Do not hesitate to contact me at mkdawson@umbc.edu with any questions.

Dr. Mia Karisa Dawson

In a job market that feels inundated with candidates, you may feel completely overwhelmed trying to find ways to stand out among your competitors. This can be especially true if you’re starting out in your career and are trying to find ways to add experiences to your resume.

It feels like an endless cycle. You need experiences...to add experiences to your resume...but without experiences...it’s difficult to get experiences in the first place. Internship opportunities fill up quickly within a seemingly narrow window of time.

In other words, how in the world do you get the visibility you need to land that first internship?

Here’s the truth: pursuing and securing an internship can feel like chasing a purple unicorn.

But here’s a secret: there are actually other ways to acquire career-related experience.

Here are a few to help you get started:

• Course Projects – Students are often surprised to find that their course projects count as experience, but they most certainly do! By listing out the class and details of what you did to complete an assignment, as well as the impact of your work, this demonstrates a level of knowledge and expertise that could be considered just as valuable as an internship experience.
• On-Campus Employment – If you find yourself on campus often, getting a job with a campus department could be a viable option. You get bonus points if it’s relevant to your major or career of interest. For more information on how to snag an on-campus position, check out our post here.
• Volunteer – Helping out a local non-profit, community organization, or student organization is another great way to gain experience. You could even tie the work to something related to your major, for example, running social media if you're a Media & Communication Studies major. For even more tips, check out our post here.
• Professional Associations – By connecting with professionals in your industry of interest through professional associations, you’ll not only build your network but also open yourself up to potential opportunities through their organizations or even the association itself. This option does require networking, which can be a source of anxiety for students, but it helps exercise that muscle that will absolutely be needed for the actual job market.
• Micro-internships – Micro-internships are a final great option if you’re still searching for semester-long work and need more experience. Go to parkerdewey.com to find available projects. You can also look into theforage.com to gain experience through their job simulations. 

Want to know more ways you can stand out as a leading candidate outside of internships? Join us for a Keys to Success workshop on Monday, October 7 at 12 PM at The Commons 331 to learn how.  

Important Spring Registration Information! Please read carefully.

Spring 2025 Registration - Advising Appointment Information for Current Students:

Shortly, all current UMBC students will receive notification of an "Advising Hold" on their UMBC account. Students must meet with an advisor to have the hold lifted in order to register for Spring courses.

Spring Registration for undergraduate students will run October 29th- November 15^th. Your specific date will be based on the number of credits you have earned. Students should plan to meet with an advisor a few weeks before their earliest registration time.

You can consult the Registration Appointment Calendar here for your date and time.

Your exact Registration appointment time can be found in the Registration Guide. 

Pre-Majors and all first semester transfer students should schedule an advising appointment with a COEIT advisor starting October 1st. New appointments times will be added on a regular basis.

COEIT students who have started UMBC as freshmen should schedule an appointment here.

First semester transfer students at or any transfer students who have not yet passed their gateway and are attending the Catonsville campus should schedule an appointment here.

First semester students attending the Shady Grove campus should schedule an appointment here.

All COEIT students who have passed their gateway, are not first semester transfer students, and have been updated to the full major will be advised by faculty in the department.  Faculty advisors are, or will soon, be listed in your myUMBC Profile.

More information about advising for students who are full majors can found here.

Faculty advisors may wait until the schedule of classes is posted on October 21st to meet with students.

Information Systems and Business Technology Administration majors (or students intending to change to one of these majors) are advised in the Information Systems Department. Please go here for more information.

If you are changing your major to a major outside the College of Engineering and Information Technology, please contact the respective department of your new major for advising appointment instructions. Please remember to complete a Declaration of Major form for your new major.

Winter 2025 Session

Winter Session registration will began October 14^th. Students do not need to meet with an advisor prior to registering for winter courses unless they have questions or concerns. If you intend to take a course off-campus during the winter, a Verification of Transferability Form is required in advance of taking the course.

New Students Admitted for the Spring Semester:

Newly admitted students for the Spring semester may not register for courses until Winter Orientation. Please sign up for Orientation here.

Questions?

Please contact an advisor for additional information.

Please join us for a live, virtual Open Enrollment Information Session hosted by the HRSTM Benefits & Wellness team.

Wednesday, 10/16/2024 at 12:00pm via Webex

In this session, we will discuss the following information and more!

• What’s New for 2025?
• Who needs to make changes?
• What is the OneLogin process for your SPS Workday account?
• Accessing your Workday account. 
• State of Maryland Wellness activities - 2025 is a reset year.
• Healthcare Flexible Spending account – new annual limit!
• The new prescription vendor, MedImpact (State microsite coming soon!)

Please mark your calendar and use this Webex link to join the session.

Not able to attend the information session? No worries! The session will be recorded and posted to the HRSTM Benefits Open Enrollment website by 10/22/2024, as well as additional Open Enrollment information as it becomes available from the State.