College Advising at UC Santa Cruz

Every undergraduate at UCSC is a member of one of the university’s 10 colleges.  The college system is designed to foster intellectual, cultural, and residential communities with the larger campus community.  There are some cases in which a student feels they need to change their college affiliation.  This is the deadline to do so.  Both the current and prospective college must approve the change.  Your transfer will normally be approved if it is justified by closer proximity to faculty and other resources central to your major program.  Please see your college adviser for further information.

Regardless of the grading option you have chosen, you may formally withdraw from a class by filing a Petition to Withdraw From a Course at your college office.  The completed petition must be filed by the end of the sixth week of instruction, which is the deadline date listed above.  The grade notation of W will appear on your official transcript, but it is not included in your GPA calculation.

Due to unexpected circumstances, some students need to withdraw during a quarter.  This date is the deadline to do so except for medical or other emergency reasons.  Before you initiate a withdrawal it is important to consider the possible implications.  Here are a few to consider:

• Financial Aid, Campus Housing, and Parking Pass

• Coming back to the University: Readmission

• Academic Record

• Alternative options:  Leave of Absence (if in good standing), Incomplete in a particular class OR withdrawing from an individual class.

Please see your college adviser for further clarification and assistance.  If you do decide to withdraw from UCSC, you will need to file the Petition for Withdrawal/Leave of Absence at your college office.  Your withdrawal or LOA do not become official until the petition is filed with your college.

This is your final opportunity to add a class to your spring quarter record. The petitions are available online at http://reg.ucsc.edu/forms.htm and require the signature of your instructor and the chair of the academic department offering the course. (You may also need the signature of your college adviser if adding the class brings your total credits to 20 or more and your GPA does not make you eligible for more than 19 credits.) There is a $10 fee to file an Add by Petition form.  It’s a good idea to double-check your enrollments now at myucsc.edu just in case a class you are attending is not on your record.

The Math Placement Exam assesses your level of math preparation.  Your score on the exam allows you to enroll in the MATH course that you are best prepared for.  Students planning on enrolling in a MATH course are encouraged to take the exam as early as possible.  Students are NOT required to pre-register for the exam.  You may only take the exam TWO times during your academic career.  Scores are valid for one year.  At no point may a student who has received a non-passing grade in a math course here at UCSC use the Math Placement Exam to place out of that course. 

This exam will be held in J Baskin Auditorium 101 on Saturday May 7th & 14th from 10:00-11:30am.

Links to additional information regarding the exam: 
Do I need to take the exam?
How do I prepare for the exam?
What do I do on the day of the exam?
What if I need special accommodations?
How do I check my score?

For additional questions, contact the Math Department at mathadvising@ucsc.edu.

Summer Session at UCSC is a great option to take courses that typically fill up quickly during the school year or take courses to explore possible majors. You can also catch up on missing requirements or credits. You can view all the course offerings on the searchable schedule of classes.  Here are just a few of the courses that might fit your situation that are still open as of 4/26/11:

• WRITING 2: Need to complete your C2 requirement? (Remember that your C2 requirement MUST be completed BEFORE your 7th quarter of enrollment!) Writing 2 is the only non-core UCSC course that meets your C2 requirement, and it is offered in both Session 1 and Session 2.

• PSYC 1: It can be difficult to find space in Intro to Psychology during the academic year. Consider saving yourself the stress by enrolling in PSYC 1 during the summer. PSYC 1 is offered in Session 1.  Satisfies GE: PE-H, IS

• CHEM 1A: If you are a science major who is behind on the Chemistry series, summer is a good time to catch up.  Satisfies GE: SI, IN, Q.

• SOCY 1, 10 & 15: Sociology majors must complete these 3 courses with a GPA of 3.0 before they can declare the major. It can be difficult to take all these courses before your sixth quarter deadline to declare your major, so taking one or two of these classes during the summer can be a smart idea. SOCY 1 & SOCY 15 are offered in Session 1, and SOCY 10 is offered in Session 2.  Both SOCY 1 & 10 satisfy GE: IS and SOCY 15 satisfies GE:  CC, IS, E.

• MATH 3: If you need to take pre-calculus for your major, consider taking Math 3 this summer to get a good start on fall. You must have already taken the Math Placement exam with a score of 20 or higher. MATH 3 is offered in both Session 1 and Session 2. Satisfies GE:  MF, Q.

• LIT 1: LIT 1 is open to all class levels and majors during summer session. During the fall, winter, and spring quarters, LIT 1 is only available to first-year students and sophomores, or literature and proposed literature majors/minors. LIT 1 is offered in Session 1.  Satisfies GE: TA, IH, and W.

The last day to enroll for Session 1 is June 25. The last day to enroll for Session 2 is July 30. More information can be found at http://summer.ucsc.edu/.

Stress is a part of everyday life.  There are many instances when stress can be helpful, such as, stress created by a deadline to finish a paper.  This stress can motivate you to finish an assignment on time.  But when experienced in excess, stress has the opposite effect.  It can harm our emotional and physical health, and limit our ability to function at home, in school, and within our relationships.  But the good news is that, since we are responsible for bringing about much of our own stress, we can also do a lot to manage it by learning and practicing specific stress-reduction strategies such as the following:

• Time Management: a feeling of control and a healthy balance in your schedule is a necessary part of managing stress.  Good time management can help you manage your responsibilities, accomplish your goals and still have time for rest and relaxation.

• Avoid Procrastination: putting off assignments or responsibilities until the last minute can create more mental and physical stress than staying on top of them.  Procrastination can affect many aspects of daily life, such as the quality of your work, the quality of your sleep, and your mood. 

• Exercise: physical activity can help you burn off the energy generated by stress and the endorphins resulting from exercise will elevate your mood!

• Get Sleep: this can be a foreign word to some college students, but sleep deprivation can cause physical and mental problems and increase stress.  So try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night!

• Take a Break: pace yourself throughout the day, taking regular breaks from work or other structured activities.  Enjoy the outdoors, listen to music, or just sit quietly, to clear and calm your mind.

• Start a Journal: many people find journaling to be therapeutic and helpful in managing stress.

• Think Positive: recognize the role your own thoughts play in causing distress.  If you constantly are telling yourself that you can’t understand math or that you will never finish your research paper, then you probably won’t.  Replacing those thoughts with positive statements like “I can understand math” and “I will finish my paper on time” can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. 

• Find Humor in Life: laughter can be a great tension-reducer!

• Seek Support: if not from friends and family, from professional resources, such as the Counseling and Psychological Services on campus.  This support network can help you release and “vent” your stresses and frustrations.  It is important though to also try and tell them about several positive things going on in your life as well.

• Set Goals: setting a specific goal for yourself that will improve your mood and help reduce stress can be a successful tool.  Write your goal down and put it where you will see it daily.  This will help drive you through the stressful, tough times.

When you graduate from UCSC you can still stay connected and involved in your university through the UCSC Alumni Association.  The association is open to all alumni, and is a membership organization whose programs foster a lifelong connection with the university.  The purpose of the Alumni Association is to promote, influence and support the educational, cultural and social life of UCSC.  In addition, the association provides a means by which alumni may both serve the university, its colleges, and its students, and to help guide the university in the future.  To find out more visit http://alumni.ucsc.edu/.

The following are workshops and events offered by the UCSC Career Center in the next couple of weeks:

• Tuesday May 10th:  AMCAS Presentation @ 1:30pm-4pm

• Thursday May 12th:  Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters @ 12pm-3:30pm

For more information, times and locations of these events and workshops, please visit the UCSC Career Center website at http://careers.ucsc.edu/.

The Spring All-Major Career Fair is next Tuesday, April 26th from 11am-3pm in College 9 & 10 Multipurpose Room.  This is the Career Center’s biggest fair of the year and a great place to meet employers hiring for full and part-time positions, internships, and summer jobs.  As with any job fair, dress for success and bring multiple copies of your resume.  To see a list of companies recruiting, visit: http://careers.ucsc.edu/events/lc_intro.html.

Feeling underwater with courses and homework? Looking for clear ways to improve your performance at UCSC?  You’re invited to our Academic Success workshop — an informal, hour long session designed to show you strategies for success at UCSC, from time management to motivation to identifying challenges and how to overcome them… You’ll come away with some clear goals, and a better understanding of the resources that can help you achieve to your highest academic potential!

Workshop Times and Locations
Tuesday, April 26, 12-1pm
College Eight Red Room

Wednesday, April 27, 11am-12pm
Stevenson Silverman Conference Room

Thursday, April 28, 2-3pm
Stevenson Silverman Conference Room

If interested in attending, please register for a session, or sign up for future invites at:
http://ucsc-collegeadvising.polldaddy.com/s/academic-success-workshop-rsvp.

Congratulations to all of the Spring 2011 graduates!!  If you are completing your degree this quarter and you haven’t done so already, you need to apply to graduate on your student portal under “My Student Center”.  The following link will give you instructions on how to apply to graduate: http://reg.ucsc.edu/students/announcerequest/announcerequest.cfm.  And see your college website to sign up for your commencement ceremony.  Students who will finish and apply to graduate in summer or fall can also participate in commencement.

This is the deadline to declare or change a major or minor for the Spring 2011 quarter.  If you are uncertain as to what the major requirements or declaration procedures are for your prospective major, then meeting with a program adviser within that major would be a good idea.  If you need to declare this quarter and are concerned about an enrollment hold, then see your college adviser for guidance.  If you are wanting to add a minor, then you must be declared in a major first in order to do so.  Visit the following website for additional information on major/minor declaration: http://advising.ucsc.edu/student/declaration/index.html.

Goal setting can create the difference between an ‘A’ or a ‘B’!  So what is goal setting all about and how can you add it to your life as a student to aid in your success?  First of all, goals give you something to strive for.  As a busy college student setting goals each quarter can help guide you and hold you accountable for your performance and achievements. It is not too late to set a goal for this quarter! 

Think about the classes you are in right now.  Do you want a certain grade in one or all of them?  Would you simply like to just attend all your classes?  Or would you like to get your research paper done early so you aren’t cramming finals week? These are all common, logical, and attainable student goals.

When developing a goal for yourself it helps to use the SMART goal setting criteria; SMART stands for: S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Realistic, and T-Time-bound.

Once you have come up with an idea for a goal using the SMART criteria, you can break down how you will achieve it.  The next three questions will help you accomplish this:

• What specific steps will you take to reach your goal?

• How will you recognize your success?

• How will you reward yourself when you achieve your goal?

Happy goal setting :)

Are you thinking about majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (known as STEM)? Would you like to meet other UCSC students doing the same? Then ACE is the Place for you!

They bring STEM students together in small discussion sections that accompany the large math and science lectures. They help you understand the lecture and textbook through concept specific worksheets that you and your classmates work on as a team.  Learning to manage your time is crucial and ACE can teach you how. As a member of the ACE Program, you will join a community of motivated students who are on the way to achieving their career goals.  For more information, visit http://ace.ucsc.edu/.

The following are workshops and events offered by the UCSC Career Center next week:

• Monday April 25th:  Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters

• Tuesday April 26th:  All Majors Internship & Career Fair

• Thursday April 28th:  Ross University Information Session & Tips for Job Interviewing for Students with Disabilities

• Friday April 29th:  Realities of Law Practice & Careers in Human Resources

For more information, times and locations of these events and workshops, please visit the UCSC Career Center website at: http://careers.ucsc.edu/.

REMINDER:  Tomorrow, Friday April 15th is the final day to Add/Swap/Drop classes from your student portal.  After this deadline, you will have the option to withdraw from a class for three more weeks through your college advising office.

Congratulations to all of the Spring 2011 graduates!!  If you are completing your degree this quarter and you haven’t done so already, you need to apply to graduate on your student portal under “My Student Center”.  The following link will give you instructions on how to apply to graduate: http://reg.ucsc.edu/students/announcerequest/announcerequest.cfm.  And see your college website to sign up for your commencement ceremony.  Students who will finish and apply to graduate in summer or fall can also participate in commencement.

Are you in your 6th quarter at UCSC or 2nd quarter if you are a junior transfer?  Are you uncertain of what to declare?  If so, then you should come in and see a college adviser for some guidance around major exploration and options.  If you know what you would like to major in but have not officially declared, then it is a good idea to make sure you are qualified. Does your intended major have any of the following pre-requisites to declaring:
• a series of required courses
• a GPA requirement
• a formal admission procedure
• a required declaration workshop?    
 
Be sure to visit the department website.  If you need help or advice, meet with the program adviser for the major you are considering to find out what the declaration requirements and procedures are for that particular program.  Your program adviser can also help you map out an academic plan that will help guide you through the rest of your coursework at UCSC.

Enrollment for Summer Sessions 2011 begins Monday, April 18th.  The class search option for summer is already accessible on your student portal.  Summer session typically offers 5-week courses, so taking only one or two classes per session is advisable.  Taking advantage of summer session can help you get caught up or get ahead in your progress toward graduation.  The following website will give you more information about Summer Session at UCSC: http://summer.ucsc.edu.  NOTE: If you enroll in any UCSC Summer Sessions course(s) and later drop all classes, you will be charged a $50 NONREFUNDABLE CANCELLATION FEE. You will NOT be charged the $50 cancellation fee as long as you remain enrolled in at least one class.