Student Success Blog

Tag: Courses

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

Understanding Add, Drop, & Withdrawal Deadlines

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 [email protected]!

New Spring 2023 Course Offerings

New Spring 2023 Course Offerings Image

Are you looking for one or two more credits for this upcoming semester? Learn more about the following Spring 2023 courses below to see if one of them could be right for you!

  • Adult Learner Transition (BIS 301)
  • College to Career for International Students (UNIV 420-DL6)
  • Building Resilience in Spring 2023 (UNIV 170/370)
  • Mental Health First Aid (UNIV 372)

Adult Learner Transition (BIS 301) is a 3-credit course for all 1st semester adult students at Mason. Designed to directly address the issues that lead to contemporary students stopping or dropping out, the course is student-centered and can positively effect retention and graduation rates for this population. BIS 301 is in its 9th semester, with over 200 students successfully completing the class. Catalog Link to BIS 301

Online and asynchronous, it is a perfect fit for adult transfer students who are parents, military veterans, working part or full-time. (One section is in an 8-week format and starts February 13th ending April 9th. ) No pre-requisites, a scaffolded approach that allows students to acclimate and “gear-up” for the demands of upper-level coursework at Mason. 

BIS 301: Adult Learner Transition Flyer
UNIV 420-DL6: College to Career for International Students Flyer

College to Career for International Students (UNIV 420-DL6) is a new course offering this spring that aids students in developing job search strategies for seeking work in the United States and conducting a multinational job search. This online, zero or one-credit option makes it even easier to build career development into your schedule!

Building Resilience in Spring 2023 (UNIV 170/370) is being held for the second time this spring for students who want to explore resilience and earn a digital credential in resilience. Space remains available at both levels, and the course meets synchronously online for the first half of the semester. Visit wellbeing.gmu.edu for more information.

UNIV 170/370: Building Resilience in Spring 2023 Flyer
UNIV 372: Mental Health First Aid Flyer

Mental Health First Aid (UNIV 372) is always a popular class. The online section is fully enrolled, but there are a few seats left in the face-to-face section on the Fairfax Campus for the first half of the semester.