Questions about Capstone

[Michelle779]

I start my Capstone class on Monday & I'm a bit nervous because of all the work I hear it involves. I've already told myself I'm giving up my entire summer to get this course done. I'm taking Cornerstone too but it looks like the workload isn't as tough so I'm not too worried.

Anyway, my questions for Capstone are:

Is there a textbook required? If so how much is it? I think I found the answer to this one.
For your research paper, are you allowed to choose your own topic or do you have to choose from a list of pre-approved topics? 
How many pages is the final paper?

ETA:

I came across an old syllabus that might have answer some of my questions. It's from 2019 so it might be out of date.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m5uA...-IWV0/edit

Anyone who recently took Capstone please share your experience.

[davewill]

You choose your own topic. It can be anything (does not have to relate to your degree area), but is subject to approval by your mentor. When I did it, the first week was spent proposing three topics, writing research questions for them, and doing some very basic research. That process helped me make my selection, which was not the one I had thought I would pick initially.

If you have not already done so, you should get your NJ State Library Card and install MS Office courtesy of TESU. The paper was minimum 30 pages long for a normal research paper, and less if you did a "project" paper (which does not translate into less work).

Make sure that you let the Prof know before turning anything in late. If you find yourself overwhelmed, you can apply for an extension after you've completed 50% of the coursework. I recommend doing this rather than get rushed into a low grade in the course.

Current online syllabus:
https://www2.tesu.edu/syllabus/current/L...B-495.html

[P226mem]

adding a bit to above......
did LIB 495 around January 2021 term. No longer had "project" option. Paper was 25-40 pages. They give you structure for sections to include. You still get to select your own topic with approval from mentor. And also there's an Oral presentation with power point to summarize the paper. That is noted in the syllabus.
If the course starts on Monday, you may be able to access some parts of the course on Moodle this weekend to preview and get ready.

[studyingfortests]

If you're taking LIB-495 and SOS-110 at the same time, I highly recommend blocking out a day and knocking out all of the SOS-110 work you can in one day. I was able to knock out all but the last written assignment, the NimblyWise and the other standardized test. (I recommend taking your time with the tests; if you get above 80% (I think; maybe 75%?), then you won't have to do any of the assignments in those two systems, just the main assignments for the course. I also read and responded to about 3/4 of the articles that required discussion forum posts in the first week. That way, I had only to go back and make follow-up posts and work on the one slightly larger (5 page) assignment.

For both classes, I recommend Grammarly. It will help with grammar, spelling and structure, and will give some help on APA format (but don't rely on it solely.) I also strongly recommend MyBib.com Grammarly costs a bit but is an excellent proofreader and will also help improve your writing. MyBib makes maintaining your APA citations a breeze.

My professor (Dr. Augustus Black) was amazing, but I have heard good things about many of the 495 professors. Dr. Black allowed resubmission of low-scored papers to earn a higher grade, and was super helpful with feedback that really helped me be a better writer.

If you stay on top of the assignments for 495 and start working on each one as soon as you finish the prior one, you should not be stressing about getting all the assignments in on time.

[fmsoa]

If you're taking LIB-495 and SOS-110 at the same time, I highly recommend blocking out a day and knocking out all of the SOS-110 work you can in one day.  I was able to knock out all but the last written assignment, the NimblyWise and the other standardized test.  (I recommend taking your time with the tests; if you get above 80% (I think; maybe 75%?), then you won't have to do any of the assignments in those two systems, just the main assignments for the course.  I also read and responded to about 3/4 of the articles that required discussion forum posts in the first week.  That way, I had only to go back and make follow-up posts and work on the one slightly larger (5 page) assignment.

For both classes, I recommend Grammarly.  It will help with grammar, spelling and structure, and will give some help on APA format (but don't rely on it solely.)   I also strongly recommend MyBib.com Grammarly costs a bit but is an excellent proofreader and will also help improve your writing.  MyBib makes maintaining your APA citations a breeze.

My professor (Dr. Augustus Black) was amazing, but I have heard good things about many of the 495 professors.  Dr. Black allowed resubmission of low-scored papers to earn a higher grade, and was super helpful with feedback that really helped me be a better writer.

If you stay on top of the assignments for 495 and start working on each one as soon as you finish the prior one, you should not be stressing about getting all the assignments in on time.

I dropped Dr. Black's course for personal reason - my grad school application was denied and I felt real depressed at the time. I'll be taking his course again for the July term

[bjcheung77]

I dropped Dr. Black's course for personal reason - my grad school application was denied and I felt real depressed at the time. I'll be taking his course again for the July term

@fmsoa, I see this is your first post, mind me asking why you were applying to grad school when you're not fully finished your Bachelors? I know many people would apply when they're done with the courses and just waiting for the "formal" process to complete. Furthermore, some schools do allow conditional acceptance of applications who are just one or two courses away from graduation. BTW, did you withdraw in time for some part of your tuition to be refunded?

[LevelUP]

I wouldn't say you have to give up your entire summer for these 2 courses but certainly make sure to put in enough time to meet the deadlines. 

I advise for SOS-100 getting all the quizzes, Nimble, and MyLab stuff in the first 2 weeks to reduce stress.

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Experience

[fmsoa]

bjcheung77

I dropped Dr. Black's course for personal reason - my grad school application was denied and I felt real depressed at the time. I'll be taking his course again for the July term

@fmsoa, I see this is your first post, mind me asking why you were applying to grad school when you're not fully finished your Bachelors?  I know many people would apply when they're done with the courses and just waiting for the "formal" process to complete.  Furthermore, some schools do allow conditional acceptance of applications who are just one or two courses away from graduation. BTW, did you withdraw in time for some part of your tuition to be refunded?

Sure. LIB-495 is my last class so original plan is seamless transition to grad school on September. But since my application was denied I took it easy and will graduate in December

[studyingfortests]

@fmsoa, I see this is your first post, mind me asking why you were applying to grad school when you're not fully finished your Bachelors?  I know many people would apply when they're done with the courses and just waiting for the "formal" process to complete. 

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I got the impression that a lot of folks applied to grad school while in their last (or even second-to-last) semester of their undergrad.  I applied to both of the MSW programs about a month into LIB-495 and SOS-110, as they were my first-and-last classes at TESU. As far as I know, most of the grad schools I looked at were fine with applicants in their last semester or two. WNMU, for example, even allows students to enroll for one semester if they have not fully finished their undergraduate degree.

[fmsoa]

@fmsoa, I see this is your first post, mind me asking why you were applying to grad school when you're not fully finished your Bachelors?  I know many people would apply when they're done with the courses and just waiting for the "formal" process to complete. 

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I got the impression that a lot of folks applied to grad school while in their last (or even second-to-last) semester of their undergrad.  I applied to both of the MSW programs about a month into LIB-495 and SOS-110, as they were my first-and-last classes at TESU. As far as I know, most of the grad schools I looked at were fine with applicants in their last semester or two. WNMU, for example, even allows students to enroll for one semester if they have not fully finished their undergraduate degree.

Do you still have the sample WA (i.e Yazidi refugees research) from Dr. Black? I only dl the first 2 sample WAs and once I dropped the course, access was gone right away along with 1/2 of the tuition