Hope you all are well and staying safe! We are all still working from home to support your academic success! In addition to our operations moving online, we've also put together an online resource page with a general online learning tip sheet and video workshops on time management and study skills in an online learning environment.

Please take some time to check it out: Online Learning Resources

#UMBCTogether

BIOL 141, or Foundations of Biology: Cells, Energy, and Organisms, is another large class at UMBC. Considered to be "Bio for Majors," this class is designed to be a rigorous preparation for upper level Biology courses. However, BIOL majors should not be the only ones on the look out for this class--it's recommended for CHEM education and it can be a prerequisite for BIOL 302, which is required for most med schools and dental schools. So whether you're a future researcher on the Human Genome Project, or you're the next medical prodigy, BIOL 141 is a class you want to succeed in. Thankfully, there's tons of academic support on our campus to help you do well!

SI-PASS: If you're in BIOL 141 and you don't know what SI-PASS is, now is a good time to find out! Supplemental Instruction at UMBC are Peer Assisted Study Sessions where an SI PASS leader guides students through study sessions. SI PASS leaders also conduct exam reviews before tests. There are SI PASS sessions for BIOL 141 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday!! You can find out times for SI PASS on the ASC website. 

Biology Learning Center: Having problems in BIOL 141? Not a problem! The Biology department runs its own Biology Learning Center! Led by one of the senior lecturers in the Biology department, the Biology Learning Center has its own peer tutors that can help students in any core biology course. Tutoring is one-on-one and very flexible--students can contact the tutors directly and make arrangements to meet with them on their own and as often as they'd like. The Biology Learning Center is located in the Biological Sciences Building, Room 011! Stop by and get help today.

LRC Appointment Tutoring: Students who want help in BIOL 141 can sign up for weekly, small group tutoring with a certified peer tutor! This is recommended for students who could benefit from consistent support in the course. You can sign up for weekly appointment tutoring on our website, or you can click the sign up button on our Facebook page!

BIOL 141 TAs: Teaching Assistants are great resources! Make sure you ask them for help--that's what they're there for?

Before you begin your quest for academic excellence, let’s cover a few of the basics with a handy FAQ about Appointment Tutoring.

“How do I get a tutor?”

Sign up online through our website! Because it’s a Google form, make sure you log into myUMBC and check your mail, which will in turn sign you into your UMBC google account. Our form is UMBC exclusive, meaning that you will not be able to see it unless you are signed into your UMBC google account.

After you sign up for tutoring, you will receive a weekly (yes, weekly) appointment with one of our trained peer tutors. Our appointment tutoring is small group, meaning that no more than 3 other people will be tutored with you at the same time.

Bring your textbooks, your questions, and a willingness to learn! Our tutors are here to help you, but they can’t if you’re not prepared for an active learning session.

Unfortunately, no. The purpose of LRC tutoring is to help you learn the material, not cram for a test. We want you to be successful, not just in one class but all of your classes as well. The best way to do that is to learn the material now and work through it with consistent support.

Check your UMBC Google calendar! You should have a weekly event. If you can’t make it, you need to email the Learning Resources Center. Clicking “no” on the event isn’t enough.

The short answer to that question is to check our website. We tutor mostly 100-level and 200-level courses, with a few 300-level courses for good measure. If your course isn’t listed, you can always request it on our website. 

Good Morning, Retrievers!

If you are reading this message, then congrats! You have officially survived the first week of the Fall Semester. You have braved syllabus day. You've done your first homework. And slowly, but surely, you are preparing for your next test.

And what better way to prepare than with tutoring through the Learning Resources Center!

The Learning Resources Center is your one-stop shop for academic support for many undergraduate courses at UMBC. Papers got you down? Visit The Writing Center! Need help with Math? Visit our Math Lab (now located on the first floor of the library, right next to our Writing Center). Need help with any other course? Sign up for weekly Appointment Tutoring through our website!

Before you begin your quest for academic excellence, let’s cover a few of the basics with a handy FAQ about Appointment Tutoring.

“How do I get a tutor?”

Sign up online through our website! Because it’s a Google form, make sure you log into myUMBC and check your mail, which will in turn sign you into your UMBC google account. Our form is UMBC exclusive, meaning that you will not be able to see it unless you are signed into your UMBC google account.

After you sign up for tutoring, you will receive a weekly (yes, weekly) appointment with one of our trained peer tutors. Our appointment tutoring is small group, meaning that no more than 3 other people will be tutored with you at the same time.

Bring your textbooks, your questions, and a willingness to learn! Our tutors are here to help you, but they can’t if you’re not prepared for an active learning session.

Unfortunately, no. The purpose of LRC tutoring is to help you learn the material, not cram for a test. We want you to be successful, not just in one class but all of your classes as well. The best way to do that is to learn the material now and work through it with consistent support.

Check your UMBC Google calendar! You should have a weekly event. If you can’t make it, you need to email the Learning Resources Center. Clicking “no” on the event isn’t enough.

The short answer to that question is to check our website. We tutor mostly 100-level and 200-level courses, with a few 300-level courses for good measure. If your course isn’t listed, you can always request it on our website. 

Are you or someone you know excellent in a certain subject? Why not become a tutor for the Learning Resources Center! LRC tutoring is a great way to be involved with the campus and meet a bunch of people, while sharpening your skills in a subject and gaining experience!

In order to be an LRC Tutor, you must have a 3.0 GPA and at least 28 credits under your belt.

If this sounds like you, awesome! Apply through our website now!

If you didn't already know, it’s not too late to sign up for Appointment Tutoring, or visit our Math Lab or Writing Center! Check out our past posts for more information and to sign up. (You can even sign up for Appointment Tutoring through our Facebook Page! Just click the “sign up” button!) Registering for classes? Make sure you complete any necessary Placement Testing before your registration date! 

Tis the season for Letters of Recommendation! Whether you need them for grad school or scholarships, now is the time to get them. Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind:

• Ask the right people- Make sure you ask professors who know who you are and that you've worked with before. If you know that you didn't go to class for the majority of the semester, it’s safe to say you shouldn't ask that professor for a letter of recommendation.
• Ask EARLY—It should go without saying that professors are busy people. They grade papers, they teach lectures, attend meetings, do research, etc. As shocking as it may seem, they cannot just drop everything to write you a letter of rec. Ask well before the deadline if you want them to help you. We suggest at least a month’s notice.
• Give as much info as possible (especially the deadline)—It’s really hard to write a letter of rec when the professor doesn't know why the student wants it. Are you applying for med school? Are you trying to get an internship? These things matter. Make sure you let your professor know what program you’re applying for, some info about the program, the deadline, and why you think you’re a good fit. It’s helpful to provide your professor with your resume or a personal statement of your accomplishments.
•  Follow up!—If you haven’t heard anything at least one week before the deadline, email your professor to check in!

Do you have any other helpful tips? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

This post goes out to all you wonderful STEM majors and you wonderful Arts, Humanities, and Social Science majors who are just trying to fulfill your Math and Science GEP requirements. The semester is really picking up! Most of you have had your first quizzes and some of you have even had your first test. Hopefully, everything went well. If so, great! If not, this post is for you!

If you haven't already heard, the Learning Resources Center operates a walk-in Math Lab where you can get help with many 100 level and 200 level Math courses! We also offer limited walk-in science tutoring if you have quick questions and don't want to commit to our weekly appointment tutoring (which is pretty awesome, by the way).

Are you on the fence about visiting? Have a few questions? Hopefully, this post will answer them all!

The Math Lab has moved! We are currently located next to the Writing Center in the A.O.K Library. We're open Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It might be easier to list the Math courses that we don't tutor! We offer: MATH 100, MATH 106, MATH 131 (during the semesters that it is offered), MATH 132 (during the semesters that it is offered), MATH 150, MATH 151, MATH 152, MATH 155, MATH 221, MATH 225, MATH 251, and MATH 301. We also have tutoring for STAT 121 and STAT 355. Some of these courses are only tutored at certain times. Check our website for more information.

We dabble. We offer tutoring at certain times for CHEM 101, CHEM 102, CHEM 351, PHYS 111, PHYS 112, PHYS 121, and PHYS 122. We also offer tutoring for ENES 101, ENME 110, and ENCH 215, for all you engineers out there. 

Is the Math Lab the same thing as the Math Gym?

Not exactly. While both places can offer you help with Math, the Math Lab tutors you based on what questions you have for the current class material. The Math Gym helps you strengthen your basic Math skills through supplementary work. Both offer different things, but they both are designed to help you succeed in Math. We definitely recommend both!

Have a question that wasn't answered by this FAQ? Post it in the comments or on our Facebook page!

 

Before you begin your quest for academic excellence, let’s cover a few of the basics with a handy FAQ about Appointment Tutoring.

“How do I get a tutor?”

Sign up online through our website! Because it’s a Google form, make sure you log into myUMBC and check your mail, which will in turn sign you into your UMBC google account. Our form is UMBC exclusive, meaning that you will not be able to see it unless you are signed into your UMBC google account.

After you sign up for tutoring, you will receive a weekly (yes, weekly) appointment with one of our trained peer tutors. Our appointment tutoring is small group, meaning that no more than 3 other people will be tutored with you at the same time.

Bring your textbooks, your questions, and a willingness to learn! Our tutors are here to help you, but they can’t if you’re not prepared for an active learning session.

Unfortunately, no. The purpose of LRC tutoring is to help you learn the material, not cram for a test. We want you to be successful, not just in one class but all of your classes as well. The best way to do that is to learn the material now and work through it with consistent support.

Check your UMBC Google calendar! You should have a weekly event. If you can’t make it, you need to email the Learning Resources Center. Clicking “no” on the event isn’t enough.

The short answer to that question is to check our website. We tutor mostly 100-level and 200-level courses, with a few 300-level courses for good measure. If your course isn’t listed, you can always request it on our website.