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?

Orientation!!!

Transfer students often wonder why they have to attend an Orientation Program at UMD. You've already been to another university or college, right? You know how to take classes, how to park your car, how to study and join a club, right?

Well, not so fast. You may know how to do all those things and more at your previous institution, but things at UMD are a bit different.

Our Orientation Program sets you up for success for your first few weeks of school so that you can continue to utilize the other resources on campus for the rest of your tenure on campus. The Orientation Program has its foundation in literature on the transfer student experience. This literature comes from national studies conducted by the leading researchers on these subjects as well as literature from a campus working group that surveyed the transfer population in 2005. Based on this information, we have formulated a program that we think provides just the right amount of information for our new transfer students.

We go over how to get involved on campus including using our STARS website (www.stars.umd.edu) and utilizing the many resources in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union- Center for Campus Life. We talk about off-campus housing options and services, safety on campus, how to register for classes, we provide you with a quick tour of some important hot spots and more importantly, help you connect with students within your major and college.

We believe that you orientation experience will be a great one and we are excited that you are coming to join the Maryland Family!!

What questions do you have about UMD Orientation?