MAJORS: Yes. You must read this posting in its entirety.

Greetings! Now that you have made it through the first several weeks of the spring semester, it is time to begin thinking about your classes for next semester. For those of you who are very familiar with the process, I still suggest that you read this email carefully so that you may have the most efficient and productive advising meeting possible.

The first section of this post will be directed to all CS students and the second section will be directed specifically to first years (transfers and freshman).

Section One:

Please note that the first day for Early Registration is March 27th. The Undergraduate Office (1119 AV Williams) will be seeing students for registration starting March 24th Check online at www.testudo.umd.edu to determine your advising date. Please come at your convenience, but it is in your best interest to come to the advising office one or two weeks before your registration date. The longer you wait to see us, the less chance you have of getting particular classes.

Check the Advising Schedule.

Students taking 300-level classes and above should feel very comfortable seeing any advisor on duty, although you are always welcome to see a specific advisor.

You should come prepared to your advising meeting and have an idea of what classes you would like to take. Also, make sure that you know what the University’s core requirements are and how many courses you have left to take. The more prepared you are for your advising session, the better the meeting will be for all involved. You must also have your Gstation Four Year Plan completed if you came to the university during the Fall of 2008 or later.

I also strongly suggest that if you are having any trouble this semester that you use this opportunity to let your advisor know what is going on. The earlier we are made aware of any problems you are having, the better we may help you solve your problems. The advisors are here to help you in every conceivable way.

If you are on Academic Probation, please come and see either Brandi Adams or Kim Ozga for advising.

You should also come in for advising regardless of other possible blocks that you might have. Once you have received our approval for classes, the other blocks to your registration may be resolved at your leisure.

Finally, remember that it is your responsibility (and your responsibility alone) to come in for an advising appointment. We will not track you down to make sure that you have spoken with an advisor this semester. If you fail to come into the office, you alone will bear the consequences.

Section Two:

For the time being, all first year students should see either me (Brandi Adams) or Kim Ozga for advising. That way we can make sure that you have a clear plan for your time at the university.

All freshman and transfer students are required to fill out a degree plan before you come in for your advising session. Please make sure that you read all of the information on the four year plan.

Once you’ve looked at this website, please make sure that you go to gstation to complete your four year plan.

Make sure that you send a copy of your four year plan to me, Brandi Adams (bkadams@cs.umd.edu) or to Kim Ozga (ozga@cs.umd.edu) at least one week before you come in for your advising session. (There is a way to send the email directly from gstation.) This way, if we determine that you need to make some change with your plan, we can make sure that you’ve made the proper adjustments.

Please come prepared to your advising meeting with some idea of what courses you would like to take for next semester. The more conversant you are with the schedule, the better choices you can make for classes.

If you have any questions at any point in time, please make sure that you come into the Undergraduate Education Office (AV Williams 1119) and meet with us.

I thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Best wishes for a productive semester.

Brandi Adams
Undergraduate Advisor
Department of Computer Science.