Should I drop a class?

If you're getting the sense that a class you're in isn't really for you, that's the first factor in deciding to drop a class. If you're putting so much time and effort into one course that you are harming your performance in other courses, you should also consider dropping the problem course. As a next step, talk with your instructor to help you get a good sense of how you are really doing in the class. It's often very helpful to get an objective opinion (for example, maybe no one really is expected to understand every word from your French instructors mouth at this point).

You should be careful about withdrawing if you're an international student or an intercollegiate athlete. In either case, you may need to remain a full-time student (12 credits). Check with the International Center or an Athletic Advisor. If dropping a course will leave you at 11 credits you may be able to register for a minicourse that starts in October (do an advanced search on the LSA Course Guide for "minicourse"). If you are a junior or senior, other options may include pursuing an independent study project for credit. If you can drop below 11 credits and want to, make sure that you're still covered by your health insurance! If not, UHS does offer optional coverage for non-full time students that you can purchase.

If you drop a class on or before September 22, it will NOT appear on your trancript.

Should I add a class?

If you haven't added the class yet, but there is space in the class to do so, then there are 2 questions to ask:

A) Have you been attending class (i.e. do you know what's going on? are you caught up on the readings? have you taken all the quizzes?)?

If the answer to this is yes, then go ahead and add the class. If the answer to this is no, then you really need to see B)

B) Have you talked to the instructor about what you have missed so far? Sometimes you are really too far behind to catch up. You MUST talk with the instructor to find out if it is realistically too late to add the class. Better to carry fewer credits now then to have to withdraw later in the semester or worse yet, fail the class because you couldn't catch up.

Should I take a class pass/fail?

When does it make sense to take a course pass/fail? Pass/fail can be a good option if you’re taking a course in an area that you feel shaky in. Also, if you need to take a tough course load or if you know you’ll have heavy non-academic responsibilities during a term, taking a course pass/fail might make sense. Note, however that some graduate schools may ask to "uncover" those grades. But in general, you can take a class that you need for distribution credit pass/fail, or even your first semester of Arabic pass/fail....here are some rules to be aware of.

Basically, the rules are:

1. The fourth term of a language a student is using to meet the language requirement for a BA or BS cannot be taken pass/fail.
2.Courses that count toward a concentration or a minor cannot be taken pass/fail (prereqs to the concentration can be taken pass/fail).

Anything else can be taken pass/fail.

If you decide to take a course pass/fail, remember the following:

1.You need to earn at least a C- in the course to pass
2. Instructors have no idea (unless you tell them) that you’re taking their courses pass/fail
3. Pass/fail courses don’t have any impact on your GPA.

You have until Monday, Sept 22 to go into Wolverine Access and modify a course from graded to pass/fail (or vice versa). Exceptions are NOT granted to this deadline. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...every semester I have students who think they modified a class but really didn't. Make SURE that the p/f option is reflected in your course schedule.

The first week of class can be pretty hectic running around from class to class, trying to figure out if there's space in a particular section you want, which books you need for each class. Here are a few tips as you try and finalize your schedule for the Fall.

If you are on the waitlist for a class, there are 2 things you should be doing:

1) Go to the first day of class; professors will discuss the waitlist situation and policy in that first meeting.

2) Check your umich email account; if you get an override in to the class, you will receive an email and will have a certain number of hours to use the override (i.e. register for the class) before it expires. If you are having your umich email forwarded, be sure to check junk/spam mail folders too. You will have to first "drop" the class you are waitlisted for, then add it to your backpack and register for it. Yes, it's a little convoluted, but don't worry--if you have the override, then you have the override.

Attend all the classes you are registered for, otherwise you may be dropped from the class to make room for someone who was on the waitlist and did show up to the first day of class. If you are registered for one class and hoping to get in to another that meets at the same time, then you do run the risk of getting dropped from the first and still not being able to get in to the second.

Even though you technically can add and drop courses up until Sept 22, be aware that many classes will freeze waitlists and the ability to add the class over Wolverine Access (even if it looks like it's "open") on the first day of classes. You will have to contact professors and/or attend class to figure out if you are able to get in to the class. This is to facilitate the professor's management of the waitlist.

If you are thinking about taking a class pass/fail, you MUST make this election by Sept 22. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. You can elect to take any class (other than a class in your concentration or the 4th semester of your language requirement) pass/fail. The instructor is not notified; they will submit a grade and if you earn a C- or better you will pass and earn credit. Any type of D or E will result in a fail and not earning credit. Neither counts towards your GPA.

If you have any questions, please contact your academic advisor, or call 764-0332 to set up an appointment to talk with an advisor, or come to our walk-in hours from 10am-4pm September 2-8!!!

For those of you who are starting college for the first time (or starting at UM for the first time), you may be wondering where/when to buy your books. Here are a few tips:

First, figure out what books you need.  Check these online Michigan Bookstores to see if you courses/sections are listed, and you can see what books are needed. You may also see "coursepacks" listed, which are just a collection of photocopied articles.

Michigan Book and Supply
http://www.michbook.com/
 
Michigan Union bookstore
http://tinyurl.com/unionbooks
 
Shaman Drum
http://www.shamandrum.com/textbooks/

Ulrich's
http://www.ulrichs.com/
 
If if can't find your course/sections on these bookstore websites, you can also try your Ctools page (www.ctools.umich.edu) and see if your instructors have posted a booklist or syllabus with that information yet.

Once you know what books you need, you can order your books online before you come.  You can either order them online though a Michigan bookstore, or an online retailer.  If you buy it from an online store like Amazon.com, make sure that you are ordering the correct edition!!!  Also be wary in this case you may have difficulty returning them if you decide not to keep a particular class.
 
If you can't find out what books you need, or if you just want to wait until you come to school in the Fall that is fine also.  Many students will do this, and you will not be academically disadvantaged if you choose to wait until you come back to campus; there is no reading that is required before the start of classes.

Finally, if you're looking for ways to reduce that textbook bill, here are a few things to try:

• Order online early and get "used" copies; these are usually very gently used and in very good condition.
• You can also try buying books from other UM students on-line at reduced prices, check out (you'll need UM kerberos password to access): https://marketplace.umich.edu/UofM/WebObjects/Marketplace
• Also, there is usually a Student Book Exchange in the Union before school starts too. See here for details.
• Use the library! You do not have to buy every book on your syllabus. Books and videos for most classes should be on reserve. If they're not, ask your professor to put them on reserve. Exercise your right to equal access to educational materials. Check out the books, music, and videos at the University's libraries.

It's that crazy time of the semester again...as we move in to the last week or two of the semester here are some tips on how to get through the rest of the semester, courtesy of Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS)....

10. De-stress. Go to www.mitalk.org/multimedia.php and download yoga and progressive muscle relaxation videos.

9. Go to academic office hours if you need extra help.

8. Party smart—if you drink, please do so in moderation. If you’re getting ready for finals, give your brain a chance to work at its full peak without substances.

7. Check out the 1-minute stress strategies on Wolverine Wellness www.uhs.umich.edu/wellness/stress/strategies.html.

6. For those graduating—savor the last weeks of your college experience—visit your favorite places, celebrate your time here, and make time to say goodbye.

5. Combat procrastination—don’t wait for motivation, just start the dreaded task.

4. Balance studying with playtime. Check out www.arborweb.com for fun things to do.

3. If you’re worried about a friend, talk with a CAPS Counselor-on-Duty about how to help.

2. Be compassionate with yourself and engage in self-care activities (e.g., get enough sleep, eat well, exercise, laugh, connect with others).
And the number one way to do something…….

1. Breathe. Pause. Reflect. Share this list with a friend and do something.

Trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your life? Don’t know where to start?

For those of you who have yet to declare a concentration, a great place to start would be the Concentration Fair (March 26th, 11-3, Michigan Union) where all the LSA departments will be in ONE PLACE (no phone calls, no appointments, no running around in the cold).  You can ask questions about the concentration or minors the department offers, talk to current students, and start thinking about what might be the best fit for you.  LSA has a few new minors this year, including five in Chemistry and one in Peace and Social Justice (offered through the RC, but open to all LSA students).

For those of you who have declared a concentration and are looking towards graduate programs, March is also full of graduate school preparation/information sessions. Keep an eye out on the Advise Me Weekly homepage.  For example, Grad School 101 is on Tuesday March 4th (3-4:30, 1200 Chem) and Exploring Career Pathways for Graduate Professional Degree (Tuesday March 11th, same time and place) as part of the Planning Your Next Steps: Events for Juniors and Seniors series. There are also sessions specific to Law schools and Medical schools.

For those of you who applied to specific schools or programs— Organizational Studies or Communications, or Ross School of Business, Public Policy, Architecture--and were not successful, all is NOT lost.  Make an appointment to come in and talk with your advisor about your next steps (764-0332). There is such flexibility in the College of LSA that there is often a way to meet your interests and goals even if your original plan hasn’t come to fruition.  You can talk about designing your own concentration (the Individual Concentration Program), or designing your own degree program (the Bachelors of General Studies), or just take coursework from other colleges to supplement what you learn in LSA.  Advisors can also help you think more broadly about the skills and knowledge you want to acquire, and suggest different means of doing so.

For those of you who are done thinking about school and want to think about a job, or a career (and hopefully both!) there’s no better place to start than the Career Center (3200 Student Activity Building). They have information on internships, job fairs, and can help with your resume and interview skills. Another important service they offer is the reference letter service where they will store and mail out your reference letters for you (for a nominal fee). This means you can have your professor write a recommendation NOW, even if you aren’t applying for graduate schools until 2011.  Their website is pretty extensive…I highly recommend it.  In conjunction with working with the Career Center, don’t forget to talk with your concentration advisor about internship, research or other summer opportunities.

Maybe you're dreaming of spring and considering enrolling in courses at a college or university closer to home after classes end here in April. This can be a great way to meet some requirements and, perhaps, save some tuition money. But there are few things you should keep in mind.

First, make sure the courses that you take at another college or university transfer to the U of M. If you go to http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/students/req_conversion/ you can find links to lists of courses from schools around the country and the world that students have transferred in the past. If a course you want to take doesn't appear on the list, it may simply mean that no one has ever tried to transfer it to the U of M. In this case, you can go to http://www.admissions.umich.edu/oor/ and have the Admissions Office pre-approve the course you'd like to transfer. Also, be aware that after you have earned 60 credits, you can only transfer credits from a four-year school, not a community college or other two-year school.

Second, it is possible to use a course you take at another school to meet LS&A distribution requirements (NS, HU, SS, etc.). While your academic advisor can't officially confirm that the course meets distribution until it has transferred, s/he usually can let you know whether a specific course will count toward distribution.A quick meeting with your advisor (call 764-0332 to set up an appointment) with the course description in hand can help. Once the course has transferred, you can meet with your advisor and have the courses designated to meet the appropriate distribution areas.

Third, unless you get pre-approval from a concentration advisor, it's not a good idea to try to take a non-U of M course for your concentration plan, but it's generally OK to do pre-requisites at another school.

Fourth, it is virtually impossible to use a course from another college to meet the Race and Ethnicity, Upper Level Writing, and Language requirements. It's almost as difficult to use a non-U of M course (with the exception of Statistics or Physics courses) to meet the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. See your general advisor if you want more details (again, that's 764-0332 to schedule an appointment).

Fifth, you'll need to check with the school you might attend about its enrollment procedures. Some schools require that Spring/Summer students fill out guest applications or require that students certify that they are in good standing at the U of M. The Registrar's Office, temporarily located at 413 East Huron, can help you with these forms.

Sixth, after you complete the courses you take elsewhere, you need to have the transcript from that school sent to

Credit Evaluation
Undergraduate Admissions
University of Michigan
1220 Student Activities Building
Ann Arbor , MI 48109-1316 .

If you have any other questions about Spring and Summer courses, please email or make an appointment with your advisor (because you can never say it enough...764-0332).

And think warm thoughts.

Basically, the rules are:

1. The fourth term of a language a student is using to meet the language requirement for a BA or BS cannot be taken pass/fail.
2.Courses that count toward a concentration or a minor cannot be taken pass/fail (prereqs to the concentration can be taken pass/fail).

Anything else can be taken pass/fail.

If you decide to take a course pass/fail, remember the following:

1.You need to earn at least a C- in the course to pass
2. Instructors have no idea (unless you tell them) that you’re taking their courses pass/fail
3. Pass/fail courses don’t have any impact on your GPA.

You have until the end of the third week of each term to go into Wolverine Access and modify a course (on the registration page) from graded to pass/fail (or vice versa), and this term the deadline falls on Wednesday, January 23rd. After January 23rd, you have to live with your decision: exceptions are NOT granted to this deadline. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...every semester I have students who think they modified a class but really didn't. Make SURE that the p/f or ungraded option is reflected in your course schedule. Exceptions to the pass/fail deadline are NOT granted.

You can, however, “uncover” your pass/fail grades. For what’s currently a $5.00 fee, the Registrar’s Office will attach to your official transcript a letter revealing the grades for all your pass/fail courses (these courses will not factor in to your GPA). Note that if you want to show one pass/fail grade, you have to show them all.In fact, medical schools, law schools, other professional schools, and grad schools very likely will require that you uncover your pass/fail grades.

Before I go any further, I should point out that as a teacher and as an advisor, I’ve always avoided phrases like “when I was in school,…” They nearly always make what proceeds or follows sound preachy: “When I was in school I had to walk six miles without any shoes….”

Furthermore, while I have to draw from my own experience when I advise students, I’m always careful not to conflate my experiences with those of my students. So I hope for you that January 2008 is a great month and that all your Januaries are good. I hope that you get into all the courses you want; they’ll be intellectually stimulating, and you’ll ace your first set of exams. Your relationships will strengthen, and maybe you’ll even find love on one of these cold dark nights. Maybe January 2008 will be a great start to a terrific year.

But me—and I know from my experience as a teacher and as an advisor that I’m not alone—I have to steel myself for the month.

The Michigan climate alone makes January difficult. When it’s not cold and cloudy, it’s sunny but even colder. That strange sensation in your nostrils is your nasal hairs freezing. The early charm of winter—frosted window and tree branches, friendly snowball fights with your friends—gives way to the reality of scraping car windows, shoveling dirty snow, and sliding across icy intersections. Winter wears you out, and winter gets real in January.

It’s tough enough to come back to school and face the lousy weather, but you also will need to establish relationships with new instructors and develop a new routine with new courses made the first few weeks of the month tough. Yet weather and new courses together couldn’t account for the pit I felt in my stomach during my most difficult Januaries.

That hole, that void felt a lot like homesickness, and I suppose, in part, it was. Yes I missed my family and friends after leaving them again, but I also distinctly remember feeling relieved to be away from home. What I was feeling in addition to homesickness was guilt for not wanting to be home anymore. I didn’t want the same life as my parents; I was developing different values and expectations that would forever change my relationships with my family and my old friends. Not that I had this figured out at the time, in fact, that was another part of the problem: I knew that I would always feel like a visitor when I went home, and I had no idea what kind of new home I’d be creating for myself in the future. Thus, during my worst Januaries in addition to being bundled up against the cold, I was wrapped up in homesickness, guilt, and doubt. Sounds like fun, huh?

So why am I telling you all this? Again, it’s not because it’s “normal.” Most of my Januaries have been OK, and I’m not claiming that most people have a January like my worst ones. But if you ever do have a bad January, I have advice for you. Remember, the spring does come: January isn’t the whole year, and you will feel better as the weather improves and as you adjust to the changes that are going on in your life.

Don’t wait, however, for spring. That’s what I did, and sure, I felt better as the days got longer, as the temperature crept above forty. I didn’t, however, really deal with all the issues regarding my family and my future until years later. It’s true that I had to be patient about certain of these concerns: I couldn’t have resolved my past and my future in a single month. Yet, as I said, I had three lousy Januaries, and I believe now that if I had gotten some help, if I had gone to see a counselor or a therapist or another good listener, I might have been able to have made a couple of those months a lot easier. It took me much longer than it needed to work through my ambivalence about my changing life.

So do as I advise, not as I did. If you find this January tough, talk to people like your academic advisor, but also consider working with a counselor in Counseling and Psychological Services 3100 Michigan Union. CAPS is free; well, not exactly: your student services fees have already paid for it. So take advantage of its services if January has you feeling low. Don’t just wait for the thaw.

If you've been working hard all semester, you'll be fine. Just take some time to survey your courses, checking what you have left to do and when you need to get it done. Go through your notes, previous exams, past homework, etc., and if there are any concepts you don't quite understand, see your instructors or GSIs during their remaining office hours. Or make an appointment.

If you haven't worked quite hard enough or have fallen behind in one-or-more courses, be realistic about how much of a salvage operation you can mount at this point. Try to take an objective look at what you have accomplished and what you have left to do in all your courses. If you're not exactly sure about what you have left to do in a course or whether you can pass, contact the instructor or GSI, now! Depending on what you find out, you might need to focus on a couple of the salvageable courses and let one-or-two courses go. If this is the case, you should make an appointment to see your advisor.

As deadlines and exams near, cramming and all nighters might seem unavoidable, but be realistic about how much you can truly learn in the last few hours before an exam. How long can you be truly productive without getting some sleep? Again, getting organized now, before the final crunch comes, could help you from having to spend the night before a paper is due snoozing on your keyboard. Put some opportunities in your schedule to go through your notes several times over the next few days rather than waiting just till the night before an exam.

Don't give into the temptation to try to re-read everything that was assigned before the exam. It's probably not possible to do this, and it would be ineffective. Instead, ask the instructor about the critical points to review before the exam. If the instructor doesn't offer much help in focusing your review, go back to your notes to see what he/she emphasized during lectures and discussions. That should help you figure out which sections of texts you should review.

No matter how much work you have, remember you need sleep, nutrition, and exercise to be at your best. Carve room out of your schedule for all of these. In particular, get enough sleep the night before a final. Also allow yourself some breaks where you can socialize with friends, roommates, etc. You're not the only one feeling pressure these days, and it's healthy to talk about it. If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider a visit to Counseling and Psychological Services: 3100 Michigan Union.

Above all else, keep it all in perspective. Sure grades are important, but they aren't life. The grades you get this term may have an impact on your future, but they won't determine it.

You're in your own room at your own desk, not just finishing up next week's work but even studying for finals. Soon you'll close the books and head downstairs for a terrific dinner and great conversation with relatives eager to learn about all that you've done at Michigan this semester. Tomorrow and Saturday, you'll hang with your high school pals and laugh about the great times you're all having at college. You'll sleep late Sunday and then nap some more on the plane (or in the car) on your way back to school.

Or

Thanksgiving Scenario 2
Waiting at the airport for your late plane, wondering whether your luggage will make it home, fighting with your younger sibling who has claimed your room as his/her own, getting interrogated over dry turkey by your uncle, the insurance agent, about what you think you're going to do with an English degree…. #$%*& Thanksgiving!

You try to study but your sibling won't let you use your (his/her) desk, and the tryptophan in the turkey, not to mention listening to your grandma drone on about her various aches and pains, makes you so sleepy that you don't wake up till noon on Friday. You meet for lunch with your friend who's going to Duke, and he/she is having a “crisis” with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend. You spend the better part of Friday and Saturday listening to her/him whine, then get up at 5:30 Sunday for your 9:00 A.M. flight, which doesn't leave the gate until noon. Your luggage? It's in Omaha.

Chances are your Thanksgiving will not match the either of these extremes, but be realistic about the holiday weekend. Try to carve (pun intended) some time on Turkey Day and/or the rest of the weekend for studying, but it's not reasonable to expect that the Thanksgiving will give you time to catch up on all the work you put off this term. Instead, make a list of what you absolutely have to get done before you get back and focus on doing that first. Organize the time you know that you'll have for studying. For example, if you are flying home, think about the kind of work—reading, reviewing notes, studying flashcards—you can do on the plane and at the airport.

It'll be great to see your family, and your parents and siblings will be delighted to have you back. But even in the few months since last summer, your and their habits have changed. You have to give yourself a little time to adjust to being home, and your family has to adjust to having you home. Be patient with yourself and with them.

Your relatives will want to know what you're doing in school and want to know about your concentration. If you don't have a concentration, it might be best just to say that. You can tell them that you don't want to rush into a bad decision and that a concentration is only about thirty credits, a couple of semesters.

Count on the inevitable “What are you going to with that major?” question from a caring but rude relative. Don't be defensive. Sometimes a little humor will take care of it: “When I finish my philosophy degree, I'm going to open the best philosophy shop in the state of Connecticut.” Or just use the facts: recruiters from a wide array of businesses are looking for smart liberal arts graduates, and you have chosen or will choose a concentration that will let you show just how smart you are.

Finally, make sure you rest and relax. Traveling and holidays inevitably lead to stress. Make sure that you give yourself sometime just to take it easy.

Have a good (if not a great) Thanksgiving!

Those are good questions, sometimes with no easy answers, but here are some things to think about to help you figure it out.

First: NO, it is not too late to drop a class. You have until Friday Nov 9th to do so. However, the sooner you make this decision the better off you'll be. It will free up time for you to spend on other courses, as well as provide some psychological relief.

Second: YES, you will get a "W" on your transcript (unless this is your first full semester here at UM....first years, transfer students).

Third: How does a W look on your transcript? Here's a simple answer: a W looks a lot better than a D and whole lot better than an E. Will one W really mess up your transcript? One or two W's through your eight semesters at Michigan is not a problem; a W every semester, that's a problem. The concern in this latter situation is about an established pattern of W's which demonstrate that you can't finish what you start. Also for a pre-med student or for another pre-professional student, a few W's in the junior or senior year might make an admissions officer question the student's decision making skills. But again, a W will almost always look better than a lousy grade.

And Finally.....Should I drop the class?

Ok, so when should you withdraw from a course? Sometimes, it is better to "gut out" a tough course even it means settling for “C” rather than withdrawing and paying for the credits again. If, however, you know that you won't pass a course or that you aren't going to be as successful as you need to be, you probably should withdraw from a course. Talking with your instructor can help you get a good sense of how your are really doing in the class, and whether they think you can realistically pull your grade up by the end of the semester. Also, if you're putting so much time and effort into one course that you are harming your performance in other courses, you should consider withdrawing from the problem course.

You should be careful about withdrawing if you're an international student or an intercollegiate athlete. If you aren't a U.S. citizen, you probably need to remain a full-time student to stay in the country. Check with the International Center. If you are an athlete, you need to remain full-time to keep your eligibility. If dropping a course will leave you at 11 credits you may be able to register for a minicourse that starts THIS WEEK (though you will need to register at the Registrar's Office, not through Wolverine Access).

The best tip — if you have doubts about withdrawing from a course, see your advisor and/or instructor, but do it now!

If you've decided you want to withdraw from a course, here's how to do it:

Friday, November 9, is the last day to withdraw from a course for the term. In order to withdraw, you need to a "Late Drop" form (also available at the Newnan LSA Advising Center, 1225 Angell Hall). You'll need to get your instructor or GSI to sign the form, and depending on how you answer some of the questions on the form, you'll most likely need an academic advisor's signature. You can make appointment with an advisor by calling 764-0332.

Complete the form and bring it to the Advising Center. We'll stamp the form, keep part of it, and give you the rest of it to take to the Registrar's Office, and in a couple of days a “W” will appear next to the course on your transcript indicating that you have withdrawn from the course. That is, unless you're a first-year student in your first term. First-year and transfer students during their first term (except if they withdraw from all of their courses) don't get W's on their transcripts.

]]> 2007-10-12T20:47:20Z 2007-10-15T13:00:00Z tag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2007:/AMWTip/5459.33311 2007-10-15T13:00:00Z

Are you worried about "what are going to do with your concentration?" Michigan Daily staff writers Daniel Strauss and Jessica Vosgerchian in their article "Major Indecision" in The Daily's Wednesday, October 10, 2007 "The Statement" say "Obscure concentrators rejoice! Whether...

skassner web page skassner@umich.edu Careers and the Liberal Arts and Sciences Are you worried about "what are going to do with your concentration?" Michigan Daily staff writers Daniel Strauss and Jessica Vosgerchian in their article "Major Indecision" in The Daily's Wednesday, October 10, 2007 "The Statement" say "Obscure concentrators rejoice! Whether you want to become an investment banker, a teacher, a journalist or even a Bollywood star, your University Degree can help take you there regardless of your major."

Click here to read about how recent UofM grads think about the connection between their careers and their concentrations.

]]> 2007-10-03T19:32:33Z 2007-10-03T19:24:56Z tag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2007:/AMWTip/5459.32914 2007-10-03T19:24:56Z

What's the advice to undergrads from graduates from the UofM and other collges? "Don't Worry, be Students" according to the Sunday, September 30, 2007 New York Times Sunday Magazine. Click here to read why they think you need to chill...

skassner web page skassner@umich.edu Personal Matters What's the advice to undergrads from graduates from the UofM and other collges?

"Don't Worry, be Students" according to the Sunday, September 30, 2007 New York Times Sunday Magazine. Click here to read why they think you need to chill and enjoy your time at Michigan.

]]> 2007-09-21T19:40:09Z 2007-09-24T13:00:00Z tag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2007:/AMWTip/5459.30569 2007-09-24T13:00:00Z

Are you having some trouble understanding your instructor? Here are some tips that could improve communication....

skassner web page skassner@umich.edu Becoming an Effective Student Are you having some trouble understanding your instructor? Here are some tips that could improve communication.

]]> One of the great attributes of the university is that it attracts some of the best minds from around the world. Not only does this enrich the intellectual climate of the university, but it a gives us all the opportunity to live and learn from people from wide array of cultural perspectives.

This fantastic diversity, however, can lead to misunderstanding. More specifically, you may find yourself struggling to understand a person whose accent or dialect differs from yours. This can be particularly frustrating if you find yourself unable to understand your instructor or a GSI.

Here are some suggestions that might help you better understand your international GSIs and professors. You should know, however, that international students hired as GSIs have to take aptitude tests in English, and if they do not demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English, they’re required to take special courses before they teach. While there is no formal language evaluation process when professors are hired, English is the international language for scholarship, and few professors arrive in Michigan without a command of English.

In fact, it’s entirely likely that the GSI or professor that you’re having difficulty understanding has been reading and speaking English since childhood. You have to keep in mind that English is a world language with many regional dialects. Most Americans can negotiate differences between American English and British or Australian English but may have more difficulty understanding Indian, Hong Kong, or African English dialects. It’s not that these speakers are “incorrect;” their English may simply reflect different accents, diction, syntax, etc.

But that doesn’t help when it’s difficult to follow your GSI’s explanations or instructions. Here are some suggestions to help you understand an international instructor.

First, be patient with yourself and with the instructor. It generally takes three-to-five weeks to become fully accustomed to someone’s speech patterns. Give the instructor an opportunity to settle into the course while you become more familiar with her/his speech patterns. Time will help you both become more effective communicators. Also, keep in mind that the complexity of the material, not the instructor’s ability to convey the information, might be causing you problems. Give yourself a chance to become familiar with the fundamentals of the course, and you might find it easier to understand the instructor.

Second, sit up front so that you not only can hear the instructor clearly but also pick up non-verbal cues such as gestures, expressions, etc. Actually, this is good advice whether or not your instructor is a non-native English speaker. All speakers, of course, consciously and subconsciously provide non-verbal supplements to their words, and this is particularly true of teachers when they’re explaining complex material. Also, by sitting close, you give the instructor the opportunity to read your body language and expressions as well, making it more apparent when you’re not understanding something.

Third, be assertive and ask questions, and again, this is good advice in every course. You can be certain that your instructor wants to know if you’re able to understand him/her. Help her/him and yourself out by asking questions. Not only will the instructor have the opportunity to clarify points that may confuse you, but having an opportunity to interact with the instructor will only help you better understand how she/he uses English.

Fourth, visit the instructor during office hours. Sure, you can use office hours as an opportunity to ask questions about the course, but office hours provide another chance for you just to get used to the instructor’s English. That can only help when you’re back in class.

Be patient and don’t be intimidated. Assume that your instructor is at least as interested in being understood as you are interested in understanding her or him. You may never again have the opportunity Michigan provides for you to get to know and to interact with people from around the world. You shouldn’t allow frustration or fear to prevent this from happening with your instructors.

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"Should I take a course Pass/Fail?" Advisors are often asked this question, and the answer depends a great deal on the course and the student’s circumstances. Before considering these details, we should probably consider LSA’s pass/fail policy....

skassner web page skassner@umich.edu Policies and Procedures "Should I take a course Pass/Fail?"

Advisors are often asked this question, and the answer depends a great deal on the course and the student’s circumstances. Before considering these details, we should probably consider LSA’s pass/fail policy.

]]> LSA allows you to take up to 30 credits pass/fail or credit/no credit, but I can’t think of many situations where a student should take up to one fourth of the 120 credits he/she needs to graduate without grades. Most advisors, in fact, suggest that the typical student take no more than 2-3 courses pass/fail.

There are some restrictions on the courses students can take pass/fail:

1. The fourth term of a language a student is using to meet the language requirement cannot be taken pass/fail.
2.Courses that count toward a concentration or a minor cannot be taken pass/fail.

In order to pass a pass/fail course, you need to earn at least a C- in the course, and instructors have no idea (unless you tell them) that you’re taking their courses pass/fail. They just turn in their grades, and the Registrar’s Office will enter a P for a pass/fail student who earns at least a C- and an F for a student with less than C-. Pass/fail courses don’t have any impact on your GPA.

You have until the end of the third week of each term to go into Wolverine Access and modify a course from graded to pass/fail (or vice versa), and this term the deadline falls on Monday, September 24th. After September 24th, you have to live with your decision: exceptions are NOT granted to this deadline.

You can, however, “uncover” your pass/fail grades. For what’s currently a $5.00 fee, the Registrar’s Office will attach to your official transcript a letter revealing the grades for all your pass/fail courses. But note that “all”: if you want to show one pass/fail grade, you have to show them all. In fact, medical schools, law schools, other professional schools, and grad schools very likely will require that you uncover your pass/fail grades.

OK, so that takes care of policies, and we can go back to the question. When does it make sense to take a course pass/fail? Pass/fail can be a good option if you’re taking a course in an area that you feel shaky in. Also, if you need to take a tough course load or if you know you’ll have heavy non-academic responsibilities during a term, taking a course pass/fail might make sense.

But be careful. Let me give you an example from my past: I once took a course in American music history. The course description said that students didn’t have to be able to read music to be in the course but that it would be an asset. I can’t carry a tune much less read music; also, I was beginning a new job, so I decided to take the course pass/fail. Good decision, right?

It probably was a wise move given that I didn’t know that my lack of musical ability would never become a problem. I also didn’t know when I registered that the instructor was great and that I really was going to enjoy the course. Not only did I do well in the course, I got an A, an A that appears as a mere “P” on my transcript and that doesn’t count toward my GPA.

I made a choice; it seemed like the right one at the time, and I live with it. It’s one of the risks you run when you take a course pass/fail.

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