January

Assess your Fall semester, and plan for a successful Spring!

  1. Check your final grades for Fall. Grades are typically posted to your unofficial transcript by mid-January, but many will be available earlier through myUMBC (Topics > Classes & Grades > Student Grades). If you didn’t earn a C or better in a pre-requisite for one (or more) of your Spring classes, adjust your class schedule.
  2. Make a list of the things that you did that HELPED your schoolwork, and make a plan to do these more often (use that planner!). Make a list of the things that you did that HURT your grades, and resolve to do these less often.
  3. If you haven’t already worked out an Academic (Graduation) plan, make one now. With a semester at UMBC under your belt, you should start to have a feel for how many credits/classes you can reasonably take at once, the science/non-science course balance that works best for you, and the extra-curriculars that will enhance your UMBC experience.
  4. Get organized for SUMMER! – Competitive undergraduate research experiences – the kinds that offer room, board, and maybe even pay a stipend – often close their application process before the Spring semester gets fully under way. At the very least, you should create or update your résumé, to document the new skills that you acquired during the Fall semester.
  5. Get some rest! Don’t head into the Spring semester already sleep-deprived.