Transfer Student Newsletter: February 2022

 

Dear Transfer Students,

This February newsletter provides you with some important information to help you succeed in the College. We hope that you will read it, bookmark it, and refer to it as you need. We know that successful students are well informed about opportunities and policies in the College, that they are in frequent touch with their advisors and their Association Dean, and that they both formulate and keep to an academic plan.

The Writing Center 

With midterm papers soon due, you should be reflecting about the last time you utilized the Writing Center. UVA boasts one of the best writing centers in the nation and you should utilize it for every term paper that you submit for grading. Unlike other universities, our writing center does not fix grammatical errors. Our writing center focuses on clarifying your arguments and organizing your ideas so your writing speaks better to your professor. Consultants from the writing center advise on all stages of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revision, argument structure, and other concerns. And in addition to term papers, consultants from the writing center will also review resumes, cover letters, etc. The center also offers specialized tutors to help students for whom English is a second or third language. 
Writing Center consultations are offered in-person, via Zoom, or email. To schedule a consultation, please visit their website: https://virginia.mywconline.com/.

Academic Advising in the College

When was the last time that you met with your faculty advisor? Faculty advisors mentor undergraduate students about navigating the university, choosing majors, developing graduation plans, research projects, study habits, and graduate school planning. But your faculty advisor cannot support you unless you let her/him know you. Because transfer students spend less time at our university, it is more important for transfers to visit their faculty advisors frequently. If your factuly advisor does not know you well, use this semester to build that professional relationship. Students will find the name of their advisor in their SIS (Student Information System) Student Center. Please contact Dean Ozment if you are unable to find the name of your faculty advisor in SIS. For more information about Academic Advising in the College of Arts & Sciences, please see the following website: https://college.as.virginia.edu/faculty_advisors.

Students have the power to change faculty advisors. If you wish to change your faculty advisor, please fill out and submit the Faculty Advisor Change Request form. 

If you are new to the College of Arts & Sciences and haven't already met with your faculty advisor, then you should contact him or her by email to schedule a convenient time to confer. If you are a third-year student and you haven't declared your major yet, then you should confer with the undergraduate director in the department in which you plan to declare. 

Third-year transfer students are assigned faculty advisors when they declare their majors. Newly arrived third-year transfer students have until March 1 to declare a major OR defer declaring. To declare a major, follow these steps:

1.    Read the College’s instructions for major declarations
2.    Visit the department website and follow the instructions for declaring a major
3.    Use the electronic Major Declaration form on the College’s website under Forms 

Declaring a Major | Undergraduate, UVA

If you miss the deadline for major declarations, then you will be among the last students to enroll in fall classes.

Second-year students should explore different majors by finding out about the prerequisites for declaring, the minimum GPA for acceptance or minimum grade accepted in courses toward the major, the number of classes/credits required, and how many of these courses are electives. Talk to the Directors of the Undergraduate Major Programs and ask about career opportunities and what previous graduates are doing now. It is your responsibility to research academic opportunities within the College and seek advice from our faculty. 

Remember also that no student may continue to the second semester of their third year without having declared a major in the College. If you have not yet selected a major or learn that you do not qualify for your preferred major, please schedule an academic advising meeting with Dean Ozment. She hopes that all newly admitted students will make an appointment to see her for introductions and to let her know about your academic plans at U.Va. You may set up an appointment to meet with her by calling 924-3351.

Area Requirements

Plan to check your requirements and the accuracy of your records on SIS. Click on the "Academics" tab in your SIS Account and select "Academic Requirements." Remember that once you begin your studies here, you may not fulfill remaining area requirements with additional transfer credit. You must fulfill all remaining area requirements here at U.Va. or in a Direct Credit Study Abroad Program. If you have any questions or concerns, consult the College Registrar, your advisor, or your Association Dean. 

Degree Credit

All students must earn a minimum of 120.00 degree credits before they graduate, and 102.00 of these degree credits must be College of Arts & Sciences coursework. Students may count no more than 60 non-UVA (transfer and test) credits toward the College degree. While we will transfer over 60 credits, 60 will be the limit that may be applied toward the degree. Please make an appointment with your faculty advisor or Association Dean if you have any questions regarding the total number of non-UVA credits that you may apply toward your degree.

Additional Transfer Credit

If you have transfer credit which we have not already posted, please have an official transcript sent to Erin O'Donnell, P.O. Box 400133, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904. Although there is no deadline for transferring credit, it will be to your advantage to have any additional credit posted prior to April. Try to resolve any remaining transfer credit questions by the end of February. Ms. Erin O'Donnell may be reached by emailing [email protected].

College Deadlines

The College takes very seriously our deadlines for dropping, adding and withdrawing. It is your responsibility to review your enrollment carefully and make any necessary changes (i.e., drop any courses you are not attending and add any courses you are attending). Additionally, you may call or log onto SIS at any time to verify your enrollments. The calendar of College deadlines may be found here: https://college.as.virginia.edu/calendar.

It is your responsibility to review your enrollment carefully and make any necessary changes, and you may log onto SIS at any time to verify your enrollments. Should you sign up for a class you subsequently did not attend and failed to drop on time, you must withdraw from the class which will result in a "W" on your transcript. To avoid such situations, you should always verify your enrollments on SIS before the add/drop deadlines. Check the online calendar for academic deadlines.

After the withdrawal deadline passes, should you find yourself in a class you never attended, then you will need to fill out both a withdrawal form and a Late Schedule Correction Petition and provide proof of non-attendance. Please schedule a meeting with Dean Ozment and bring your proof of non-attendance to this meeting if you find yourself in this rare and unusual scenario. 

You may not withdraw from a class that you have been attending if you miss the March withdrawal deadline. You are in the class and will receive a grade, even if it is an F.

To avoid penalties, you should always verify your enrollments on SIS before the add/drop deadlines.

Check the online calendar for academic deadlines.

Getting More Help

New Online Support for Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Support for Stress, Anxiety and Depression: Our Student Health center provides free consultations and continuing support to all enrolled students who have paid the comprehensive fee regardless of insurance coverage: http://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/using-our-services

Silver Cloud online support is now available for students to optimize their mental health and wellness. There are programs for stress, anxiety and depression. For more information about UVA's Silver Cloud program, please visit the following website: http://virginia.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/.

Additional free online resources, screenings, and self-tests may be found on the Student Health website https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/

Drop-in Virtual "Let's Talk" Counseling provides an opportunity for students to speak with a CAPS therapist about non-emergency concerns in a confidential space. These consultations are free for all UVA students and they are a great space for quick questions about roommate conflicts, family issues, and self-care. Sessions are held every week of the semester on Mondays from 1pm - 3pm with Debby Gonzalez, LPC: https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/lets-talk.
Please note that "Let's Talk" does not replace sustained counseling or emergency services at CAPS. If you ever find yourself in distress during business hours (M-F, 8am-5pm) simply call or walk-in to CAPS and speak to the on-call clinician. If you are concerned about yourself or another student after hours, you can call 434-243-5150 24 hours/7 to speak with an on-call emergency clinician.

Additionally, on-call remote mental health counseling is available to all UVA students who paid their student fee. This on-demand service called Timely Care allows students to connect with a mental health professional any time of day, either by phone or video, 24/7. Dean Ozment recommends placing the Timely Care app on your cell phone incase you need to speak with a counselor during Spring Recess:  https://timely.md/schools/index.html?school=uva&utm_source=schoolwebsite&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=clientwebsitereferral.

College Life Skills Coach

Ms. Christy Rotman is The College of Arts & Sciences Life Skills Coach. She helps students develop skills that are crucial to academic success including goal setting, time management, study skills, and test-taking strategies. Please email Ms. Rotman at [email protected] to arrange an appointment in her Monroe Hall Office.

Tutoring

COLLEGE LIFE SKILLS COACH DROP-IN HOURS  |  Tuesdays 2-4pm, Wednesdays 10:30-Noon in the Georges Student Center

STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES DROP-IN Hours  |  Tuesday 2-5pm and Wednesday 5-8pm in the Georges Student Center.

PEER FINANCIAL EDUCATOR HOURS  |  Monday-Thursday 2-6pm in the Georges Student Center.

PRE-HEALTH AND PRE-LAW ADVISING DROP-IN HOURS  |  Monday – Thursday 1:30-4:30pm in the Georges Student Center

STUDY ABROAD PEER ADVISOR DROP-IN HOURS  |  Monday – Wednesday, 4-8pm in the Georges Student Center

CONTEMPLATIVE SCIENCES CENTER DROP-IN CLASSES  | https://csc.virginia.edu/feature/drop-classes-fall-2019

WRITING CENTER  |  https://virginia.mywconline.com/

MATH TUTORING  |  Tutoring and graders | Undergraduate Program | Mathematics at the University of Virginia

COLLABORATIVE MATH LEARNING CENTER | https://math.virginia.edu/undergraduate/MCLC/

ECONOMICS TUTORING  |  http://economics.virginia.edu/tutoring

CHEMISTRY TUTORING  |  http://chemistry.as.virginia.edu/tutors

FRENCH TUTORING  |  http://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/Peer_Tutoring_2/

COMPUTER SCIENCE TUTORING  |  https://engineering.virginia.edu/current-students/current-undergraduate-students/student-support/tutoring

SPANISH TUTORING  |  http://spanitalport.as.virginia.edu/list-currently-available-tutors-spanish?fbclid=IwAR15tc_pdlt6HUEkNyRtGSrRyskaf-ja_b2cJkDDQ80fgESSIW6oSndNJlE

Other resources can be found on the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate web site, where we have tried to compile information that will be helpful for all students: https://college.as.virginia.edu/university-resources.

Dean Ozment's Office Hours

Dean Ozment offers academic advising office hours Monday-Friday. Please feel free to call 924-3351 to arrange for a convenient time to discuss any general academic questions. All academic advising appointments should be scheduled through the College's administrative staff by-phone to ensure that academic advising appointments do not conflict with your class schedule.