New Student Advising & Placement Testing
Advisors at Garrett College understand that academic advising is the key component to helping students achieve their educational goals. New students, transfer students, and students returning to Garrett College after an extended break must attend a New Student Advising appointment to complete the final steps to becoming enrolled.
During New Student Advising, advisors are available to assist students regarding:
- Placement indicator explanation
- Degree or major selection
- Course selection and sequence
- Academic support resources
- Career and transfer guidance
- Graduation requirements
All New Student Advising appointments, unless noted, include student network access (student username and password), general welcome information, advising and course registration, parent information, and visits to other college departments as needed. Tours of our residence halls are also available.
Students are encouraged to bring a parent/guardian with them to their New Student Advising appointment. Students requiring placement testing and advising should plan to be on-campus for approximately three hours.
Once accepted, all new and transfer students must schedule a New Student Advising appointment through the Admissions Office by calling 301-387-3044 or emailing admissions@garrettcollege.edu.
Students returning to Garrett College following an extended break should also contact the Admissions Office by calling 301-387-3044. Students returning following a break of fewer than four semesters may contact the Advising & Academic Success Center directly at 301-387-3715 to inquire about returning.
New Student Advising sessions for current in-county high school dual enrolled seniors begins May 3. General New Student Advising sessions begin June 1.
Appointments are available multiple days per week throughout the summer and include flexible appointment options. Register early to reserve your seat! Once you have applied and been accepted, contact the Admissions office to schedule an appointment at at admissions@garrettcollege.edu or call 301-387-3044.
June
In-person appointments are available on the following dates at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 unless otherwise noted: *- Tuesday, Jun 06
- Wednesday, Jun 07
- Friday, Jun 16
- Wednesday, Jun 21
- Thursday, Jun 22
- Wednesday, Jun 28
- Thursday, Jun 08
- Thursday, Jun 29
July
In-person appointments are available on the following dates at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00:
- Monday, Jul 10
- Wednesday, Jul 19
- Friday, Jul 21
- Thursday, Jul 27
- Thursday, Jul 13
- Wednesday, Jul 26
Limited New Student Advising appointments available, call to schedule.
Placement Testing via Zoom at Home
Accuplacer placement testing is available to accepted new students remotely using Zoom video conferencing technology. For remote placement testing with Zoom:
- Student must have access to a laptop or desktop computer
- Computer must have video and audio capabilities
- Testing must take place in a private area with limited interruptions
- Testing will be monitored by a Garrett College test proctor through Zoom video conference technology
- Student must present photo ID prior to testing
- Student must schedule an appointment in advance
Remote testing appointments are available weekly. Contact Nick Pratt (nick.pratt@garrettcollege.edu) in the Advising & Academic Success Center to schedule.
Placement Testing at Garrett College
Accuplacer placement testing is available to accepted new students on Garrett College’s McHenry, MD campus beginning November 1. For in-person placement testing:
- Student must schedule an appointment in advance
- Student must present photo ID prior to testing
- Testing will take place in the Advising & Academic Success Center (room 519)
- Testing will be monitored by a Garrett College test proctor
In-person testing appointments are available weekly. Contact Nick Pratt (nick.pratt@garrettcollege.edu) in the Advising & Academic Success Center to schedule.
ACT/SAT
Certain ACT or SAT scores may exempt students from placement testing, as illustrated below.
If you are a transfer student seeking exemption from placement, official college transcripts must be on file in the Garrett College Office of Admissions BEFORE ADVISING AND REGISTRATION can take place.
| ACT/SAT Score | Course Placement | |
|---|---|---|
| ACT English of 21 or higher or SAT Critical Reading of 480 and higher | English and reading placement tests not required | English 101 with no additional reading requirement |
| ACT math of 21 or higher or SAT math of 530 and higher | Math placement test not required | MAT105 or MAT210 Students seeking a higher math placement must take ACCUPLACER to determine exact course placement. |
High School GPA
High School Graduates who have achieved a cumulative high school GPA of 2.8 or above (on 4.0 scale) are also exempt from placement testing and are permitted to enroll in gateway college-level courses (ENG 101 and MAT 105 or 210) immediately upon entry. In addition, students that have successfully completed Calculus or Pre-calculus with a B or higher in high school may enroll in the associated course immediately upon entry. Please let an admissions counselor know if you qualify for this and have your official high school transcript sent to Garrett College right away.
If you are a transfer student seeking exemption from placement, official college transcripts must be on file in the Garrett College Office of Admissions BEFORE ADVISING AND REGISTRATION can take place.
Those exempt from placement should call an admissions counselor at 301-387-3044 to confirm exemption and schedule an advising and registration session.
Students that have taken the Accuplacer placement test at another institution may submit those scores for evaluation and possible placement. In order for scores to be considered, the following must apply:
- Placement Test Score Transfer Form and Accuplacer Score Report must be faxed to the Advising & Academic Success Center (fax number 301-387-3189) directly from the school at which the student tested
- Test(s) taken must be part of the Accuplacer Next Generation platform; Accuplacer Classic scores will not be accepted
- At a minimum, student must have completed the Writing and Quantitative Reasoning Algebra and Statistics (QAS) assessments
- Scores must be less than 2 years old
For questions, contact the Advising & Academic Success Center by phone at 866-554-2773, extension 3715 or email at testingcenter@garrettcollege.edu.
It is highly recommended that students prepare in advance for placement. Review with a friend, relative, former teacher, or visit one of the many free online resources available:
-
Accuplacer FREE Web-Based Study App -
The app will allow users to review and take practice
tests in the areas of reading comprehension, sentence skills,
elementary algebra, arithmetic, and college level math.
Visit Accuplacer Site or view a PDF of Sample Questions
- Garrett College’s Placement Testing LibGuide contains detailed information on the Accuplacer Next Generation Placement Test, test taking tips, sample questions, and simulator tests.
-
Common Core State Standards App – A great reference
for students; quickly find standards by subject. App
includes Math standards K-12 and Language Arts standards
K-12, with the Corresponding College and Career Readiness
Standards. Available for both Apple and Android devices. FREE
Download from the iTunes Store
Download from the Android Market
- Khan Academy is a free, not-for-profit organization, providing world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Resources include practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard.
Refresher courses are designed to help new students improve math, writing, and reading skills and course placements before the student’s first semester in college.
Self-Paced (Online) Refresher Courses
Self-paced, online, free Refresher Courses are offered to students as well. These courses provide the content in a convenient and flexible online format ideal for students that are unable to attend a live instruction Refresher Course. Students may access and complete a Self-Paced (online) Refresher Course from any device with internet connectivity. The courses provide an overview of math and writing/reading with detailed examples and videos to help brush up skills and prepare for placement testing.
Once a student has completed an Online Refresher Course, he or she may contact the Advising & Academic Success Center by phone at 866-554-2773, extension 3715 or email at testingcenter@garrettcollege.edu to schedule placement testing.
Students that are not satisfied with placement testing results on the first attempt may consider re-testing. Re-testing is only permitted if the student is able to demonstrate that he or she has completed a method of academic intervention following the first test attempt. The easiest methods of intervention are:
- Face-to-face Refresher Course (re-testing included with the course)
- Online Refresher Course (re-testing scheduled with AASC following completion of the online course)
Other interventions (self-study, personal tutor, other web-based resource) will be examined on a case-by-case basis to determine re-testing eligibility. Students are not permitted to re-test without any form of intervention.
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