Orientation Cards are being sent out!

Hey new Terps!

Sorry I've been MIA for the past couple weeks. I have been doing some traveling and conferencing before our big summer gets here.

I just wanted to let you know that our Orientation Registration Cards are being sent out as I type. You should be receiving one in the next couple of days.

When you receive this card, go online to orientation.umd.edu and follow the steps. As you click onto the "Summer Orientation" link on the bottom left, a pop-up screen will show. Click on "Transfer Overview and Registration." Click on each tab individually to complete the necessary steps.

One question we often get is, "Do I need to take the Math Placement Exam?"

The answer is yes and no.

Students in Engineering, Business and Behavioral and Social Sciences Colleges DEFINITELY need to take the Math Placement Exam BEFORE coming to Orientation.

Students who have taken a class that transfers to UM with a 2.0 GPA and an equivalency of MATH140 (Calculus) do NOT have to the exam.

HOWEVER!, we recommend that ALL students take the Math Placement Exam. This exam combines with your SAT and AP scores to give you placement into a certain math course. Taking the Math Placement Exam and doing poorly on it will not hurt you in any way. Scoring high on the exam can only help you place into higher math courses that you may need to graduate faster. So we say, JUST TAKE IT.

If you have any specific questions about your major math requirements and if you have the proper transfer credits, visit tce.umd.edu or call your college directly.

Our first orientation program is this Friday! Get excited.

What questions do you have about the Math Placement Exam or registering for Orientation?

Schedule Adjustment

So you've sat through your first couple days of classes and you are thinking to yourself one or more of the following thoughts:

1. Ugh, this is too early.
2. Ugh, this is too late.
3. Ugh, this is right when I want to eat lunch. I'm starving.
4. I do not like this syllabus.
5. I am not clicking with this teacher.
6. I'm so sweaty because the first day of class was supposed to be cold and it was so hot and I overdressed.
7. Is Brangelina still Brangelina?

Whatever your thoughts are during your first classes, if you are not satisfied with the classes you chose during orientation, you can change them!

Students "schedule adjust" for a variety of reasons. Just logon to Testudo.umd.edu and search the Schedule of Classes and add and drop as you please.

A couple things though:
-You only have until next Friday to do so. That is ten working days after the first day of classes.
-You should talk to your advisor when you switch classes so they know that you did so and may have some insider information about how that change affects your course plan.
-If you drop or add after a certain period (ten days), you will be charged a percentage of your tuition. So the sooner the better.
-You can join the waitlists of certain classes, but be sure to check in daily.

What other advising questions do you have?

What classes do I take?! Suggestions?

Maryland is ranked in the top 20 Public Research Institutions in the nation! It is a fact that we are very proud of. That means academics are key here on campus and our students take their responsibilities seriously. New students sometimes have trouble navigating a new registration and course sequence system, so it is vitally important that they understand all of the resources available to them. I'll try to provide you with those resources (in order of how you will come in contact with them) in this post.

Pre-admission: Keonna Feaster and Erin Thiel are our two Pre-transfer advisors. You can meet with them even before you apply to the University of Maryland. They can help you navigate the application process and determine how your credits transfer to the University. Find their information at http://www.transferadvising.umd.edu/.

Pre-Orientation: The best way to get information regarding your advising is to become familiar with the Course Catalog and the registration system. At the University of Maryland, we use a system called The Portal for all of our needs. The Portal is a one-stop shop for our students to register for classes, check in on finances, check in on extracurricular activities and more. Log-in to your Portal at www.my.umd.edu.

Orientation: During Orientation is when you actually sit down with an advisor and figure out your course schedule for your first semester. You will receive a tutorial on how to use The Portal and other advising tools and you will receive your first semester schedule. If you decide to change your mind about a course, you can always log back into the registration system and change your classes. Just be sure to contact your advisor to make sure the course fits into your academic plan.

Post-Orientation through graduation: Some colleges require students to meet with their advisors each semester. Be sure to check with your advisor during Orientation to see if this is the case. Other colleges do not require this meeting, but a smart Terp certainly makes it a point to visit with their advisor at least once a semester. Do this prior to your advising date so that you can make sure that you have enough time to talk over your options. All of our advisors are professional, full-time advisors and have made it their life's duty to help our students succeed.

Other resources: When you come to Orientation, you will be assigned an Orientation Advisor. These are current student leaders here at UMD who have been trained to understand the intricacies of your college. As students, they have taken a plethora of classes and have some great recommendations on courses to take. They won't, however, offer opinions about quality/style of certain professors since each student enjoys a different style of learning. Make sure to write down their email when they write it on the board in your morning meeting. You can also be in touch with the other students in your Orientation group. We put you together with students in your college so that you can have some great networks from the start. Definitely be sure to take advantage of your grouping.

I hope that helps to give you some idea of the support networks that we have in place for our new Transfer students as they begin thinking about taking classes here at UMD.

What are some of the best classes that you have taken here at UMD (if you are a commuter) or What are some classes that you have heard are great classes to take here at UMD?