When Should You Visit Career Development Services?

Career Development Services (CDS) is here to assist you in making the transition from the world of school to the world of work. CDS sponsors several services and activities to help you prepare for your future career including a one-hour Career Development Seminar, résumé development, career fairs, and teaching students the fine art of eating appropriately via etiquette dinners. CDS’s mission is to assist students and alumni in crystallizing their career objectives and preparing them for employment opportunities. You can also find additional information on the University’s webpage to stay abreast of events such as Career Week, Professional Employment Day, Graduate and Professional Schools’ Day, and Teacher Education Recruitment Day. Additional services include mock interviews, job announcements, Workforce Readiness workshops such as how to dress for success and goal setting, listings of part-time and summer employment for off-campus jobs, and a job referral service. Take time to visit the CDS office located in 101 Patton Hall. I think you will learn a lot!

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

Study Tips

Break Studying Up Into Small Chunks

A marathon of studying right before a test is the least effective way to prepare. Also, it is highly stressful and unhealthy. This translates into you having a low energy level and the inability to concentrate once you actually take the test. Instead, take 15 or 30 minutes here (before class) and there (after class) to study a few times a day, even when exams seem on the distant horizon. This will not only be easier to schedule study time but will also help you to better remember and actually learn the material when it is time to take the test.

Another effective way to study for simpler material is to write terms or questions on note cards, then carry those note cards around and glance at them throughout the day. Studying in chunks may mean that you only need to review the material the night before for about an hour.

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

Where Do I Go To Sign Up for Tutoring?

If you are struggling to maintain your grades, you might want to consider getting a tutor. The Tutorial Assistance Network (TAN) team is dedicated to retaining and graduating Alabama A & M University students. They provide tutoring, Supplemental Instruction (SI), Success Enhancement Workshops, and study skills assistance to help students:

• increase their understanding of course materials
• increase their performance in their courses
• improve their academic performance
• network with other students in their subject area

To apply for tutoring, SI or other assistance, please call Ms. Linda Skeete McClellan at 256.372.5487. She is located in 100C Buchanan Hall.

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

How Are You Classifed?

Classification of Students

Students are grouped in four classes according to total credits earned in semester hours and their cumulative GPA.

v You are considered a FRESHMAN if you have attempted 1 - 30 Credit Hours and have a 1.50 GPA.

v You are classified as a SOPHOMORE if you have attempted 31- 63 Credit Hours and have a 1.75 GPA.

v You are classified as a JUNIOR if you have attempted 64 – 94 Credit Hours and have a 2.00 GPA.

v You are considered a SENIOR if you have attempted 95+ Credit Hours and have a 2.00 GPA.

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

Jasmine’s Guidebook for Students on Probation

 

Once the implications of probation are fully comprehended, most students find it quite sobering. However, all is not lost. The following steps will assist you in getting off Academic Probation:

1.)  Meet with your academic adviser to receive strategies for a more successful semester or come by the Office of Academic Support Services, formerly ORAS, to talk with an Academic Specialist. The University requires ALL students on academic probation to register with the Office of Retention and Academic Support (ORAS). Please call 256.372.5491 for more information on ways to get off probation.

2.)  Retake failed courses immediately. This allows you to substitute your first attempted grade, especially if you failed the course, with the second attempted grade. Sometimes it may be a good idea to take the course with another instructor. Although, you might not be excited about having to repeat classes, doing so is the quickest way to improve your GPA. As a result of being familiar with the material and using your notes, handouts, and tests from the previous semester, you will be well prepared for the course the second time around.

3.)  Analyze what efforts will be required to attain higher grades.  Some ways to ensure that you will increase your grades is to make sure that you are attending all of your classes, completing assignments, and managing your time. Attendance is key in grasping material. It is also an important factor that is related to receiving financial aid for the semester. Too many absences can result in loss of financial aid. Completing assignments at the highest level possible and submitting them on time is a sure way to increase your grades as well. Although college is exciting and offers an endless list of fun extracurricular activities, reducing your social activities is necessary to increase and maintain a good GPA as well. Learn to manage your time. The negative consequences of not managing your time can be irreparable. Increase your study time! It is recommended that students should spend at least 2 hours of study time for each hour they spend in class. Enrolling in fewer credit hours, if you work more than 20 hours per week, will help your GPA as well.

4.)  Develop a long-term academic plan, one that includes Summer School to replace the loss of units due to failed courses. Schedule an appointment with your academic adviser and/or an ORAS Academic Specialist to help you devise an effective strategy. The Specialist will thoroughly review your academic record, teach you how to compute your semester needed GPA to achieve the GPA required for your classification, develop an Academic Success Plan that will help you to return to good academic standing, and provide continuous support throughout your journey to graduation.

5.)  Take advantage of academic advising, tutoring, SI and mentoring by visiting the Office of Academic Support Services (OASIS). Through a close relationship with your academic advisor you will quickly get off probation. Call 256-372-5487 to receive more information on getting a tutor or visit the Tutorial Assistance Network (TAN) in 100C Buchanan Hall.

6.)  Meet with your specific faculty in each course to review the syllabus, course expectations, and assignment time-line at the beginning of each semester. Ask for clarifications from the faculty about any area of the course that is problematic. Begin to develop a close relationship with your instructors. Be sure to ask for assistance during class. Not asking for help early in the semester can result in a downward spiral.

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

Probation – What is it?

The term probation may appear to be a taunting word. However, probation is a time when a student is given a trail period to redeem failing grades or bad study behavior.  A student is placed on probation when his or her GPA has fallen below the GPA required to remain in good academic standing at AAMU. Being placed on Academic Probation does not mean that you will be kicked out of the University. On the contrary, it is not something that should be taken lightly. Probation can only be taken off of your record once you improve your GPA to the required standard. Otherwise, you will be in danger of suspension. To learn more about how you can get off or avoid academic probation, visit us in the Office of Academic Support Services in Suite 100 Buchanan Hall.

Jasmine, OASiS GSA

Academic Record Checks: We are Waiting to Serve You

The Office of  Academic Support Services (OASiS) offers you the opportunity to have experienced Academic Specialists review your academic record to check for discrepancies. All discrepancies will be brought to the attention of the Registrar’s Office. You will learn skills to better manage your academic record and including calculating your GPA. For example, if you want to make a 3.00 GPA  this semester, you will learn how to calculate the GPA needed to achieve this goal. You can also come by to visit with us when we are scheduled in the Residential Halls throughout the semester. 

Your academic record will be reviewed to determine if:

1) all repeated courses have been zeroed out with the appropriate course(s) credited;

2) the appropriate academic status is posted on your record;
3) the deadline for Incomplete grades on your records have expired.

OASiS Academic Specialists have helped many students to move from their current GPAs to having higher GPAs and from Academic Warning/Probation to Good Academic Standing through our intrusive, detailed Academic Record Checks. The Checks will help to minimize problems that may interfere with Senior record checks or just help to clean up students' transcripts before graduation using the University's forgiveness policy, Academic Bankruptcy. Students will also learn about OASiS comprehensive academic support services which are helping hundreds of AAMU students to achieve higher levels of academic success.

Please do not miss the chance to learn how to effectively manage and check the accuracy of YOUR academic record! The OASiS team looks forward to working with you!

How to Apply for Academic Bankruptcy

1. You must obtain an application from the Office of Academic Affairs in 108 Patton Hall or from the Office of Academic Support Services in Suite 100 Buchanan Hall.
2. Meet with Dr. Leatha M. Bennett in the Office of Academic Support Services to review your academic record and discuss the pros and cons of the Academic Bankruptcy policy.  If Dr. Bennett is not available to meet with you, please visit Ms. Linda Skeete McClellan in her office in 100C Buchanan Hall.
3. After the review, if you wish to submit an application for Academic Bankruptcy, you will be given a copy of the completed and signed application for your records.  You will sign the OASiS office log to indicate your application was submitted.
4. The application will be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs for processing by the Academic Appeals Committee at its next meeting.
5. If your application is approved, your transcript will be adjusted to reflect the bankrupted semester (s).

Improving Your GPA: Academic Bankruptcy /Repeating Courses

Academic Bankruptcy
Are of you aware of the University’s academic forgiveness policy, Academic Bankruptcy, which allows eligible undergraduate students the opportunity to replace earned grades with a WB for the approved semester(s) in which they performed poorly? Students can retake those courses if they are needed to fulfill requirements for their degree. Courses that are bankrupted will not be used in calculating the students’ GPA. One year must elapse between the time grades were earned and the Academic Bankruptcy request. Note that only students who are pursuing their first baccalaureate degree are eligible to apply for Academic Bankruptcy.

I am encouraging seniors, especially graduating seniors, to come by the Office of Academic Support Services now for a comprehensive Academic Record Check. The Check will help seniors to determine if submitting an Academic Bankruptcy application will positively benefit their GPA or help them to clean up the appearance of their transcript by removing failed courses that have been repeated. Academic Bankruptcy must be requested prior to the end of the student’s graduating semester and will be awarded only once in the student’s career at AAMU.

If you want to learn more about the University’s Academic Bankruptcy policy, please visit Dr. Leatha M. Bennett in 105 Buchanan Hall. She can be reached at 256.372.5491 or send her an email at leatha.bennett@aamu.edu.

Repeating Courses
Did you know that students can retake courses and have the second grade earned count (if it is a higher or the same grade) in your GPA calculation? To receive more information about repeating courses, please visit Dr. Bennett in the Office of Academic Support Services in 105 Buchanan Hall.