Category Archives: Advising Tips

FAQ: The class I wanted is full.  What do I do now?!

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Sometimes you have everything in your shopping cart, you’re ready to finalize your schedule, but classes fill before you can click [Finish enrolling].  Do not despair, dear students, because seats may open up before the first day of class!  Here are some tips on how you may be able to get into the class without thoroughly annoying the instructor:
  • Do NOT email the instructor asking them to put you into the class.  Seriously, resist that urge. You’ll just irritate people.  We are so not kidding about this.
  • Check SPIRE EVERY DAY from now until the first week of the semester.  Keep the classes you want in your shopping cart and watch for the blue square to change into a green dot.  People often switch classes around after initial enrollment and a seat may open.  If it does, jump on it!
  • If you tried to enroll and SPIRE wouldn’t let you, but you are sure you should be eligible to enroll, don’t email the instructor; email Lori Sadler or Leah Dodson.  (But ONLY for Econ classes.  We cannot enroll you in anything else.)
  • If the first week of class comes and you still haven’t been able to get into the class, GO TO THE FIRST CLASS AND DECLARE YOUR DESIRE TO GET INTO THE CLASS.  Showing the instructor that you are serious about getting into the class is a great way to get first dibs on open seats if someone drops or doesn’t show up for the first two classes.  The instructor may have a signup sheet or they may ask you to fill out a consent form, but either way, you have a much better shot at getting into the class than if you just sent an email.
  • Have a backup class ready in case you still cannot get into the class.  If you’re not graduating this semester, you may have the opportunity to take the class in a future semester.

 

Spring 2018 Enrollment Survival Guide

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Spring 2018 classes are now visible in SPIRE, but the information you see right now may not be final, so do NOT fill your shopping cart until a day or two before your enrollment date. Here are some other helpful tips to keep you informed and help you through the enrollment process:

  • Your SPIRE enrollment date should now be visible in the ‘Enrollment Dates’ box in the lower right of your student center.  You must click the ‘details’ link to find out what time you will be able to enroll on that date. Thousands of other people will also be enrolling in classes, so you should enroll as soon as possible after that time so that you won’t miss out on any important classes.
  • Your enrollment date and time are assigned by the Registrar’s office, based on your cumulative credits and expected graduation term. You may not be enrolling at the same time as your friends, so be sure to put your enrollment date and time in your calendar so you don’t miss out.  Also, please do not contact your advisor to ask why you have been assigned a specific date or time, as we have NO control over this.
  • If you have not been assigned an enrollment date and time for Spring 2018, go to the Registrar’s office in 213 Whitmore to find out what you should do.  Email or phone may also work, but they will take longer.
  • You are NOT required to meet with an Economics advisor before you enroll UNLESS you have received an email from your advisor instructing you to make an appointment.
  • If you see the words ‘Prevents enrollment’ in the ‘Holds’ box on the right side of your student center, you had better click the ‘details’ link and find out which office (bursar, Dean of Students, Academic Dean, UHS, etc.) put the hold on and what you have to do to get the hold removed. IMPORTANT NOTE: Your advisor can only remove holds that say you must meet with an advisor; we cannot remove holds placed by anyone else.
  • If you plan to attend UMass as a full-time student next semester, you must enroll in at least 12 credits to ensure that the university does not drop you to part-time.  If this happens, you will have to submit a request to change your status back to full-time and it could negatively impact your financial aid or housing.
  • If you are trying to get into an Economics class, you have checked the restrictions on the course page, and you are certain you should be eligible to enroll, but SPIRE will not allow you to enroll, email your PRIMARY advisor with a description of the situation and copy and paste the error message that SPIRE gave you into the email. (Your primary major is listed in the advisor box in the bottom-right corner of your student center.)  Please note that if you have not read the course restrictions and we find that you are not eligible to enroll, you should be prepared for a somewhat snarky response.
  • If you are trying to get into a class that is not in the Economics department, you must contact the department that offers that class. Your Economics advisor cannot help you with that. And before you contact that other department, you had better be sure to read the restrictions to find out if you are eligible to enroll.  If not, you may just want to check again in a couple of weeks to see if they have opened the course to other majors.
  • If you decide to change your schedule after you have enrolled, remember: SWAP, DON’T DROP. Use the Swap tab to change lectures or seminars, and use your Edit tab to change discussion sections within the same class.

How to enroll in a UMass Amherst winter or summer course

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If you need to get caught up on requirements, you might want to take a winter or summer course. Enrollment for Winter 2018 started October 18, so there’s no need to wait any longer!  Here’s how:

  • In SPIRE, go to: Main Menu>Enrollment>Summer/Wtr/Non-deg Enroll Appt
  • From the Term dropdown, select the term you need (e.g. Winter 2018)
  • Click the REQUEST CPE ENROLLMENT APPOINTMENT button.
  • Now go back to your enrollment add tab and you will see the term you selected.
  • Select the term and click Continue.
  • Add classes as you would during a normal semester.

*****IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU ENROLL *****

  • The winter session fits a fourteen week class into just four weeks, so you must be prepared to work very hard!
  • All winter/summer classes at UMass are offered through Continuing & Professional Education (CPE) and are subject to CPE registration fees and tuition rates.
  • Tuition for CPE classes can range from $390/credit to $525/credit, so be sure to open the class page in SPIRE and check the notes so you know what you’ll be paying.
  • Current per-credit rates are $390 for most SBS courses, $482 for math or stats, and $525 for some Isenberg courses,  and all include a $47 registration fee, so a CPE course could cost anywhere from $1,217 to $1,622 before adding in the cost of books.
  • Most CPE classes are online, but some are in-person.  Check carefully to see if your class is in-person and make sure you are willing to travel to that location during the winter or summer.
  • For complete information on CPE courses, go to umass.edu/cpe/.

The Cooperative Enterprises Certificate: Restoring faith in humanity, one student at a time.

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In these trying times (especially when you watch the news), do you ever find yourself feeling disappointed in our species because we haven’t evolved a little further than we have? Do you feel like withdrawing from humanity because it’s just too hard to find positive people? Are you worried about getting a job after graduation because you cannot find a summer internship? Do you know that a lot of other people feel the same way? Do you think this is enough questions for one paragraph?

If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, have we got an opportunity for YOU! We recommend that you consider pursuing the Certificate in Applied Economic Research on Cooperative Enterprises, (lovingly known by people who have an aversion to long credential names as the Co-op Certificate). This certificate requires 15 credits of course work and 6 credits of an approved field-based research internship arranged through the Neighboring Food Co-op Association and the Valley Alliance for Worker Cooperatives.

Working shoulder-to-shoulder with members of a co-op can really boost your morale and open your mind to other career possibilities. According to the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI), surveys of co-op members indicate that the reason people love them is that co-ops promote community, ownership, shared values, and democratic participation. So if you want to be part of the bigger picture instead of feeling like just another cog in the machine, it’s time to get involved in the co-op movement!

Honesty is the best policy. We are not kidding.

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The semester is not even half over and we’ve already gotten wind of students potentially cheating on homework in one of our classes. Of course, we know it wasn’t YOU, and we hope this turns out to just be a mistake, but now seems like a good time to discuss the importance of academic honesty and the consequences of taking shortcuts (aka CHEATING) in college.

We know that school can be stressful, you might have taken on more than you can handle, and you may be desperate for help.  We understand.  But wouldn’t it make more sense to let go of some of it to get your workload down to a manageable level, instead of borrowing or buying somebody else’s work and running the risk of being sanctioned, disciplined, or even expelled from the university?  You may have tried it and gotten away with it once, so you feel like this is a great way to get through school and get that golden diploma you’ve been shooting for, but the chances of getting caught are pretty high, especially since instructors are becoming more savvy about how to detect plagiarism and other forms of cheating.

Whether or not you have thought about cheating, you should definitely review the UMass Academic Honesty policy and procedures so you will know your rights if you are accused of academic dishonesty. And if you are feeling desperate enough to cheat, maybe you should make an appointment with your advisor to discuss strategies to help you cope that will not jeopardize your college career!

Expand your horizons with Study Abroad or Domestic Exchange–or BOTH!

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Want to do some traveling during your college career, but you don’t know where to start? There are so many options that it’s hard to know where to begin, so we’ll start with the two offices on campus that have the answers to most of your questions:

The International Programs Office (IPO), currently located at 70 Butterfield Terrace, offers a plethora of exciting options for international study.

  • Start with the IPO website, check out their events calendar, and be sure to review the eligibility requirements. There are semester-long programs, shorter summer and winter programs, and some programs even have classes that are taught by UMass faculty, so they directly transfer to UMass without special approval!
  • Once you have committed to a program, you’ll need to get your proposed exchange courses approved by the appropriate authorities.
  • Economics courses must be approved by the Econ Chief Undergrad Advisor, Kevin Crocker, so make an appointment with Professor Crocker if you’re taking Econ classes abroad.
  • Global Ed courses need to be approved by the SBS Global Ed advisor, so make an appointment with Pamela Stawasz if you plan to take courses for your Global Ed requirement.
  • Take the number of credits required by your program, but be sure not to overload your schedule while abroad because you’ll want to have some time to explore!

The Domestic Exchange Programs (DEP) office, located in Goodell 613, offers a myriad of opportunities to study at another university or college within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  • Check the DEP website for the different types of programs and review the list of participating institutions.
  • Attending an info session is required, so be sure to attend one soon if you are considering domestic exchange.
  • As with study abroad, you may need to get some courses approved, so be sure to go to the proper authorities to get your signatures.  Do not wait until the week before the application deadline!

If you are excited by travel and new experiences, it is entirely possible to complete more than one exchange program during your college career, but you should start planning now!

How to add/drop (and pass/fail) after add/drop ends

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Add/drop may end tomorrow, but it’s not really over unless you’re a quitter. You’re not a quitter are you? We didn’t think so!

Although you will no longer be able to add, drop, or swap discussion sections in SPIRE after 5:00 PM tomorrow, you can still change a class to pass/fail in SPIRE,and you can make corrections to your schedule with just a little bit of paperwork and a signature or two. Listed below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about how to add/drop after add/drop.

  • After add/drop ends, your advisor and departmental staff can no longer make changes for you in SPIRE. Changes can only be made by the Registrar’s office, and all requests must be submitted to the Registrar by the mid-semester date.
  • Changing a class to pass/fail requires the least amount of effort. During add/drop, you can change a class using the Edit tab in your enrollment center, but after add/drop ends you can still change a class to pass/fail using the ‘other academic…’ dropdown (aka the Secret Trapdoor). Keep in mind that you can only change one class per semester to pass/fail and you cannot do it after the mid-semester date.
  • Dropping a class is also pretty easy, as long as you don’t mind having a “W” on your transcript. Just pick up a Course Change Request form from the Registrar’s office in 213 Whitmore, fill it out, sign it, get the instructor’s signature, and turn it in at the Registrar’s office before the mid-semester date.
  • If you need to get a class added to your schedule or drop a class with no “W” (also called a “no-record drop”), you must submit multiple forms to the SBS Academic Dean in 128 Thompson.
  • If you are trying to add an independent study or internship, or a class that you’ve been attending all along, the Dean will be very likely to approve the late add, but be aware that if it puts you over 19 credits for the semester you will also have to submit a Petition for Overload of Credit.
  • If you just noticed that there is a class on your schedule that you thought you had dropped, you may be able to get a no-record drop, but you’ll have to petition for a late withdrawal and explain why you deserve a no-record drop.
  • If you decide to drop a class because the workload is too heavy, you might as well just take the “W” because this has no effect on your GPA and a couple of “W”s on your transcript is not a big deal.  The only time that W’s are a problem is if you have a LOT of them, indicating that you might be indecisive and don’t plan well.
  • If you are worried that you might get a low grade, but you are pretty sure you can pass, you might want to change the class to pass/fail before the mid-semester date. If you pass, but the final grade is low, there will be no effect on your GPA and you can always revoke the pass/fail later if you decide to take the grade.
  • If you are fairly certain you will fail the class, you should drop it before the mid-semester date, because an “F” ALWAYS impacts your GPA, even if you have changed it to pass/fail.

For more information on these and other scintillating topics, see the UMass Amherst Academic Regulations.

Need help with your path to grad school? CMASS has a plan!

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Each One, Reach One, Grad-Undergrad Mentoring
The UMass Amherst Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS) has created an innovative program to help undergraduates navigate the path to graduate school.  Called Each One, Reach One, this program matches undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate education with current graduate students.

By matching undergraduate students currently in the transition phase between college/post-college with current graduate students, we hope to provide support and guidance on topics like: relationship building, graduate school and career options, the application process, and confidence building to name a few. The focus(es) of each individual mentor/mentee relationship will change depending on your personal needs as an undergraduate student, however, the purpose of this program is to assist you in preparing for entering graduate school.

For more information, and to apply for the program, go to the CMASS Mentoring page.

New and Improved: Economics Advising Drop-in Hours!!

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You talked, we listened.  The Economics advisors will now be offering more advising drop-in hours than ever before!!  Keep in mind that drop-in hours are for quick questions only, and if you have a complex situation or need a degree progress check, you should make an appointment with your primary academic advisor. See details below!

Students whose
last names begin with A-K
meet with
Drop in hours:
Thu 2:00-3:30 in Crotty 218
Students whose
last names begin with L-Z
meet with
Drop in hours:
Mon 12:00-2:00 in Thompson Café
Fri 1:00-2:30 in Crotty 220