Show up: This means attend class (every class). When an instructor outlines an absence policy in his/her syllabus, it is intended for the life emergencies that may occur during the semester. This does NOT mean that a student gets to miss a few class sessions and then will "get off" by providing a good excuse when they miss additional classes. If you register for a class that meets on Wednesday evenings from 6pm till 9pm, do not schedule the dog's bath, your annual dental cleaning, an oil change, etc., for this time period.

Punctuality: In addition to showing up to every class - show up on time. Attempt to be in the assigned room a minimum of 5 minutes before class is scheduled to begin. In addition to relieving stress of settling in for the learning experience, punctuality shows the instructor and your peers that you respect their time and effort. Chronic tardiness is disruptive and rude.

Prepare: Attend each and every class and be prepared . This means doing all the readings, writing all assigned papers, completing all assignments and making an effort to comprehend the material. If you do not comprehend the assigned material, be prepared to discuss what you did not understand. This, however, does not mean to monopolize the class with questions; if you find yourself taking an excessive amount of time having ideas clarified, arrange to meet with the instructor at a later time. Preparedness includes respecting due dates for assignments and submitting written work on-time, complete, and in the format outlined by the instructor.

Plan: Plan your semester ahead. Rare is the student who is so brilliant that they can write a 10 page paper the night before and expect a passing grade. Instructors are very smart people and not only can they tell how much effort goes into an assignment, they have been around long enough to have seen all the tricks. It is very unlikely you will come up with something new. Trust us, you're not that clever.

Don't cheat: It saddens us that we even have to say it. But we do. As stated above, instructors are smart people and can usually spot a plagiarized paper or a cheat a mile away. Rutgers-WMHEC is committed to providing all of our students with the highest quality education and the University has very strict guidelines regarding academic integrity. The penalties for violations of academic integrity are severe, and not worth the risk of dismissal from the program. To review the Rutgers University policy on academic integrity, click HERE.