Are you struggling with your Math or English course? If so, check out the Math Place & the Writing Place.
From the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement:
REALM, a one-day leadership-mentoring program, scheduled for Wednesday, October 14th, will help broaden your leadership perspective and knowledge of the skills needed to succeed. Students who are accepted into the program will be matched with a successful local business, non-profit or government leader to learn about leadership in the real world. Deadline to apply for the Fall 2009 REALM program is Friday, September 18th.
5 Tips to Manage your Time in College
1. Use your student planner
Before you buy textbooks, lab equipment, or that first round of pizza be sure that you have invested in a student planner. Make sure that it is stylish and fits your personality so that you will use it on a consistent basis. Your planner should be with you every moment of every day that you are at school (and preferably even with you when you’re not!). Think of your planner as your “brain”; once you write something down in it, the task will get done…and you don’t need to have the date or time rattling around in your head any longer.
2. Watch your credit-hours
It’s tempting to succumb to pressure from parents, peers, or professors to take a large load of courses , especially when there are so many interesting topics you want to study and learn about. However, before taking the plunge into a massive number of credits, be sure to think carefully about the time requirements involved.
Typically, a 3-credit hour course requires 3 seated hours in a classroom plus 3 outside hours (study on your own) for each credit hour taken. Therefore, one class can occupy 12 hours of your time! Multiply this by 5 (for a 15 credit hour schedule), and your get 60 hours of occupied time. That’s more than some full-time jobs!
3. Try to work on-campus
Working is an inevitable part of life, but sometimes we can make it more convenient to our lifestyle. Have you checked out the Career Services web page for opportunities available right on campus? Think about how this would limit the commute time involved with working off-campus and perhaps give you the opportunity to study while making a bit of spending money.
Generally, students who are taking a full load of academic classes (i.e., 12 credits) should try to stay around 20 hours of work per week. This is a good rule of thumb to follow when trying to decide how much you should take on while attempting to excel academically.
4. Go to class
This should not be under estimated. GO TO CLASS! No matter how much you believe that all the material you need to know is covered in the textbook or PowerPoint slides you are setting yourself up for a difficult time if you don’t attend lecture. The lecture provides the professor the opportunity to elaborate on information (hopefully previously read) and to give concrete examples of concepts. If nothing else, view the lecture as yet another opportunity to study material that you have previously read and to better prepare yourself for the inevitable test.
5. Get comfortable with your syllabi
You should take the time now to go over your syllabi and list all due dates, tests, projects, and other deadlines in your student planner. This way you won’t have to worry about flipping through your syllabi each day to make sure that you have everything done. This will also allow you to plan your week more effectively since you will be able to see what weeks have many assignments due and what weeks are sparser. You can also take a few moments and see if there are any areas where you might be able to get ahead on some of you work should something come up and you can’t complete everything on a weekly basis.
To help you succeed as the fall semester begins, be sure that you review these important TIPS FOR SUCCESS!
Do you need to make adjustments to your fall semester schedule based upon any recent coursework?
If you took classes over the summer or were surprised by grades that you received in the spring semester, be sure that you make any necessary adjustments to your fall schedule. A good rule of thumb is if you received a grade of C- or lower particularly in a sequential course such as chemistry 101 or calculus I, chances are you will not be ready to successfully continue on with the second course in the sequence. Contact an academic advisor immediately for assistance with your fall semester planning.
Have you sent all of your AP credits, alternative credits, and any college transfer coursework to UB?
To Send AP Credit - http://src.buffalo.edu/procedures/ap.shtml
To Send Other Alternative Credits - http://tas.buffalo.edu/altexam/scorereports.shtml
To Send College Transfer Coursework - http://taurus.buffalo.edu/caspages/transcripts.shtml
Are you comfortable with your amount of registered credit hours?
On average, students complete 15 credits a semester. To be considered a full-time student, students need to be registered for at least 12 credits a semester. A full-time student needs to ideally complete a minimum of 24 UB credit hours an academic year.
If you plan to work, organize your job to work for you!
It is recommended that students limit themselves to no more than 15 hours of work per week as a full-time student in order to ensure that needed time is not being taken away from studying.
Remember to ALWAYS print out an updated copy of your class schedule.
If you make any changes to your fall semester schedule, always check that such changes have been recorded correctly and an updated copy of your schedule has been printed from MyUB. When visiting MyUB, remember to click on the “Web Registration” link and the “View Schedule” button to view a real time schedule of your course changes.
Go to class!
Do not underestimate the importance of attending class. The first day of class particularly is the most important time for students to receive the syllabus, learn about the course content, meet their instructors, and learn if they have the necessary preparation essential to be successful in the course.
Plan appropriate travel time.
Plan at least 1 hour of travel time between a North and South campus class. If you have a class in the Ellicott Complex followed by a class on the North Campus spine, you need to plan at least 30 minutes of travel time.
Check your UB E-mail regularly.
All students are urged to check their UB e-mail accounts often. Important academic and financial communications as well as other details that affect students’ statuses are communicated year-round. Be sure that you check your UB e-mail once a day or at least several times a week so that you stay informed throughout the semester.
Be sure you know these important UB resources as classes begin.
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Have questions? Contact an academic advisor immediately so that we can assist you!
The 2009-2010 Distinguished Speakers Series line-up has been announced!
If you attended orientation this summer, you should have received a copy of Steve Lopezs’ book The Soloist as part of the UBReads Program. Mr. Lopez is part of this years Speaker Series and will provide students, faculty, and staff a fantastic opportunity to discuss his work.
Students have the opportunity to obtain free tickets so watch the Spectrum in the fall for distribution dates.
For those of you who are new to UB and as a reminder to those of you who are returning, welcome to UB and the Be Advised weblog! Important academic information critical to students’ success will be posted year round on this blog so be sure that you visit us frequently and that you stay informed.
If you have questions, comments or suggestions regarding the Be Advised weblog, feel free to contact Student Advising Services at sas-advisor@buffalo.edu.
Some courses here at the University at Buffalo have multiple pieces to them and therefore appear on your academic schedule more than once.
For example, World Civilization (UGC 111 and UGC 112) typically has two portions: a lecture and a recitation. Chemistry (CHE 101 and CHE 102) typically has three portions: a lecture, a recitation, and a laboratory.
The lecture component will involve your professor delivering important course material to you in a large group setting.
The recitation component will involve a professor or teaching assistant going over material more in-depth. You might take quizzes, complete homework assignments, or do group work in these smaller sessions.
Laboratories will allow time to complete required experiments and write-ups for a course.
In order to successfully complete a course which involves more than one component, it is important to remember to attend each portion of it. If you have further questions about recitations, lectures, or laboratories please see your academic advisor or professor.
If you are wondering what major may be right for you or how you can go about making your major choice, then be sure you read the article, Choosing a College Major is Nothing to Take Lightly. It’s a Major Undertaking, by Mark Rowh of Career World. The article provides an overview of factors you might want to consider in making this important decision.
While it is normal to be undecided about a major (especially if you are just entering college) it is important to gather as much information as possible and to know you still have room to change. Don’t miss reading Rowh’s insightful and encouraging article on choosing a college major and remember to use the following additional UB resources to assist you:
Whether you will be a new student this coming fall semester or a returning student to the UB campus, you need to be sure that all of your Advanced Placement (AP), Alternative credits (i.e., CLEP, DANTES, GCE, IB) and other college transfer credits have been sent to UB.
Remember that:
All students need at least 120 total credits to graduate.
Any AP, Alternative or transfer credits that have been completed need to be discussed with your academic advisor before classes begin. This will ensure that advisors are helping you to plan the most appropriate courses for your future.
For more information on Alternative/Exam credit, visit the TAURUS (Transfer Articulation of University Requirements at UB System) Website.
For more information on how to have AP or Alternative credits sent to UB, visit: http://src.buffalo.edu/procedures/ap.shtml and tas.buffalo.edu/altexam/scorereports.php.
For additional information on how to have official college transcripts sent to UB, visit: taurus.buffalo.edu/caspages/transcripts.
Have questions? Contact your academic advisor for further assistance.
There is still time to add Methods of Inquiry to your fall 2009 class schedule. This course is a fantastic introduction to your personal learning style, study skills and critical thinking. All students can benefit from enrolling.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EDUCATION!
TAKE THIS COURSE SERIOUSLY AND YOU WILL:
• Predict exam questions
• Think clearly and critically
• Improve your understanding and your grades
• Respond meaningfully to class content and assignments
Registration information for the fall 2009 semester:
M/W 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. registration #215656
M/W 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. registration #126089
T/R 9:30 – 10:20 a.m. registration #429110
T/R 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. registration #316761
