Transfer Student Newsletter: September 2021

Welcome Back to the College of Arts & Sciences!

This Newsletter provides you with some important information to help you succeed in the College. We hope that you will read it and refer to it as you need. You will succeed if you stay well informed about opportunities and policies in the College, keep in frequent touch with your faculty advisor and your Association Dean, and follow an academic plan. You are officially responsible for knowing and keeping-up with the information contained in our Association Newsletters in addition to your reading, homework, and other academic assignments.
 
For many of you, this fall marks your first academic experiences inside our physical classrooms. We expect this to be a transitional time for you, and we expect you to take responsibility for your academic success. Late September tends to be the time when students experience their first set of graded assignments, quizzes, exams, etc. If you have not yet joined study groups, now is the time to do so. If you have not yet visited your professors during office hours, now is the time to do so. Share your study materials with your professors and ask for guidance to prepare for their exams.
 
If you are enrolled in a math course, join the drop-in study groups offered by our Math Collaborative Learning Center. This center does not provide traditional tutoring. Instead, students work collaboratively in the Georges Student Center to enhance their math skills. https://math.virginia.edu/undergraduate/MCLC/.
 
Free peer tutoring for many science and math classes is offered by our engineering school. This resource is available to all transfer students at our university. Consider using tutoring to check your mastery of course content before you sit for an exam: https://engineering.virginia.edu/current-students/current-undergraduate-students/student-support/tutoring.

Zoom-based Academic Advising is available to all transfer students from 2:30-4:00pm Monday-Friday. The recurring link and password to this Zoom session is located on the College’s website under Dean of the Day Drop-in Zoom Advising. If you have a couple quick questions or your class schedule does not align with Dean Ozment’s scheduled office hours, then you should visit the Dean of the Day in Zoom; no appointment needed.
 
Dean Ozment hopes as well that you will make an appointment to see her to introduce yourself 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. Dean Ozment will continue phone-based academic conferences until the College Advising Office returns to in-person operations. You will be notified when in-person advising with the Association Deans resumes.

Questions about SIS

The SIS Help Center has guides, tutorials, wait list and permission list "tips" as well as a 24/7 phone help line number that you can call for assistance and video guides. We urge you to use these helpful tools at https://in.virginia.edu/sis-student. Please remember that you are responsible for all changes that you make to your schedule. If you are unsure about how to do something in SIS, call the SIS Help Line (434) 924-4357 and ask them to walk you through the process.

General Education Requirements

Be sure to become familiar with and check your Academic Requirements page on SIS regularly. You should review this chart with your faculty advisor each semester. If you have any questions or concerns, consult the College Registrar, your advisor, or Dean Ozment

Clarification of Requirements

Once you begin your studies here, you may not fulfill remaining general education requirements with additional transfer credit; no exceptions. You must fulfill all remaining area requirements at U.Va. or through a UVA Study Abroad Program.

Degree Credit

Students may count no more than 60 non-U.Va. credits (transfer as well as advanced standing) toward the College degree; no exceptions. While we will transfer over 60 credits, 60 is the limit that may be applied toward the degree. Please make an appointment with Dean Ozment or visit the Dean of the Day if you have any questions regarding the total number of transfer credits that you may apply toward your degree

Additional Transfer Credit

If you have pre-matriculation transfer credit which we have not already posted, please have an official transcript sent to Ms. 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 spring course selection in November. Try to resolve any remaining transfer credit questions by November 1. Check SIS if you are not sure if your credit has transferred. All post-matriculation transfer credit must be pre-approved by Ms. O’Donnell, and may require additional departmental permissions.

Please email Ms. O’Donnell at [email protected] if you have any questions

College Deadlines

The College faculty take very seriously our deadlines for dropping, adding, and withdrawing from courses. It is your responsibility to carefully verify your schedule and to make any necessary changes. You should always log onto SIS on or just before the DROP, ADD, and WITHDRAWAL deadlines, to verify your enrollment. College deadlines are posted on the College Academic Calendar at https://college.as.virginia.edu/calendar.

1.      Should you sign up for a class you subsequently do not attend and fail to drop on time, you have to withdraw from the class which will result in a "W" on your transcript.

2.      If you miss the course withdrawal deadline, you may not withdraw from a class any longer. You are in the class and will receive a grade, even if it is an F. This is a good reason to verify your enrollment in SIS and remain conscious of the College’s deadlines. Check the online calendar https://college.as.virginia.edu/calendar for enrollment deadlines.

Check the online calendar https://registrar.virginia.edu/calendar/academic.for enrollment deadlines.

Limit on Full-time Semesters

All College of Arts & Sciences Students (transfers or not) have a limited number of full-time semesters available to them. Students entering as second-year transfers are expected to complete their degrees in six semesters, students entering as fourth-semester transfers in five semesters, and students entering as third-year transfers in four semesters.

Summer Session is not counted in your allotted full-time semesters, nor is part-time enrollment. Most transfer students will find it necessary to enroll in either Summer Session or a January-term course before they graduate.

Permission to enroll for an additional full-time semester, however, is not automatic. You should not assume that you will have more than the usual number of full-time allotted semesters. If you think you will need an extra time to complete your minimum degree requirements, you should meet with Dean Ozment by November 1.

Study Abroad Opportunities for Transfers

At UVA, direct credit for a study abroad program means that you are enrolled in UVA courses created by UVA faculty with other UVA students in classrooms that are located in another country. Direct credit is NOT transfer credit - the grades for these courses appear on your transcript, influence your GPA, and may be used to satisfy general education requirements or major/minor requirements. For most transfer students, direct credit is the preferred study abroad route. Transfer students are highly encouraged to investigate these opportunities on the International Studies Office's website (https://educationabroad.virginia.edu/) and by contacting a Study Abroad Advisor (https://educationabroad.virginia.edu/make-advising-appointment)

University Career Center

The Career Center staff help students identify and develop skills and strategies that will be useful in the ever-changing world of employment. They have several trained counselors on their staff who assist College students with any career and job search concerns, from local par-time jobs to internships to graduate school planning. The Career Center is located inside Scott Stadium in Bryant Hall but they are also conducting zoom-based and phone-based conferences. Do not wait until your last semester at the University to talk to a career counselor about your plans, https://career.virginia.edu

Peer Financial Counseling

Peer Financial Counseling offers all UVA students one-on-one help from trained peer counselors on a variety of topics, including monthly budgeting, student loans, managing personal credit, and preparing a financial plan for an internship or when you transition to the workforce.  They are not professional financial advisors, but they work with fellow students to help them sort out their financial values and priorities, and provide them ongoing support to stick with a financial plan. https://sfs.virginia.edu/perfi/pf

College Life Skills Coach

The College of Arts & Sciences Life Skills Coach helps students with life skills that are crucial to academic success including goal setting, time management, and stress management. Please email Ms. Rotman at [email protected] to arrange an appointment or visit her website for a list of upcoming workshops, https://uva.theopenscholar.com/christy-rotman/_home

Getting More Help

Refer to our Advising Resources collection, a general list of online resources to serve most advising information needs. http://college.as.virginia.edu/university-resources.

Read the year-by-year guide for second-, third-, and fourth-year student on the College’s website: http://college.as.virginia.edu/student-guide

Please feel free to call 924-3351 to arrange for a convenient time to discuss any questions you have with Dean Ozment. Alternatively, you may contact Dean Ozment by e-mail at [email protected] for items that do not require an advising appointment. Watch for the October Transfer Association Newsletter. Best wishes until then.