Category: Announcements, Updates, and Reminders

JOIN us peer advisors in our office hours! We are a resource for YOU to get advice on courses, a look through your academic requirements, or be of any assistance to you as an Environmental Science student at UMass Amherst!

2023 – 2024 Peer Advisors from left to right
Top (Seniors): Austin, Heather, Bryan
Bottom (Juniors): Drew, Nina, Lillian
And we also have Sydney who is Returning From Study Abroad!

Here are our times for the Spring 2024 semester: 

Monday: 10-11am, 12:30-1:30pm

Tuesday: 8:45-9:45am, 2:30-3:30pm

Wednesday: 9-10am, 11-12pm, 12:30-1:30pm

Thursday: 8:45-9:45pm, 2:30-3:30pm, 3:30-4:30pm

Friday: 10-11pm

Drop by Holdsworth  Hall Rm 209 for a face-to-face meeting or go through Zoom Use this Link to Access Peer Office Hours 

Feel free to reach out to us through email as well!

Senior Peer Advisors

Austin Bartlett (asbartlett@umass.edu)

Heather Bortolussi (hbortolussi@umass.edu)

Bryan Dole (bdole@umass.edu)

Junior Peer Advisors

Nina Costanza (ncostanza@umass.edu)

Lillian Pogany (lpogany@umass.edu)

Sydney Strauss (smstrauss@umass.edu)

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Looking for for motivated and enthusiastic rising juniors to be peer advisors for the Environmental Science program!

Responsibilities as a Peer Advisor:

• Collaborating and organizing community-building and networking events for ENVSCI students throughout the semester
• Holding office hours to answer questions about courses, enrollment, and inquiries from current and prospective students
• Maintaining the EnviSci Blog and Instagram and all social media communication
• Creating an inclusive and safe space for all students in the major for holistic student success

Responsibilities and training would actively begin in late August, and the position typically continues through both your junior and senior year. There are also opportunities for remote part-time summer employment working this June and July with the EnviSci New Student Orientation and Transitions team.

Academic credit is earned in your junior year, with paid positions possible in your senior year. 

—— LINK TO GOOGLE FORM APPLICATION —— Environmental Science Program Peer Advisor Application Spring 2023 (google.com)

Looking for an internship this upcoming summer?

Watch this presentation to get resources on research and job internships in the field of environmental science! Many research internships have application deadlines in January and February, NOW during the beginning of winter break is a great time to get a head start on these applications!

1. Ask your professors/ employers/ mentors for recommendation letters or reference contacts early or as soon as possible! Express to them why you want to apply for an internship and why they are an important to your academic and professional success. They will need time in order to write you a genuine letter of recommendation and submit it to the internship you are applying for. Remember: when applications are due, ALL parts of an application including the letters of recc are required for a complete submission.

2. Allow someone else to read your cover letter or statement of purpose. Someone else reading your writing is a new voice outside of your head which could improve the message you are getting across. YOU know your capabilities and skills, but how can you effectively describe that to someone else?

3. Stay organized with your applications. Create a spreadsheet or write down all the programs you are applying for, all required application materials, when they will notify you if you’re moving into the next round of review, when the internship will actual begin- ALL important information about the internship.

4. Apply anyways! Even if you do not believe you qualify. You are striving for new experiences and to grow your technical skills and background, most application review boards will understand this. It is completely fine if you want to do research but haven’t had any experience yet, that is why you are applying! Applying to all opportunities that you are interested in will increases your chance of landing a meaningful experience.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2022

Looking for for motivated and enthusiastic rising juniors to be peer advisors for the Environmental Science program!

What does it mean to be a Peer Advisor?

Peer advisors for the Environmental Science Program are here to support their peers with academic and college advice to enhance their student success!

Responsibilities as a Peer Advisor:

• Collaborating and organizing community-building and networking events for ENVSCI students throughout the semester
• Holding office hours to answer questions about courses, enrollment, and inquiries from current and prospective students
• Maintaining the EnviSci Blog and Instagram and all social media communication
• Creating an inclusive and safe space for all students in the major for holistic student success

Training and responsibilities would actively begin in late August, but there the option for part-time summer employment assisting with New Student Orientation in June and July. The expectation is that this position continues throughout your senior year. Academic credit is earned in your junior year, with paid positions possible in your senior year.

—— LINK TO GOOGLE FORM APPLICATION ——

https://forms.gle/tbJ6iTQheGcDAdd66

This is a reminder that the add/drop period will end after this Monday, February 7th! This means that until the end of the day on Wednesday, students are free to enroll in or drop courses using Spire without any record on their transcript. To avoid any complications with adding and/or dropping courses, keep these following points in mind:

1. The minimum credit load to maintain status as a full time student is 12 credits. Be careful your credit load does not drop below 12 credits if you decide to drop a course. The best way to avoid this? Enroll in another course before dropping the first one. Once enrolled in this second course, you can go ahead and drop the first one.
2. Students enrolling in a course during add/drop are responsible for any course material or work assigned in the first week. If you enroll in a new course and aren’t sure what you’re responsible for, contact the professor.
3. After Wednesday, students wishing to drop courses will still be able to do so through October 28th. However, between September 8th and October 29th dropped classes will appear with a “W” meaning “withdrawn” on students’ transcripts.

And as always, if you have questions about add/drop, don’t hesitate to contact an advisor.

Join Peer Advising Office Hours

Now through February 7th

The EnviSci Peer Advisors are a resource for YOU as a student to get advice on courses to take, understanding your academic requirements, or be of any type of academic assistance.

Virtual through ZOOM: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/626315988?pwd=a0FEaUVTYkQzZnV4ZlYvRTcxa3JLUT09

Meeting ID: 626 315 988 Passcode: 387700

A step-by-step guide to learning about our major:

1. Check out our major requirements (hint… we’re a science major)


2. Meet with a Peer Advisor in person or on Zoom


3. Explore Career Opportunities with this major


4. Make an appointment with a faculty advisor to declare EnviSci

This is a reminder that the add/drop period will end after this Wednesday, September 8th! This means that until the end of the day on Wednesday, students are free to enroll in or drop courses using Spire without any record on their transcript. To avoid any complications with adding and/or dropping courses, keep these following points in mind:

1. The minimum credit load to maintain status as a full time student is 12 credits. Be careful your credit load does not drop below 12 credits if you decide to drop a course. The best way to avoid this? Enroll in another course before dropping the first one. Once enrolled in this second course, you can go ahead and drop the first one.
2. Students enrolling in a course during add/drop are responsible for any course material or work assigned in the first week. If you enroll in a new course and aren’t sure what you’re responsible for, contact the professor.
3. After Wednesday, students wishing to drop courses will still be able to do so through October 28th. However, between September 8th and October 29th dropped classes will appear with a “W” meaning “withdrawn” on students’ transcripts.

And as always, if you have questions about add/drop, don’t hesitate to contact an advisor.