Dear Graduate Students, Happy New Year! The spring semester is almost here--classes begin this *Friday, January 29*. Below and attached are some important beginning-of-the-semester announcements. Please read them carefully and let me or Bill know if you have any questions. Our regular office hours won't begin until next week, but I'm available by appointment this Wednesday if you need advising. For info and policies specific to our MA program, please see the most recent English MA Handbook, which I've attached here. For info re: more general academic policies and procedures, consult the Handbook of Graduate Studies <http://www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/gradstudies/documents/Grad-Handbook.pdf>. Enjoy these last few snowy days of break, and here's to a wonderful spring semester! Best, Caroline -- Caroline Kyungah Hong, PhD Assistant Professor of English Director of Graduate Studies (English MA) Queens College, CUNY caroline.hong@qc.cuny.edu -- *QC English Graduate Studies* *Spring 2016 Announcements* *CALENDAR* Classes begin on *Friday, January 29, 2016*. You can find the 2015–2016 academic calendar with important dates and deadlines on the Registrar’s website at http://www.qc.cuny.edu/registrar/Documents/2015-2016%20calendar.pdf. Please make note of any deadlines that pertain to you. The last day to drop classes for a 100% tuition refund is *Thursday, January 28*. The last day to add classes is *Thursday, February 4*. *OFFICE HOURS* Caroline Hong, Director of Graduate Studies Office: Klapper Hall 604 Email: caroline.hong@qc.cuny.edu Spring 2016 office hours: Wednesdays 3:00–6:00pm, and by appointment Bill Orchard, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies Office: Klapper Hall 635 Email: worchard@qc.cuny.edu Spring 2016 office hours: Tuesdays 3:30–4:30pm, Thursdays 5:00–6:00pm, and by appointment It’s always a good idea to schedule an appointment ahead of time if possible, even during regular office hours. Walk-ins are always welcome, but students with appointments have priority. Email is the quickest way to reach us. For routine inquiries (e.g., for faculty contact info and office hours), please consult the English Department website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/ or contact the English Department Office (Klapper Hall 607, 718-997-4600, english@qc.cuny.edu). *CHECKING YOUR SCHEDULE* Before the semester begins, please take a moment to log-in to your CUNYfirst account and double-check that you’re registered for your courses. Every semester, one or two students belatedly discover that they’re not registered for courses when they thought they were, or that their registration has been canceled by the Bursar’s office. It’s much easier to sort out the bureaucratic tangle if issues are caught early and before the start of the semester. *ADDING A COURSE / REQUESTING AN OVERTALLY* If you’re looking to add a course, there are still a few with open seats, including ENGL 722, 726, 757, and all three sections of 781. Course descriptions are available on the English Department website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/graduate-programs/current-graduate-courses/. Please confirm current seat availability by checking the Schedule of Classes on CUNYfirst. If you wish to overtally into a class that is closed, please email the course instructor and ask for their permission to overtally and/or to be placed on the course waiting list. Keep in mind that instructors have no obligation to overtally you into classes once they’re full and that all instructor decisions are final. *ENGL 791 (THESIS ESSAY) AND ENGL 795 (INDEPENDENT STUDY)* If you are planning to write your culminating thesis essay or pursue an independent study in Spring 2016, the deadline to submit sign-up forms is *Friday, January 29*, the first day of classes. You will not be registered for either course until your sign-up form has been received and approved. Sign-up forms must be typed and submitted electronically (as DOC, DOCX, or PDF files). For ENGL 791, the form can be downloaded from our website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/files/2014/02/ENGL-791-sign-up-form.docx and should be emailed to caroline.hong@qc.cuny.edu. For ENGL 795, the form is available at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/files/2014/11/ENGL-795-sign-up-form.docx and should be emailed to worchard@qc.cuny.edu. To discuss the requirements for 791 or 795, please email or make an appointment with the Director or Assistant Director of Graduate Studies. *ONE STOP SERVICE CENTER* The One Stop Service Center (OSSC) is staffed with the nicest and most helpful people from the Office of the Registrar, the Bursar, and the Financial Aid Office and is by far the quickest way to get any financial or registration problems resolved and your questions answered. As academic advisors, we are usually not qualified to help you with these matters. The OSSC is located in the Dining Hall, Room 128. For their hours and more information, see http://www.qc.cuny.edu/StudentLife/services/onestop/Pages/default.aspx. *QCARD* If you haven’t yet obtained a QCard, please do so ASAP. You can no longer enter the library or other secure locations on campus without a QCard. For more info, see http://www.qc.cuny.edu/StudentLife/services/online/qcard/Pages/default.aspx.