Last minute reminders

Hey new Terps!

Less than one week left until the first day of classes! Is it the same as when you went to your first day of classes in Kindergarden? Probably not! At that point, your parents did everything for you, but now, you have to get it all done yourself. So here are a few things you should remember before you come on Monday.

1. Make sure your schedule is as set as possible. Log onto Testudo.umd.edu to modify your schedule as necessary. However, if you find that a class is too far to get to in ten minutes, or you don't like an instructor, or the course load is not what you expected, you can change your classes until the end of the drop/add period which is the 10th day of class.

2. While you are on Testudo, take note of the classroom locations. Log onto the UMD website and view a map. Find your classes and if you get a chance, come back to campus to find your classes.

3. And while you are on your way to campus, take a few extra minutes to find those alternative routes. ESPECIALLY on the first week of classes, campus is going to be really busy. You're going to have to take some extra time to park and walk to classes.

4. Buy your books now! If you buy your books now, you can get the best copies of used books. You can find your book list on Testudo as well. You can either purchase all your books in the University Book Center or you can go to amazon.com. I suggest that if the book is $50 or less, just buy it at the bookstore, but if it is a big ticket item, check Amazon. Students last week reported savings of up to $70 on certain textbooks.

Those are the big things. A couple other things:

-Ask lots of questions about the syllabus. You want to be as clear as possible BEFORE the semester starts.
- If you are going to keep your schedule, immediately go home and put all your assignments and classes into a planner of some sort. When life gets busy, assignments are forgotten. Don't let it happen to you.
-Find out where you are going to eat on campus. Check out the older post about eating on campus.
-Find a place to study. A lot of schedules are riddled with holes where it's not enough time to go home, but too much time to head to your next class. Find a great place to sit with your readings and do some work along the way. Remember that, if you are a full-time student, you should treat your schooling like  a 40 hour work week. If you go to your classes, do your homework and study within the 9-5 schedule (or something comparable), you are less likely to have to do anything on the weekends.

Take care and good luck!!

What other tips do you have to share with your fellow terps?

Tickets and Parking (also, First Orientation)

Hey Terps! Hope you had a good and safe holiday season!

Good news! We have our first Transfer Orientation this Friday! If you are signed up, we are happy to have you on campus. Remember that check-in begins between 8 and ends at 8:20am in Cole Field House. You want to make sure to park in Lot 1 only. If you park anywhere else, be ready to get a $75 ticket. You can get your temporary Orientation parking pass here.

Speaking of tickets, that is the topic of today's post.

Every lot on campus is assigned some sort of designated letter, number and/or symbol. You'll drive around and see lots like Lot Q, Lot K, Lot Z, Lot 1, Lot 11, etc. You will also see lots like Lot Z* or Lot Q*. They each have their own special meaning and it is important to know where to park. When you register for a parking permit at the Department of Transportation Services website here, you will be assigned a parking lot based on the number of credits you have. The more you have, the better lot you will be in. The "Holy Grail" of spots is in Lot 1. But for the first semester you may get Lot 6, 9 or 11 which are on the outskirts of campus, but still within walking distance to all classes and the campus shuttles drive by often.

There has been a lot of chatter around campus about making the signs more user-friendly. You can read an article here. We'll see what the administration decides to do in the future and I'll keep you updated. But for now, make sure you read your parking permit and also the signs in the lots. If not, you will get a whopping $75 ticket. Never fear! If it's your first time on campus or you just made an honest mistake, you can appeal the ticket at the same website for the Department of Transportation Services. But don't abuse the appeal process because they will only let you off so many times.

Good luck with parking on campus and remember to check the permit and check the signs.

What other ways are you getting to campus besides driving?