By Janet McGlynn
Congratulations on making it through another semester with your student. I hope your son or daughter gained new knowledge, experience, and confidence through coursework and other college activities. If your student has not completed pre-registration for the spring semester, important courses are filling up. Ask your son or daughter to register at once. Students still in their first year at UM BC, whether as freshmen or transfer students, would benefit from taking the one-credit course Introduction to an Honors University or a three-credit First-Year Seminar.
Before the break, students will need to get through final exams. New students may need to be reminded that the schedule for finals is not exactly the same as the class schedule. Finals will be held from December 11 to December 17, 2014.
The semester break is a good time for families to talk about education goals and progress. Is your student committed to his or her choice of majors or thinking about changing? Most college students change their major at least once. For insights about future careers for students in various majors, visit What Can I Do With My Major on the Career Services website.
This is also a good time for students and families to discuss summer jobs (or research experiences that will help students to learn more about potential careers. Those in the sciences, including social sciences, should consider the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities offered by the National Science Foundation . Hundreds of such programs at universities and national laboratories around the country provide undergraduate research fellowships as well as stipends for living expenses and housing. Application deadlines vary, with many in early February. Students interested in research can also explore opportunities in their academic departments (http://umbc.edu/undergrad_ed/research/myMajorResearchOUE.html).
Students and parents are invited to attend Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom and other locations on campus. More than 200 undergraduates will share results of their research and creative work in areas ranging from Dance to Philosophy and Chemistry to Physics. Watch the URCAD web page for more information.
Best wishes for a wonderful winter break.