For Newly Admitted Students

Please check back for information about the Summer 2011 New Student Orientation.

Welcome to the 2010 Summer Orientation for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR)

New student orientation session.

Congratulations to new freshmen on joining the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources as members of the Class of 2014! And an equally warm welcome to those of you who will become part of the AGNR family as transferring students. The staff of AGNR Academic Programs is looking forward to having each of you here. We offer our full support to insure that you are successful in your pursuit of a university education. Your first step along that road will come this summer during orientation. Here are a few facts and tips to make that orientation a fun andproductive experience:

You must attend an AGNR-specific orientation.

All class registrations are done on orientation days. Students who do not attend an orientation must wait until the first day of classes to register. Seats may be at a premium, especially in freshmen classes. So, don't delay getting your registration completed.

Sign up early! Orientation dates for AGNR are:

1. Friday, June 18- Transfer students

2. Monday, June 21 & Tuesday, June 22- General Freshmen

3. Thursday, July 1 & Friday, July 2- Honors

4. Thursday, July 15 & Friday, July 16- College Park Scholars

5. Wednesday, July 21- Transfer students

6. Thursday, July 22 & Friday, July 23- General Freshmen

7. Monday, August 23- Freshmen & Transfer students

8. Wednesday, August 25- Transfer students

REMEMBER! Please register for your earliest option date. The earlier in the summer you come to orientation, the better your chances of obtaining the course schedule you want.

Prepare for the math placement exam.Unless you are transferring math credits equivalent to calculus (MATH140) with a grade of "C" or better, you WILL be taking a timed, multipart math exam on the first morning of orientation. For those who completed high school math requirements as juniors or earlier, you may well be 'rusty'. Registration in certain key courses (e.g., biology and chemistry) is contingent on successful placement in an appropriate level math. Therefore, review, review, review and practice problems, practice problems, practice problems!

Visit the Orientation web page. The Orientation Office has already mailed detailed information to you. Be sure you are familiar with it (contact the orientation office if you have questions). Also, visit their website for information on the program, dates, etc. Details of the math placement exam, including a practice exam, can be found on this page. There is also information on programs for your parents.

Thinking about courses. One of the many tasks you will complete while at orientation is prepare your first semester schedule. You can help make this process a little easier by gaining some familiarity with the kinds of courses about which you will be deciding. Two major categories of courses will be most relevant to you now:
CORE courses. These are the courses in the general education requirements that all university students must take. Freshman math and English, humanities and arts, science and math, social sciences and history, and diversity are among the areas you will have to fulfill. Click here for details on the CORE program.
Major courses. These are the courses specified by your program as being required for the satisfactory completion of the major you have selected. They will include courses within the program itself, as well as designated support courses offered by other departments. You may review these course requirements by checking out the webpage of the department that offers your major. Please visit the Majors website to view departmental pages.
4-Year Plans. In your first semester, you will be preparing an individual 4-year plan. More information about that plan and how to complete it will be included in your summer orientation. However, you might want to view sample plans now to get an idea of the sequences of courses that work! To see sample 4-year plans, please visit the 4-Year Plans website. Keep in mind that with some very recent curriculum changes some sample plans now at that site may have errors; some have been taken down and will be re-posted just prior to AGNR's first summer orientation date. If you don't find your plan today, please re-visit the site later on (but prior to coming to orientation). With that descriptive information and the 4-Year Plan sample, you will be able to make some intelligent decisions about courses you will want to take this Fall.
Visit Testudo! A visit to Testudo will bring you to one of your more valuable resources as a student here. Select the third menu item (Schedule of Classes) and pick "Fall 2009" to view all of the courses that will be offered in your first semester. As you navigate this page, you can look at specific courses and determine time and place of offering, number of students already registered, etc. You can also look at available CORE classes. Coming to orientation with some of those classes in mind will make your first on-line registration experience much more productive!

Continuing your orientation: UNIV100, The Student in the University. AGNR requires all new freshmen to enroll in UNIV100 during their first semester at University of Maryland. This is a 1-credit seminar course that builds upon your initial experiences during orientation and is designed to help you make the transition into university life. Topics discussed in UNIV100 include: Campus resources to help you succeed and to have wonderful experiences outside of the classroom; University and AGNR policies related to academics; time management; on-line course resources; study skills; making appropriate choices as you establish full responsibility over your own life decisions; how to get involved, etc.

Since the course is specific to this college, AGNR students may only register for sections 1501, 1503, or 1504. Check them out on Testudo. If you were invited to University Honors or the Gemstone program, you will have a similar course offered through those honors programs; you will not need to take one of our sections as well. If you are a transfer student who feels strongly that this course will be of significant benefit to you, you may inquire about seat availability during summer orientation.

The Academic Programs staff looks forward to seeing each of you this summer. Your orientation will be very busy, but you will learn a lot about your new University, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and you will leave with a schedule in hand, ready to begin your educational pursuits here. Welcome!

GO TERPS!

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For more information, contact Angela Mazur

Last updated: 11/1/2011