your timetable through Carleton Central before you can obtain your campus card or U-Pass.

• Visit carleton.ca/campuscard for information on how to obtain a student card.
• See carleton.ca/parking to register for a parking space and/or to reserve a locker on campus. Yup, parking services also give out lockers.

Bus pass

The student associations at both Carleton University and the University of Ottawa negotiated with the City of Ottawa for a Universal Transit Pass for full-time students at both universities. The result is the U-Pass: A bus pass offered at a discounted rate. The pass costs $452.06 ($223.48 for both terms, plus an administrative fee of $5.10).

• See carleton.ca/upass for information on how to obtain a U-Pass (your student bus pass). Card pick up for new students in the Fall semester begins on August 22, 2023.
• U-Pass renewal begins December 15. To continue using the U-Pass in the Winter semester, you must renew your bus pass
• If you are starting ESP in January, card pick up for new students in the Winter semester begins December 16, 2023.

The U-Pass will be effective from September 1 to April 30 and is valid on all OC Transpo and STO vehicles providing regular, express, rural express or (non-rural) Para Transpo services, as well as the O-Train. See the U-Pass website carleton.ca/upass for more details.

Student health plan

You are eligible to enroll in the health plan (which helps toward the cost of prescription drugs, dental care and prescription eye glasses). Because Carleton doesn’t charge ESP students full-time student fees, you are not automatically enrolled in and charged for the school’s drug/accident and dental insurance plans. You may opt into either or both of the plans. To enroll, you must complete an enrollment form between September 6 – October 3, 2023, and pay your fees (Cost = $227.92 for health & dental coverage) by the date specified in the confirmation email you will receive when you opt-in. Check the Carleton University Student’s Association (CUSA)’s website or office for online opt-in forms, fees and deadlines at CUSA Health & Dental plan.

Questions? Contact CUSA Email: cusa@cusaonline.ca Phone: 613-520-6688. Office: Carleton University Student’s Association (CUSA) office in 401 University Centre.

Carleton Email

Do I need a Carleton email account?

Yes! Every Carleton student must use their Carleton email account when communicating with the university– that way we can be sure your information is kept confidential. Once you are accepted, we will email you instructions on setting up your account.

Use your MyCarletonOne account to access:

• Carleton’s wireless network
• Computer labs on campus
• MyCarleton Portal: to see course details (cuLearn), Carleton email, and personalized campus announcements
• 30 MB of storage accessible from anywhere on the campus network (G-drive space)
• Carleton Central: review your course schedule, fees owing, OSAP info, change your address, view your student record, and more.

Carleton app

Download one of Carleton’s mobile apps here:

carleton.ca/cumobile. Keep track of your schedule, courses, view your grades and more.

Orientation

The Student Experience Office at Carleton University offers a wide variety of Summer Orientation and Fall Orientation (“frosh week”) activities. You can check out these activities at carleton.ca/orientation. While ESP students can’t participate in the program specific orientations offered by the individual departments (e.g. Sprott Business or Engineering), all other activities are open to you.

It is important to note that any Summer Orientation information about registration procedures do not apply to ESP students. Please visit our registration page for instructions on how to register for courses for each stream. If you have any questions, you can email esp@carleton.ca for further assistance. As well, we will be hosting stream-specific Group Advising Sessions in the summer.

Are there mandatory orientation activities?

Yes, just one: Carleton University’s Academic Orientation Day takes place on September 5 and is mandatory for all new students. You will take part in the ESP departmental orientation that offers opportunity to meet your Instructors, classmates and mentors. For more information about this day, take a look at the Academic Orientation Day information on our Registration website in late-July.

Classes: Week one

Classes start September 6, 2023. What to expect in the first week will depend on the specific courses you’re taking. Some instructors give students a bit of time to settle in, while others assign a heavy workload on the first day. The best approach is to attend your lectures and pay close attention to your course outlines (found on Brightspace).

Textbooks

You can order textbooks online for most courses. If you know the course code for the class you’re registered in, you can select the course on the Bookstore’s website and see if a textbook is listed and order or rent through the site. If a textbook isn’t listed, don’t worry. At your first class, the professor will provide any updates about whether a textbook is required.

As an undergraduate student, you also have access to Haven, a CUSA-owned business that offers physical or electronic copies of textbooks. You can find their available collection on the Haven website.

ESP Student FAQs

Programs and courses

The Undergraduate Calendar is available online here. It contains a lot of information that will be important to you as a student. It lists all the undergraduate courses offered at Carleton.

Although you can only choose from a limited number of courses this year, you may want to look through the Calendar to see which courses you might like to take in the future, which discipline you might like to choose as your major, and which courses may be important prerequisites for your future program.

The Calendar also contains important rules and regulations about the University. It is each student’s responsibility to be aware of academic rules and regulations. Pay special attention to the sections Academic Regulations for Special Students, Registration and Grading, Admission to a Degree Program from Special Student Status, and Student Responsibilities.

How to choose a “major”

No need to choose just yet. A “major” is the discipline or field in which a degree student specializes. Since ESP students are not yet registered in a degree program, they do not select a major. During your year with ESP, you will take a variety of courses, which may be applied to the degree you choose to pursue later.  Talk to your ESP Advisor about how to plan your academic studies.

Although you don’t have to choose a major right away, you may want to spend some time looking through the Undergraduate Calendar to familiarize yourself with the options available to you next year. Your ESP Student Advisor can help you with the application process and answer your questions along the way.

What’s a “Special Student”?

Any Carleton student who is not registered in a degree program (e.g., Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science) is given the designation “special student”. These students may be in the process of qualifying for admission, taking credits to transfer to another university, or just taking classes out of personal or professional interest. Special students are normally restricted to two credits per academic year – acceptance to ESP gives you the opportunity to earn three credits in the same time frame while participating in the campus community.

Am I a full-time student?

Since you are enrolled in 1.5 credit per term (for a total of 3.0 credits), the university considers you full-time for the purposes of confirming enrollment for any outside agencies who may require it, and for the purposes of receiving a U-Pass (see below).

But, because you are in less than 2.0 credits per term, you will not be charged full-time student fees or automatically enrolled in Carleton’s Health and Drug Plan.

You should consider yourself a full-time student when you make decisions about other time commitments.

Disabilities

If you have a learning disability or any other disability, you should register with the Paul Menton Centre. Staff at the PMC will help you to put appropriate supports and accommodations in place to level the playing field at university. The best time to register is in the summer before the semester begins. See their website for details about registration, including important registration deadlines: carleton.ca/pmc.

In the ESP, we are committed to working with all students. Our First-Year Seminars and workshops are designed for a wide range of learning needs.

Money: loans, bursaries, scholarships

Loans

Ontario residents can apply online at the Ontario Student Assistance Program website: osap.gov.on.ca. Our Awards office website has an OSAP FAQ section and info on how to collect your loans.  Students from other provinces should consult with the Awards office about eligibility.

Bursaries

Bursaries are monetary awards based on financial need. Most ESP students apply for Carleton’s bursaries in the fall and they are awarded in January.

In the fall we will provide more information about applying for these monetary awards.

Awards

Students who complete ESP with an A- average (or higher) and who have excellent attendance may be eligible for an ESP Academic Excellence Award. Details will be announced in the Fall.

Courses & Schedules

ESP Courseload

ESP students are eligible to register in three full credit courses and receive support in the form of weekly workshops, plus mentoring, advising and coaching.

The ESP offers the chance to get a head start on your degree by enrolling in 3 credits. Degree students can take up to 5 credits. It’s possible to “catch up” in the summer for some programs.

Depending on the program you go into, you may be able to start your second year courses next fall (if you enroll in summer courses) or take a mix of first and second year courses. This is not unusual as many students who begin the year registered in 5 credits end up dropping courses, or choose to take reduced course loads while at university.

Also, students who demonstrate good academic standing (a B- average and excellent attendance) can apply to add a half-credit course in the second semester. Discuss this option with an ESP Student Advisor.

Timetable

Classes at Carleton are held anywhere between 8:30 am and 9:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Your classes and workshops will be held during these hours. Contrary to popular belief, it’s pretty likely you will have classes Friday! And maybe evening classes too. Most ESP students are in classes and workshops for a minimum of 12-15 hours each week. You may also have an occasional exam scheduled on a Saturday or Sunday.

In mid-August you should login to Carleton Central (central.carleton.ca) and confirm your final course schedule.

Full courses

If a course is full, can I just take another section? Unfortunately not, ESP only supports certain course sections and we have a limited number of spaces reserved in each course.

If you look at the class schedule on the Carleton Central web site, you will notice that some courses have more than one section (denoted by letters A, B, C, etc.). ESP students will be registered only in the sections listed on the Course Selection Form. This is because each section of a course is taught by a different professor and may cover different material. The ESP workshop is linked only with one section of the course and the workshop facilitator will attend lectures and read course materials only for that section.

Can you switch classes? Maybe, but it might not be possible since the spaces we have reserved in courses are limited. However, if you are having serious problems with one of your courses, first talk to the professor or ESP Student Advisor. Sometimes a misunderstanding about expectations or course content can be quickly cleared up. If you’re still unhappy, you may be able to add your name to a waitlist for another course.

If you do receive permission to switch courses, you will have to switch into another course that is supported by an ESP workshop. Your ability to switch into another course will depend on which courses are full and which courses fit into your schedule.

The university deadline for changing courses is September 19, 2023. Please email an advisor no later than September 18, 2023to request any changes.

Hours of study

In high school, most of the time students spend on a course is spent in the classroom, with the teacher. High school teachers have time to go slowly, repeat things, and give examples or practice questions.

In university, much of the responsibility for learning shifts to the students, who are expected to do most of their learning outside the classroom.

Most university classes meet for only 3 hours per week, but for each hour students spend in class, the professor expects that you’ll do about 2 hours worth of reading, preparation, review, research, studying and so on. This amounts to 6 hours of independent study time per course per week. And more when assignments are due!

In addition, ESP students have a weekly workshop for each elective course.

In other words, you should consider your 12-15 class hours per week to be roughly equivalent to a full-time work week.

Part-time work & study

Most students taking 3 credits and 2 workshops overestimate the amount of free time they will have. In the past, students who have worked more than 15 hours per week have usually seen a negative impact on their studies and grade point average.

A flexible work schedule is also important. You should be able to devote extra time to your studies when major assignments are due and during exam periods.

Can I take more courses?

Yes! If you do well first term (a B- average and excellent attendance), you can apply to add a half-credit course in the second semester. Discuss this option with an ESP Student Advisor.

ESP offers CIED 1001: Selected Topics in Popular Culture or you may also select a course of your choosing (space permitting).

ESP to Degree

Qualifying for a degree

We can help you qualify for a number of degree programs. Please see our program page for details.

The requirements will vary by program. See our program page for more information. Please note that requirements will change if you enroll in less than 3.0 credits, if you have previous university studies, or if you drop or fail a course. Meeting with an Advisor in the fall is the best way to be sure that you know what you will require to get in to your program of choice. Advisors will visit your Seminar course and invite you to sign up for an appointment. Also read the ESP Advising Bulletins sent by our Advisors each month.

Will my credits transfer?

In most cases, the answer is yes.  After all, you are enrolled in first-year credit courses. There are a few exceptions, for example, a couple streams in Engineering only require 0.5 credits in Complimentary Studies Electives, so a FYSM course may only count for a 0.5 instead of a 1.0 credit. The BIT program also has very few spots for elective courses. Consult with an Advisor in the fall to discuss your interests and see how your courses will count!

Grades

Calculating GPAs

The grades you earn at Carleton will be converted into Carleton’s grade point scale. See our handout for how to calculate your CGPA. For each full credit, you would earn the following grade points:

For example, a student enrolled in the following courses with the following grades, would have a B- (7.3) average:

CHST 1003: A- = 10.0 grade points

HUMR 1000: C = 5.0 grade points

FYSM 1900: B+ = 9.0 grade points

In total, this student has earned 24.0 grade points which would be divided by 3 (the number of credits taken) and therefore has an 8.0 (or B) GPA. This GPA would mean the student would earn admission to almost any B.A. program.

During your Advising appointments, your Advisor can help you to calculate your GPA at various points in the term and set targets for achieving your goals.

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