Your Success: Take Action

If you received an Early Academic 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 of the next steps you can take:

• 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 Macklin Center for Leadership & Communication for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV (BSE) suite 1322.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling & Well-being, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 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 for a third and final attempt when warranted.
• You may want to consider UNIV 301. Transfer Seminars are designed to assist you in the successful transition from your previous institution to UMBC. The courses focus on developing the skills needed to meet UMBC’s academic expectations. The materials covered will complement your upper-level coursework in your major, and will feature topics that have been identified by the department as barriers to transfer student success.

During the semester

• Talk to the instructor(s) for your course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you study and understand the material.
• 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 Macklin Center for Leadership & Communication for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV (BSE) suite 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 to the instructor(s) for your 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 Macklin Center for Leadership & Communication, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 1322, for ways to improve.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling & Well-being, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 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 the instructor(s) for your course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you study and understand the material.
• Find out if the department has additional academic support services, such as discussion groups or test files.
• Consider using different study techniques.
• Visit the Macklin Center for Leadership & Communication for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV (BSE) suite 1322.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling & Well-being, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 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 & Well-being

The Center for Counseling & Well-being, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 3139. The CCC provides:

• 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.

The Women’s Center

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

Community Resources and Referrals

If you have questions about child care or are in need of a housing referral, please access USG’s list of resources and referrals.

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? Learn more about USG scholarships.
• USG’s Center for Career Development: You’ll discover many resources to find jobs. Be sure to set up an account on UMBC’s Handshake 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? See if it’s answered on the Student Business Services FAQ. For more info, please call  410-455-2288.
• Center for Counseling & Well-being: If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, you are encouraged to visit the office located in Building IV (BSE) suite 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 from 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. Review important academic dates and deadlines for the last day to drop a course.

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. Review important academic dates and deadlines for the last date to withdraw from a course.

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

• Talk to the instructor(s) for your course(s). Ask for strategies that will help you study and understand the material.
• 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 Macklin Center for Leadership & Communication for writing assistance, guided study sessions, workshops on time management, academic coaching, tutoring, and/or disability support. The office is located in Building IV (BSE) suite 1322.
• Adjust your work schedule and extracurricular commitments.
• If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, counselors are available at the Center for Counseling & Well-being, located in Building IV (BSE) suite 3139. Please call 301-738-6273 for an appointment.
• International students should reach out to the Office of International Students and Scholars 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:

1. First, you must contact your academic advisor.
2. Second, you must officially drop/withdraw from the course using myUMBC by the semester’s deadline. Review important academic dates and deadlines.

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 resources listed in this Action Resource Center, please contact Abigail Granger, Assistant Director, argranger@umbc.edu, 301-738-6281.