The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources(FER) at North Carolina State University is excited to launch a new pilot program, CONNECT, beginning the summer of 2014. For a select group of students who do not receive admission offers for the freshman class in fall 2014, the CONNECT program offers an alternate path to becoming a student in one of the degree programs within the department. The degree programs include: Forest Management, Natural Resources (Ecosystem Assessment or Policy & Administration), Environmental Technology & Management, and Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology.
CONNECT begins during the summer by offering these students the opportunity to explore life as a student at NC State. Once accepted into the Connect program, the students live on campus and take two courses during Summer Session II. This offers students the chance to learn about a variety of on-campus resources, meet faculty and students, and participate in hands-on field experiences.
At the end of the summer, these students then spend the subsequent fall and spring semesters attending the 2 or 4-year institution of their choice while receiving academic advising from the FER undergraduate program coordinator, Christi Standley. The students will then return to NC State the next summer to take additional courses.
Students who earn an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher will be offered guaranteed admission into the degree programs in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources without reapplying to NC State University. If a student does not earn an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, they can apply as a transfer student.
Through the CONNECT program, students can effectively use their time and money in their first year of studies and be well prepared to enter our programs as a sophomore. The goal is to ensure that these students have accurate information about courses to take so they are eligible to transfer to NC State and be on track with credits that will count toward their specific major of interest within the department.
The FER department is excited to offer this alternate path to students who show strong qualities on their applications, so these students will be able to demonstrate their dedication and academic success, access these challenging degree programs, and achieve exciting natural resources careers.