By: Rachel Hall
This week, E-Board Members Alyssa Towle and Tyler Spellman taught us a few Isenberg Hacks!
Since enrollment for Spring 2020 has now begun, make sure you put your classes in your shopping cart and know when your enrollment time is so you register as soon as possible! Be sure to check course pre-requisite requirements before you put them in you shopping cart to be sure you can register in the class when its time. Some are only for certain majors or years and some require certain classes to be taken beforehand. Your enrollment time is based on your year and can be found on SPIRE. If you have class during your time, most professors are very accommodating so be sure to talk to them beforehand.
You can also meet with any of the seven academic advisors before registering for your classes. If you are an Isenberg major, you can make an appointment at any time to discuss next semester plans and non-Isenberg students can walk in at anytime outside of registration and add/drop periods. Be sure to review your ARR, fill out your core and/or major requirement sheets and prepare questions before your appointment. If you don’t have an appointment before, give yourself lots of time in case you have to wait for an advisor to be available.
Your ARR (Academic Requirement Report) can be found on SPIRE. It’s super helpful for knowing what requirements you still need and which ones you already have covered. However, make sure to look at your major and core requirement checklists to be sure the ARR got it right! If anything is under the wrong requirement, just email and advisor and they can fix it for you.
When trying to override into classes, here’s a few things to keep in mind. The BBA core course override form is only for non-Isenberg students. If you are trying to override from within Isenberg into a class for another major, you can find these forms online or in the advising office, depending on the major. Classes outside Isenberg have their own override process, so be sure to contact the department for those classes.
The Breadth Requirement is a 21 credit requirement for classes outside of Isenberg. Only one of these courses can be an economics class. Lots of people take these courses while abroad as well. If you are taking a GenEd that fills a diversity (DU or DG) requirement and nothing else, this will count as well. One great tip is to make your GenEds Pass/Fail, so a D or better will get you a pass and won’t affect your GPA. If you do better in the class than you thought, you can revoke the pass/fail and it’ll fill a GenEd, and if not it will still count toward your Breadth. Keep in mind you can only do this once a semester.
If you’re applying into Isenber from another major, the info can be found online. Make sure you know the deadlines and the specific requirements for BBA, HTM, or Sport Management. Each one requires different predictor courses to take before applying and the soonest you can do this is your second semester of freshman year.
Declaring and changing your major from within Isenberg is super easy! Major declaration happens at the beginning of each semester and an email is sent out to all Isenberg students who are undeclared. To change your major from within Isenberg, simply go into the advising office and fill out a form.
To book breakout rooms in the Hub (located on the second floor), just go to this link (https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/room-request) and fill out the form. From here, you can book breakout rooms, tables, and even classrooms.
Finally, make sure to use the Chase Career Center. You can make appointments on the same website you would make advising appointments, and meet with a career coach who can help you with anything from building your resume to a five year plan. Chase also provides resources like IsenberWorks, Handshake, and BigInterview!