Roommates

One of the roommates is thinking about moving out. we have a friend from south who wants to move in and i was wondering do we ask for him or does he ask for use?

Your first semester at UB!

Since we’re quickly approaching the end of  your first semester at UB, take a few minutes to talk about how the semester went for you.

• How did you do adjusting to living on your own?
• On-campus students - how was it adjusting to dorm life?
• Commuters - did you find it easy to adjust to commuting to school? And seriously, how was the parking?
• Did you find it difficult to adjust to being totally responsible for your schedule?
• And how did you do managing your time? Your assignments?
• Were your classes harder or easier than you thought they would be?
• Have you joined any clubs or organizations? Which ones?
• What were the most memorable moments of the semester for you? Least memorable?

Feel free to comment on anything you’d like about your first semester at UB!

How was registering for classes?

By now, you should all be registered for your Spring 2008 classes. How’d it go? What system did you use to register? Did you get the classes you wanted? And, are you looking forward to next semester’s line-up yet?

Have you heard about Discovery Seminars?

As you’re learning more about you may or may not want to major in, consider taking a Discovery Seminar. The seminars are small class experience for first- and second-year students, providing you with an opportunity to engage with a distinguished faculty member around a thought-provoking and challenging topic. The goals of this course are to help you:

• Explore a topic in depth in a comfortable, small group setting;
• Get to know an outstanding faculty member who loves teaching undergraduates;
• Try out an unfamiliar subject in an environment conducive to exploration and discovery;
• Understand the academic challenges and rewards of attending a research university; and
• Improve skills in critical thinking and in oral and written expression.

Some of the topics offered for the Spring 2008 semester include:

• Fraud and Financial Forensics
• Democracy in America
• An Introduction to the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences
• Globalization, Democracy, and Gender
• Scientific Methods: Science, Technology, and Human Values
• Pulp Fiction and Pop Culture at UB
• Global Warming: Science, Impacts and Mitigation . . . and more!

Take a look at the Discovery Seminars website to see all the topics available!

Time management - how are you doing?

We talked about time management and note taking fairly early in the semester and I’m curious if you’ve tried any new techniques to help you manage your time, study, and record lecture notes.

What techniques have you used that have helped you? Did you try any that weren’t successful? Why didn’t they work for you?

Home for the holidays

Going home for the holidays and visiting your family, especially after being away at school, can be stressful.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, take a minute to talk about your visit home. How’d it go? Was it stressful? Happy to have “real” food? Glad to see your family and friends? Did you study at all?

The Naked Roommate

Did I grab your attention?

The Naked Roommate and 107 Other Issues You Might Run into in College was written by advice columnist Harlan Cohen for students entering their first semester of college. In his book, Cohen takes a light-hearted, humorous approach to advising college students on a wide-range of topics including residence halls, student organizations, friendships, dating, drugs and money. Sign up to receive his daily email newsletter, The Naked Daily, at http://www.thenakedroommate.com/.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent Naked Daily e-mail:

YOUR TIP: Do not eat after 9:00 PM. If you do, eat fruits or vegetables.

THE STORY: My freshman year in college I started the year weighing 128 pounds. By March of my sophomore year, I weighed 150 pounds. I had a total weight gain of 22 pounds. My downfall was ordering pizza and chicken at all hours of the night. I ate a lot of fattening foods and I NEVER exercised. The elevator was one of my best friends. Call me SUPERLAZY, but it got so bad that I would take the elevator up and down one floor. The last straw was when I was getting dressed for church and nothing fit. I started to cry because I couldn’t get into my favorite suit. It was at that point I realized that I had to make some serious life changes regarding weight and food.

Are you experiencing academic difficulty?

As we reach the mid-point of the semester, do you identify with any of these warning signs that may predict academic difficulty?
1. Are you falling behind on assignments?
2. Have you missed several classes recently?
3. Do you feel lost or confused?
4. Are you relying heavily on a friend for help in completing assignments?
5. Do you feel restless and listless, as if something is wrong but you’re not sure what it is?
6. Do you feel constantly tired or spend a lot of time sleeping?

Source: Adapted from McWhorter, Kathleen T. (2000). Study and critical thinking skills in college. New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

If you are experiencing warning signs that may predict academic difficulty:
• Remember that you are not alone.
• But be sure you utilize these important additional resources to assist you.

Academic Departments
College of Arts and Sciences
Counseling Services
Tutoring Assistance
Student Advising Services’ Student Success Workshops Program

Mid-Semester Grades and Evaluations

Do You Know Your Mid-Semester Grades?

As we reach the mid-point of the Fall 2007 semester, NOW is the time to talk with your instructors about your progress in their courses.

If you are a first semester student, your instructors will be reporting whether you are progressing satisfactorily in their classes or not. An email message will be sent to your UB email account informing you if you are currently performing Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).
While mid-semester evaluations are not grades, nor do they predict your final grades, if you receive an “Unsatisfactory,” it does mean that there may be concerns about your:

• Attendance
• Inadequate preparation for class
• Poor study skills
• Adjustment issues
• Poor performance on tests

If you receive an Unsatisfactory evaluation or if you have concerns with your current courses, you should do the following at once:

1. Make an appointment with the instructor or visit the instructor during posted office hours to discuss the course and to obtain additional help.

2. Make an appointment with an academic advisor. Your advisor can help you develop strategies to improve your performance.

3. Consult the information about mid-semester review, success strategies and resources available to you.

If you are considering resigning from a course after speaking with your instructor, make sure that you understand the consequences of course resignation. Changes in your course load may impact your: (1) financial aid; (2) medical insurance eligibility; (3) sequence of required courses; or (4) time to graduation. Prior to resigning, you should talk with an academic advisor and a financial aid advisor.

Note: The last day for a student to RESIGN from any Fall 2007 semester course(s) is by Friday, November 9, 2007 by 11 pm via MyUB or BIRD.

Spring class schedule posted

The Student Response Center has posted the class schedule for the spring 2008 semester.

Additionally, the registration schedule is also available. The typical first-year student will have between 11-26 credits depending if they entered UB with AP credits. Students with 16-25 credits will register on Saturday, November 10 while students with 11-15 credits will register on Sunday, November 11.