The Oracle For Your Journey to Academic Success Director’s Message: Making Sense of Midterm Grades Midterm exams are over, and midterm grades have been posted! You will not receive a letter grade—instead you will be given a ―satisfactory‖ or ―unsatisfactory‖ rating. However, you can usually get a sense of your actual letter grade by looking at Blackboard or speaking with your professor. Here are some important things to remember about midterm grades and to help you make sense and productive use of them. Midterm grades are usually not a part of your permanent record. They are meant to give you an indication of your progress midway through the semester. If you question a grade or receive a less than satisfactory, make an appointment to talk to your professor. Midterm grades are an opportunity to have open an dialogue about what you can do to improve your grade. If your midterm grades are not what you anticipated, this is a good time to self reflect and think about what may not be working. Consider what needs to change. For example, think about your class attendance; how, when, and where you are studying; or whether a tutor might help. You may need to consider withdrawing from a class. If one grade is very low, withdrawing from that class might give you more time to focus your energies on doing well in other classes. Although withdrawing is not ideal, in some cases it may make success in other classes more manageable, and help keep your GPA strong. And, as always, meet with your academic advisor! Your academic advisor can help you plan your conversation with your professor or assess your current strategies. Timothy L. Hatchett How To Change Your Major November 2015 Issue 6 Inside this issue: Director’s Letter 1 How To Change Your Major 1 “It’s In the Syllabus!” 2 The SAP Process 2 November Calendar 3 Continuing Registration 3 Sports Schedule 3 “But This Isn’t an English Class!” 4 Tutoring Dos and Don’ts 4 Office of Academic Advising & Retention Academic Advising: BLDG 39, Room 112, 274-6899 Academic Support: BLDG 39, Room 111, 274-5938 Changing or declaring your major may feel like a ―major‖ task. Moreover, the results of a change in major will significantly impact the courses you take and, potentially, your sense of academic identity. Nevertheless, the process is quite simple. Just follow these quick steps: Retrieve the form from the Registrar or the Academic Advising Office. Fill out the form. Then, take it to be signed by both your former advisor and your new advisor. Turn it into the registrar. Your major will be updated at the beginning of the following semester. If you aren’t sure about what you want to major in, do your research. Explore the UDC website, reach out to faculty affiliated with the departments you are interested in, and then have a meaningful conversation with your academic advisor. All of these resources are here for you! Don’t miss out!
Transcript
The Oracle For Your Journey to Academic Success
Director’s Message: Making Sense of Midterm Grades
Midterm exams are over, and midterm grades have been posted! You will not receive a letter grade—instead you
will be given a ―satisfactory‖ or ―unsatisfactory‖ rating. However, you can usually get a sense of your actual letter
grade by looking at Blackboard or speaking with your professor. Here are some important things to remember
about midterm grades and to help you make sense and productive use of them.
Midterm grades are usually not a part of your permanent record. They are meant to give you an indication of
your progress midway through the semester.
If you question a grade or receive a less than satisfactory, make an appointment to talk to your professor.
Midterm grades are an opportunity to have open an dialogue about what you can do to improve your grade.
If your midterm grades are not what you anticipated, this is a good time to self reflect and think about what
may not be working. Consider what needs to change. For example, think about your class attendance; how,
when, and where you are studying; or whether a tutor might help.
You may need to consider withdrawing from a class. If one grade is very low,
withdrawing from that class might give you more time to focus your energies on
doing well in other classes. Although withdrawing is not ideal, in some cases it may
make success in other classes more manageable, and help keep your GPA strong.
And, as always, meet with your academic advisor! Your academic advisor can help
you plan your conversation with your professor or assess your current strategies.
Changing or declaring your major may feel like a ―major‖ task. Moreover, the results of a change in major will significantly impact the courses you take and, potentially, your sense of academic identity. Nevertheless, the process is quite simple. Just follow these quick steps:
Retrieve the form from the Registrar or the Academic Advising Office.
Fill out the form. Then, take it to be signed by both
your former advisor and your new advisor.
Turn it into the registrar. Your major will be updated at the beginning of the following semester.
If you aren’t sure about what you want to major in, do your research. Explore the UDC website, reach out to faculty affiliated with the departments you are interested in, and then have a meaningful conversation with your academic advisor.
All of these resources are here for you! Don’t miss out!
It’s In the Syllabus!
The SAP Process
If you are not making satisfactory academic progress (SAP), your financial aid will be suspended.
There are three situations in which students do not make SAP: failure to meet completion rate (passing less
than 67% of attempted courses), failure to meet a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, OR exceeding
maximum timeframe. If you fall into one of these three categories, you will need to make a case for why
you have failed to make SAP. Below are the steps required to complete a SAP appeal:
Remember to check the My.UDC portal after you submit your appeal. Financial aid may request additional
documents from you. It is important to take initiative and follow through with your SAP process from
start to finish. The SAP process is not a punishment but rather a chance for you to recover from a rough
patch in your academic history when the cause of your hardship was beyond your control.
Action is the
foundational key
to all success.
—Pablo Picasso
Page 2 Issue 6
Step 1:
Pick up an appeal form from
the Financial Aid office.
Step 2:
Fill in items 1-4 (basic personal
info, why you are not making
SAP, extenuation
circumstances, documentation.
Step 3:
Complete an Academic
Success Strategies plan
with your Academic or
Faculty advisor.
Step 4:
Attach a letter, in your
words, explaining why you
believe you should be
reinstated.
Step 5:
You and your advisor will
need to sign and date the
packet before turning it in.
UDC Athletics
Schedule
11/8 – Women's
Cross Country at.
NCAA Regional Cham-
pionship (Hopkinton,
NH)
11/13 7:30 PM –
Women's Basketball
vs. Merrimack
11/14 1:00 PM –
Women's Basketball
at Felician (Sparkill,
NY)
11/15 (Time TBA) –
Men's Basketball @
Philadelphia Universi-
ty
11/19 6:00 PM –
Women's Basketball
vs. Goldey-Beacom
11/21 – Women's
Cross Country at
NCAA Championships
(Joplin, MO)
11/28 3:00 PM –
Women's Basketball
vs. Saint Anselm
11/29 3:00 PM –
Women's Basketball
vs. Tampa
backups lined up in case something changes in your work schedule, the courses fill up, or the class is cancelled. You can’t be too careful.
Stick to the plan. Advisors provide you with your degree plan for a reason – it’s your road map for your academic path through UDC. Use it every time you register for courses.
Register ASAP. Registration opens November 2. You MUST meet with an advisor before you can begin adding courses to your schedule.
Advice to Remember:
Your advisor is your friend! Academic and faculty advisors are here for you. If you are not sure (even if you think you know) what you should be taking, make sure to double check it with a professional. Advisors can help with degree planning and more; you never know what you could gain from a meeting with an advisor until you go.
Have back up. Always budget at least three extra courses into your potential course list. It is crucial that you have
Fast Facts:
Holds: Check what holds you have on your account using My.UDC.
Lab & Lecture courses must be added at the same time. If you need help learning how to add two courses at the same time, ask an advisor!
MW = Monday & Wednesday (i.e. your course meets on both of these days)
TR = Tuesday & Thursday
C/CC: Course codes end-ing in C or that have CC listed under location are Community college cours-es. Only CC students can register for them.
