Student Success Resources

Adjusting to a new school can be challenging. Whether it’s academic or personal, below are some resources that can help you with your transition:

• TRS 201: Transfer Seminars are designed to assist in the successful transition of transfer students from their previous college or university to UMBC. The course focuses on developing and understanding the skills needed and the academic expectations to achieve success at an Honors University. The materials covered will complement the work that is being done in upper-level courses in your major, and it will contain academic material selected by the Department that has been identified as a barrier to the success of transfer students. Once you click the hyperlink, scroll to the bottom of the page for the Shady Grove course.
• Center for Academic Success, located in Building IV-1322 in the Office of Student & Academic Services (SAS) Suite provides the following services:
• Writing assistance
• Guided Study Sessions
• Workshops on Time Management
• Academic Coaching
• Tutoring
• Test Proctoring
• USG also provides free, confidential counseling services at its Center for Counseling and Consultation, located in Building IV-3139. Please call 301-738-6273 to make an appointment.

If you received an FYI Alert from your instructor, you may be at risk for receiving a "D" or an "F" grade in an academic course. The goal of the alert is to encourage you to act NOW to take the necessary actions to improve your grade.

Here are some ideas that may help you become successful in the course:

• Talk to your instructor/s in the course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you understand and study the subject.
• Find out if the department has additional academic support services, such as discussion groups or test files.
• Speak with your academic advisor.
• Consider using different study techniques.
• Visit the Center for Academic Success for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV-1322.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling and Consultation, located in Building IV-3139.  Please call 301-738-6273 for an appointment.

If you are on academic probation, then you should take immediate action to improve your academic performance.

If not, you may be subject to academic suspension or dismissal in a future semester. Also, you will not be eligible to receive a UMBC bachelor’s degree until you are in good academic standing.

Here are a few steps you can take:

Before the semester

• Speak with your academic advisor and discuss a class schedule that is manageable.
• Think about repeating key courses in which you have performed poorly for a second attempt or petitioning the Office of Undergraduate Education for a third and final attempt when warranted.
• You may want to consider TRS 201. Transfer Seminars are designed to assist in the successful transition of transfer students from their previous college or university to UMBC. The course focuses on developing and understanding the skills needed and the academic expectations to achieve success at an Honors University. The materials covered will complement the work that is being done in upper-level courses in your major, and it will contain academic material selected by the Department that has been identified as a barrier to the success of transfer students.

During the semester

• Talk to your instructor(s) in the course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you understand and study the subject.
• Find out if the department has additional academic support services, such as discussion groups or test files.
• Speak with your academic advisor and discuss whether reducing your overall credit load will allow more time to focus on each course.
• Consider using different study techniques.
• Visit the Center for Academic Success for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV-1322.
• Adjust your work schedule and extracurricular commitments.

Depending on where you are in the semester, you may have time to improve your attendance and/or coursework.

Here are a few steps you can take:

• Start to attend all your classes and compare your Blackboard activity with course peers.
• Talk with your instructor(s) in the course(s) to explain why you haven't been to class and to see how your absences have and will affect your grade. Find out what you can do to make up missed assignments, etc.
• If for some reason, you cannot attend your class or classes, talk to your instructor and/or academic advisor.
• If time management or academic difficulty is an issue, visit the Center for Academic Success, located in Building IV-1322, for ways to improve.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling and Consultation, located in Building IV-3139. Please call 301-738-6273 for an appointment.

Learning is a matter of committing both time and energy to your studies. What does this mean? For every hour in class, you should be spending two to three hours studying. Some subjects may be more demanding than others. If you find one course harder than another, you must devote more time and energy to that difficult course.

Do you feel that you do not have enough time to study? Do you put things off until the last minute? Do tests make you nervous? Are you studying hard, yet you're not doing well?

Below are a few strategies that might point you in the right direction:

• Talk to your instructor(s) in the course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you understand and study the subject.
• Find out if the department has additional academic support services, such as discussion groups or test files.
• Consider using different study techniques.
• Visit the Center for Academic Success for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV-1322.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling and Consultation, located in Building IV-3139. Please call 301-738-6273 for an appointment.

If you feel that your personal life is interfering with your academic success, we encourage you to check out the following resources:

• The Center for Counseling and Consultation (CCC), located in Building IV-3139.

• Intake and emergency services (including walk-in hours)
• Individual and couples counseling
• Career/major counseling
• Group counseling

Please call 301-738-6273 for more information or to set up an appointment.

• Housed on UMBC’s main campus, the Women’s Center is an excellent resource for all UMBC students.

• If you have questions about child care or are in need of a housing referral, please visit the Office of Student Services, located in Building III, Room 1100.

If you are having trouble with finances, here is a list of resources that may be of help:

• Financial Aid: Learn about FAFSA, applying for loans, and finding scholarships. Financial aid counselors are available to answer your questions. Please note that counselors are assigned to students based on their last names. For more info, please call 410-455-2387.
• Scholarships: Check out merit-based scholarships for current students. Did you know that the Universities at Shady Grove has scholarships, as well? Click here for USG scholarships.
• Career Services Center: You'll discover many resources to find jobs. Be sure to set up an account on UMBCworks as well!
• Monthly Tuition Payment Plan: This affords you the ability to conserve your savings and budget your expenses.  For more info, please call 410-455-2288.
• Student Business Services: Missed some payments? Noticed a billing mistake? Want to pay online? This is the place to go. Have some questions? Try this FAQ link. For more info, please call  410-455-2288.
• Center for Counseling and Consultation: If this is personal, you are encouraged to visit the office located in Building IV-3139. You may also call 301-738-6273 for more information or set an appointment.

Depending on where you are in the semester, you may ask yourself whether the decision to withdraw or drop a class is reasonable. However, withdrawing or dropping from courses may:

• lead to loss of financial aid or health insurance
• have an impact on immigration status
• increase the time it takes to graduate

Dropping a class– removing a course from your schedule during the Schedule Adjustment Period at the beginning of the semester. You may receive a pro-rated refund based on the date the course is dropped. Deadlines to drop courses apply.

Withdrawing from a class - removing a course from your schedule after the Schedule Adjustment Period. Your transcript will reflect a grade of "W" for the course. Even though you did not complete the course, a withdrawal will be considered a course attempt. Deadlines to withdraw from courses apply.

Before making the decision to drop/withdraw from a class:

• Talk to your instructor/s in the course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you understand and study the subject.
• Find out if the department has additional academic support services, such as discussion groups or test files.
• Speak with your academic advisor and discuss whether reducing your overall credit load will allow more time to focus on each course.
• Consider using different study techniques.
• Study with a tutor.

• Reach out to Financial Aid to see how your reward may be adjusted if you withdraw/drop from a class. For more info, please call 410-455-2387.

• Visit the Center for Academic Success for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV-1322.
• Adjust your work schedule and extracurricular commitments.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling and Consultation, located in Building IV-3139. Please call 301-738-6273 for an appointment.
• International students should reach out to International Education Services to see if withdrawing/dropping a course will affect their immigration status.

If you make the decision to drop/withdraw from a course, then there are two steps that must be completed:

• First, you must contact your academic advisor.
• Second, you must officially drop/withdraw from the course using myUMBC by the semester’s deadline.

Please take notice: Students may not register for a course more than two times. Students are considered registered for a course if they are enrolled after the end of the schedule adjustment period. Students may petition the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) for a third and final attempt of a course taken at UMBC or another institution. An attempt is defined as enrollment in a course, or its equivalent at another institution, in which the student has received a grade or an official withdraw was given. This includes credit by exam or if a student withdraws from the entire semester/session. Students should consult with their academic departments for additional restrictions or policies regarding repeated courses.

If you can't find help through the Action Resource Center, please contact Abigail Granger, Assistant Director, argranger@umbc.edu, 301-738-6281..