Summer Cookouts . . . Time to NETWORK!

Going to a barbeque on the 4th? 
       Spending time with friends and family?

Don't miss out on an opportunity to NETWORK!  Why is networking important?  "Approximately 70-75% of jobs are found through networking."  Click here for some tips on career networking for college students.

Look at every conversation as a possible contact or lead for a summer job, internship, a new field or major/minor to explore, or even a permanent job after graduation . . . you never know when you will meet someone who could help you out.

Ask questions about what kind of work people do, and tell them about what you're interested in doing - academically, and in terms of possible work. Find out about how people landed in their current job/career, and explore any opportunities to learn more about a job, a company, or a field. If you're interested, try to set up an Informational Interview; check out this page for help on how to go about it and how to prepare, as well as ideas for questions and do's and don'ts.

So when you're asking for another ear of corn, take a moment to find out a bit more about the person passing it!

Feedback from the NSO Experience

Academic advising is one small segment of the incoming freshmen's New Student Orientation experience, basically boiling down to a brief meeting with their academic dean, and time with an advisor to choose their schedule for the fall. 

In Undergraduate Advising, we get feedback from incoming students about their NSO experiences.  Here's what we're hearing, from the class of 2015:

In response to the Dean's Talk:

• "He was very welcoming and excited about our arrival. The most important thing he said was that as students we need to be proactive. I am used to having people around me encouraging me to do new and different activities. Now that I am a college student, I need to start motivating myself."

Regarding the BEST thing about their advising appointment:

• "My advisor and peer mentor were both really helpful and helped me to decide what classes to take to help me explore different subjects that I might be interested in." 
• "getting an awesome schedule" 
• "That I felt comfortable talking about what classes I wanted to take, and what do I want to do."

And regarding what DIDN'T work about their advising appointment:

• "I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the intricacies of the course selection process."  (note: this is why you should keep consulting an academic advisor about these decisions!) 
• "some of the time slots i chose were not my first choice"
• "i wasn't really prepared when i walked in. it took me some extra time" 

In response to what EXCITES them most about coming to UMass in the fall? 

• "The people here and the support that is clearly given to each student. I understand that in order to make relationships with the staff and faculty around me I need to be proactive. If I can do that, I can tell these relationships will benefit me." 
• "The entirely different atmosphere excites me. Now I will be able to take courses that interest me, as well as meet new people and experience brand new events." 
• "Everything!"

Thanks for the feedback, new students - we're looking forward to working with you all.


   

The New Students Are Coming, The New Students Are Coming!

Welcome, Class of 2015!

New Student Orientation (NSO) for freshmen has started, and will run through mid-July.  If you're an incoming student and you haven't yet signed up for an orientation session, click here for more details.  

Advisors from Undergraduate Advising and each of UMass' schools and colleges will be working with students to set up their class schedules for fall, and incoming students will also be participating in a jam-packed schedule of activities designed to ease their transition into the UMass community in the fall.

If you're on campus, say hello to students wearing nametags on a lanyard around their neck.  If you're trying to get in touch with an academic advisor, know that we're focused on new students for much of the coming weeks. Feel free to email us or call for an appointment - just know that you may not connect with your advisor immediately.

Academic Appeal Deadline: June 14th, by NOON!

If you are facing academic discipline (suspension or dismissal), you have a deadline coming up in less than one week!

Make sure you CAREFULLY read ALL communications regarding your status,

and follow directions CLOSELY. 

You may want to refer back to several earlier posts on the Undergraduate Advising Blog, which provide information and also contain links to still more details.