Student Success Blog

Fall 2023 Career Preparation and Academic Success Courses 

Are you an undergraduate student in need of one more credit to add to your schedule this fall? Consider enrolling in a career preparation or academic success course! Read below to learn more about the Career preparation courses (including online and accelerated (8-week) options) and Academic Success Courses available to you this semester. Be sure to check which are available to you as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior! 


Career Preparation Courses 

Career Courses make it easy to build career-development into your schedule. Just check PatriotWeb for available options, like online and accelerated (half-semester) sections, and register today! View the different career preparation courses below: 

Decide/Confirm Major (UNIV 220) : For first-year students and sophomores. Explore majors and career paths that fit with who you are, why you want to work, and what you want to do.  

Internship/Career Readiness (UNIV 320) : For sophomores and beyond. Develop your internship goals and search strategies to pursue internships and other career-related experiences.  

College to Career (UNIV 420) : For juniors and seniors transitioning into the workplace. Develop your job search strategy and personal brand, with resume, cover letter, networking skills, and more.  

College to Graduate School (UNIV 421) : For juniors and seniors preparing for graduate or professional school. Identify the advanced degree that will help you achieve your career goals and create the materials to apply.  

Professional Skills Development (UNIV 422): For seniors pursuing their first professional role after graduation. Prepare for what’s not in the job description - managing up, working effectively in teams, making the most of your benefits, and more.  


Academic Success Courses 

There are still spaces available in UNIV 110 and UNIV 310 – Academic Success. This course is a great match for you if you want to improve your study strategies, if you are on academic warning or probation, or if you are returning from academic suspension. This course is cross-listed and may be taken for 0 credit or 1 credit.   
 
Class meets on Mondays from 3:00-4:15pm in Hanover, L002  

Freshmen and Sophomores with less than 60 credit hours completed may register for Academic Success – 70780- UNIV 110 – 001 

Juniors and Seniors with 60 credit hours or more completed may register for Academic Success – 71138 – UNIV 310 – 001 

Fall 2023 Well-Being Courses 

Read below for a few well-being courses for students in Fall 2023: Explore Resilience, Mental Health First Aid, and Koru Basic Mindfulness! Interested in enrolling in any or all courses? Visit Patriot Web today! 


Explore Your Resilience in Fall 2023 

Enroll in UNIV 170 or 370: Explore Resilience in Fall 2023 for 0-1 credit to explore and enhance resilience while earning a digital credential.  

UNIV 170 CRN 79137 or UNIV 370 CRN 79138 

  • October 19 – November 30 
  • Thursdays 12:00 – 1:15 
  • Online via Zoom 
Explore Your Resilience in Fall 2023 Flyer

Mental Health First Aid 

Enroll in a fall semester section of UNIV 372: Mental Health First Aid for 0-1 credit. Through your participation in the course, you have the option to earn a Mental Health First Aid certification. This course will help you become more familiar with a variety of mental health challenges and explore how stigma may affect help-seeking behaviors. You will also learn basic skills to help someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. 

UNIV 372 CL1 CRN 75998 

  • August 24 – October 5 
  • Thursdays 9:00 – 10:15 
  • Online via Zoom with Katie Clare 

UNIV 372 001 CRN 75999 

  • October 19 – November 30 
  • Thursdays 9:00 – 10:15 
  • Fairfax Campus with Patrice Levinson 
Mental Health First Aid Flyer

Koru Basic Mindfulness  

Are you interested in learning more about mindfulness and meditation? If so, consider signing up for Koru Basic this fall. This program, sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, provides a four-week introduction to help you build a practice that will help you to thrive. 

Cohort 1 on Tuesdays (September 5, 12, 19, 26) from 4:00 – 5:15pm 

Cohort 2 on Wednesdays (October 4, 11, 18, 25) from 12:00 – 1:15pm 

Koru Basic Mindfulness Flyer

Learn more about all of these opportunities at wellbeing.gmu.edu 

Well-Being Opportunities for Students

Read below for two well-being opportunities for students in Fall 2023: Mental Health First Aid and Explore Resilience! Interested in enrolling in either or both courses? Visit Patriot Web today!


Mental Health First Aid

Enroll in a fall semester section of UNIV 372: Mental Health First Aid for 0-1 credit. Through your participation in the course, you have the option to earn a Mental Health First Aid certification. This course will help you become more familiar with a variety of mental health challenges and explore how stigma may affect help-seeking behaviors. You will also learn basic skills to help someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. 

UNIV 372 CL1 CRN 75998

  • August 24 – October 5
  • Thursdays 9:00 – 10:15
  • Online via Zoom with Katie Clare

UNIV 372 001 CRN 75999

  • October 19 – November 30
  • Thursdays 9:00 – 10:15
  • Fairfax Campus with Patrice Levinson
Mental Health First Aid Flyer

Explore Resilience in Fall 2023

Enroll in UNIV 170 or 370: Explore Resilience in Fall 2023 for 0-1 credit to explore and enhance resilience while earning a digital credential

UNIV 170 CRN 79137 or UNIV 370 CRN 79138

  • October 19 – November 30
  • Thursdays 12:00 – 1:15
  • Online via Zoom
Explore Resilience in Fall 2023 Flyer

Learn more at wellbeing.gmu.edu

Summer and Fall 2023 CEHD Mason Core Courses

Are you looking for a Mason Core course to add to your Summer or Fall 2023 schedule? The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) has a few open courses that will satisfy Mason Core requirements! View the flyers below to learn more, and add them to your schedule in Patriot Web.


EDEP 110

EDEP 110: Academic Success Through Self-Regulated Learning will count as a Mason Core requirement for Social and Behavioral Sciences.  There is a section scheduled for Summer 2023 and another for Fall 2023. This course focuses on self-regulation theory to help students develop skills and practice evidence-based strategies for academic success, such as time management, distributed practice for exam preparation, or regulation when working with others.


EDRS 220

EDRS 220: Introduction to Applied Quantitative Analysis satisfies the Mason Core requirement for Quantitative Reasoning.  Two sections are being offered in Summer 2023, and three different sections are available for Fall 2023 registration. This course focuses on application of statistical knowledge using real-world examples from within various social sciences disciplines (e.g., education, kinesiology, sport).  


EDEP 350

EDEP 350: Perspectives on Achievement Motivation is a Mason Core approved course towards the Social and Behavioral Sciences requiremeent.  It is a great class for learning about motivation that students can apply to themselves or in their work with others in any context.  EDEP 350 also fulfills a requirement for the Educational Psychology Minor and is offered Tuesday/Thursday at 10:30am in-person on the Fairfax campus. 

Understanding Add, Drop, & Withdrawal Deadlines

Spring 2023

When registering for the semester, few students expect to change their course selections.  It’s only when they have some classes under their belt that regret and reality set in.  Maybe it turns out that Stats and Anatomy in the same semester are just too much, or the elective you thought was going to be a perfect fit with your major doesn’t mesh with your degree plans at all.  Whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student, when you want to get your semester back on track, it’s important to understand Mason policy regarding adding, dropping, and withdrawing from classes. 

What are your options for course changes, when can you use them, and what are the repercussions of each? Find out below!

 ** You can find all Add/Drop deadlines here. Please note that the dates and guidelines below apply only to full-semester 15-week courses.  Courses shorter than 15 weeks will have different deadlines found here.

__________

Monday, 1/30
Last Day to Add a Class

Adding a Course

The Upside: You can add to your course load or replace a dropped class.

The Downside: If you’re adding a course after the start of the semester, chances are you have missed a few class sessions and will need to catch up.  Pro tip:  Stop by your instructor’s office hours to introduce yourself and ask questions about the syllabus and expectations.

The Deadline: Monday, January 30, 2023

Dropping a Course

The Upside: You have a chance to evaluate your class and your course load without any financial penalties or impact on your transcript. It’s as if the class never happened. If you drop at the FIRST drop deadline and have already paid, your tuition is fully refundable. If you drop at the SECOND drop deadline and have already paid, 50% of your tuition is refundable.

The Downside: You may need to replace the dropped class by adding a new class in order to maintain your enrollment status, financial aid, and housing eligibility. 

The Deadlines: 

  • Monday, February 6, 2023 (100% Tuition Refund)
  • Monday, February 13, 2023 (50% Tuition Refund)
Monday, 2/6
Last Day To Drop a Class (100% Refund)
Tuesday, 2/14 - Monday, 2/27
Unrestricted Withdrawal Period (No Refund)

Unrestricted Withdrawal Period

The Upside:  Withdrawing from a class results in a W on your transcript.  This is much better than the alternative of an F.  The W has no impact on your overall GPA.

The Downside:  No tuition is refunded when you withdraw from a course. A withdrawal also counts toward the number of credits attempted on your academic record.  This is probably not a big deal if you only withdraw from one or two courses over the span of your entire degree, but students must successfully complete at least 67% of the credits they have attempted to maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress needed to qualify for financial aid and to maintain good academic standing.

** Reminder: We suggest you check in with your academic advisor and/or financial aid counselor before withdrawing from a course.

The Deadline:  All students may withdraw from a class via Patriot Web from Tuesday, February 14 – Monday, February 27, 2023

Selective Withdrawal Period

The Upside:  The benefits are the same as an Unrestricted Withdrawal but with the added bonus of more time to try to ace the midterm and boost your grade.  Undergraduates may use a maximum of three selective withdrawals for any reason over the entire course of their degree.

The Downside:  Sorry graduate students, Selective Withdrawals are ONLY FOR UNDERGRADUATES.  Like Unrestricted Withdrawals, Selective Withdrawals don’t come with tuition refunds and the course still counts toward your attempted credit hours.

The Deadline: Undergraduates can use a Selective Withdrawal from February 28 – April 3, 2023

Tuesday, 2/28 - Wednesday, 4/3
Selective Withdrawal Period
(Undergraduate Only / No Refund)

__________

Students can add, drop, and withdraw from classes online via Patriot Web.  However – and we cannot say this enough – if you’re making significant changes to your schedule, make an appointment to see your advisor!  The beginning of the semester is a busy time for you and your academic advisor, but many offer walk-in or virtual office hours, and even those who don’t may be able to find time to give a little guidance via email.  A conversation with your advisor can help ensure that your course changes won’t have a negative impact on your degree path, financial aid, or housing status.  

Do you still have questions about add, drop, and withdrawal policy?  The College of Education and Human Development Office of Student and Academic Affairs is here to help! Email us at cehdsaa@gmu.edu!