Keys to Student Success

Janet McGlynn, Office of Undergraduate Education

mcglynn@umbc.edu

At this point in the fall semester, parents want to know how to help their students complete their work, learn from their courses, and end the semester with good grades. The Office of Undergraduate Education umbc.edu/oue offers these suggestions:

1. Students have begun to receive alerts through myUMBC from the First Year Intervention (FYI) program.  Alerts are sent to students in danger of earning lower than a C in a course. Ask your student to tell you about the “alert” process in myUMBC and whether he or she has received any lately.  Keep asking, as faculty continue to report to the FYI system over a period of several weeks. An FYI alert will direct the student to a page of resources and advice, including recommendations that the student speak with their professors and sign up for tutoring umbc.edu/lrc/tutoring.html.  It is very important that students not be discouraged at this point. There is time to make a difference in the grades they will receive, if they make changes now. It is also important for students who are struggling academically to realize that they must change their behavior and learning techniques in order to change their grades. 

2. Registration for spring semester will begin soon. Students should start preparing now by reviewing the online Schedule of Classes, making an advising appointment (required for spring registration), and checking their myUMBC account to be sure they are cleared to register. An unpaid bill or missing immunization record can delay registration. Help your student by clearing up any such issues before registration begins.

3. Scheduling hint for new students: First Year Seminars umbc.edu/oue/fys/ are limited to 20 first-year students per class and are taught by experienced faculty.  Students in these small classes get to know a faculty member well and may find a long-term mentor. 

4. Suggest that your student consider engaging in research umbc.edu/oue/research/index.html or mentored artistic efforts—even starting in the freshman year. Research offers a terrific learning opportunity and it provides a practical foundation for classroom learning. Furthermore, students gain early insights into professional expectations and rewards and research experience strengthens a resume or graduate school application. Research can be done in any field or major. Suggest that your students attend an information session October 8th or November 7th, both at noon in Sondheim 108.

Parents and families please share the following information with your student: 

The Schedule of Classes will be available online October 27th and advance registration for Spring classes will begin November 3rd. Meeting with an advisor is required prior to registration.

Five Steps to Successful Advising, Course Selection, and Registration for your Student!

1. Click here to find out your earliest registration time for Spring 2015 classes, which is based on your earned credits (including transfer courses, but not courses in progress now).
2. Contact your academic major department to make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor. Make sure you meet with your advisor well before your earliest registration time. You will not be permitted to register without advising clearance. An updated list of departmental advising contacts and procedures is available here. Students without a declared major or in transition between majors are advised in the Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising (410-455-2729).
3. Before your advising appointment you will need to review your degree audit (in myUMBC under "Advising and Student Support") to see what courses you need to take to complete your degree program. Advisors expect that you will review your degree audit before you meet with them. For more information, click here.
4. Meet with your advisor to discuss your educational goals and interests, your long term plan, and your course list for Spring 2015. Your advisor will enter advising clearance for you into the registration system. You, the student, will turn that course list into an actual draft schedule with course numbers, times and section numbers.
5. Log on to your myUMBC account and register for your classes at your earliest registration time. Check your final schedule carefully to be certain that it reflects your intentions and the plan you discussed with your advisor. For detailed instructions, click here.

Address Registration Blocks and Holds Early!

Check your myUMBC account well in advance to be sure you have no outstanding obligations to the university that could prevent you from registering, i.e., past due balances, vaccinations, etc. If you have an administrative hold that would prevent you from registering, you will receive a separate myUMBC alert message to remind you.

Meeting with More than One Advisor

Some students may need to meet with more than one advisor. Students with double majors, minors, and pre-professional programs will obtain registration clearance from the advisor in their primary major and obtain additional advice as needed from supplementary advisors. For example, students pursuing education certificates will need to see an advisor in the Education Department. Students pursuing careers in the health professions usually need to see more than one advisor. Clickhere for additional information.

Please take full advantage of the many campus advising services available to you and do so soon. Registering at your earliest opportunity allows you to enroll in the courses and sections that best meet your needs. If you have questions or need additional advising assistance, please contact us at 410-455-2729 or by email at arc@umbc.edu.

Sincerely,

Brian Frey, UMBC Ph.D. student in information systems, has been collaborating for the past several years with colleagues at Georgia Tech University on a very simple concept: How can one infuse braille communication with the iPhone? Over these past few years the team has been refining their Braille Touch App in support of that concept. Their efforts were validated with the recent release of the Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS8. Of the millions of apps that Apple has approved for release in the App Store since the release of the first generation iPhone, only a select few have been tapped for inclusion as a “native” app, included in the iOS software package itself. Braille Touch provides a familiar braille layout for the vision impaired user as well as audio feedback to give the user instant feedback that they are typing the message as they intended.

Every so often, we highlight the importance of student scholarships by introducing you to the very students they help to succeed. Today, we’re featuring Kristina Higgins ‘16, chemical engineering, who is an Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship recipient. This scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate student who is a child or grandchild of a UMBC graduate, and who shows great community involvement.

Name: Kristina Higgins
Major: Chemical Engineering
Extra Curricular Activities: Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority and club soccer
Scholarship received: Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship

Q: Why did you decide to attend UMBC?
I chose to attend UMBC because of its outstanding STEM program and the recognition it receives throughout the country. I also love that at UMBC I can walk around campus and see familiar faces, instead of being drowned out in the population of a very large school.

Q: What’s been the most amazing discovery you’ve made so far as a student here?
The most amazing discovery I have made as a student at UMBC is the amount that I have in common with so many people from different backgrounds. UMBC is very diverse and I have had a chance to meet people from all different cultures.

Q: Tell us about a class or club that has really opened your mind.
Delta Phi Epsilon sorority has shown me how to be a well-rounded person. I consistently take part in a variety of activities including community service events, philanthropy events, and different workshops that build skills such as resume builders and study habit tips.

Q: How important is it to you as a student to get scholarship support?
It is very important to me to get scholarship support. My college education is very important to me and I am very thankful to receive support on something that is such an integral part of my life.

Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time at UMBC?
I am most proud of continuing to complete all of my classes to the best of my ability in such a challenging field of study. I continue to surprise myself on what I can accomplish.

Q: What would you say to the people who provided your scholarship?
I would want to express my gratitude and make sure they know that I will be using that scholarship to continue to work hard at UMBC and pursue my future goals.

Q: What do you hope to do after graduation?
I hope to work for an environmental engineering firm in order to help maintain and improve the sustainability of the watersheds around us.

Give back through our alumni scholarships today!

Revolution of Eye, an exhibition organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture and the Jewish Museum in New York, and curated by Maurice Berger, research professor and chief curator at the CADVC, received coverage in Broadway World on October 1. (Click here to read the article). The exhibition will open in May 2015 and will be the first to explore how avant-garde art influenced and shaped the look and content of network television in its formative years, from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. A microsite that provides a preview to the exhibition is now available here.