You may remain in Psych 100 to ensure a strong foundation in the major, BUT you may NOT ALSO receive AP/IB credit for psych
To stay in the class and earn credit and grade, you MUST DECLINE your psych 100 AP/IB credit (you may keep credits in other subjects). Write to @email to DECLINE the psych AP/IB credit. If you stay in the class without declining AP/IB, you will not receive credit or a grade in your GPA for the psych 100 class.
OR You may keep your psych AP/IB credit.
If you keep your psych AP/IB, first ensure it is sent to UMass. When the Psych 100 AP credit is in your SPIRE record, you will be eligible to enroll in other, more advanced psych courses.
Because continuing psych students registered many weeks ago, most psych courses are full or nearly full.
You can SWAP (see below for help with swapping) your psych 100 class for another psych class OR a GenEd in a category you've not fulfilled OR a course of interest for general elective credits.
It will be fine if you end up not taking a psych class in your first semester -- remember you'll still have intro psych credit!
If you feel confident to make schedule changes, you may do so on your own. Limited appointments are available through Navigate for assistance with schedule changes during August. Select the “Make an appointment” button on the home screen. Under “What type of appointment would you like to schedule?”, select New Student Advising & Course Registration. You'll see availability for to meet with an advisor to discuss changes to your Fall 2024 schedule.
Please do not change courses that you need as a pre-requisite to another course. Do not change the math class you were advised into based on your placement test without consulting an advisor. You could trade one GenEd for a different GenEd or one First Year Seminar for a different First Year Seminar.
The best way to change a class is to SWAP. This function allows you to switch one class for another without dropping and then adding. (If you drop then add, you might not get into the desired class AND then you might not be able to get back into the dropped class.). SWAP also protects you from accidentally reducing your number of credits and possibly going below the 12 credits required for full-time status.
SWAP is available in both Schedule Builder and in SPIRE:
Completing a BA or BS degree will not affect what kinds of jobs you can apply for or your prospects for going to graduate school. Either degree is equally "good." For instance, many colleges don't offer a choice between BA and BS for a general psychology major.
The MAJOR requirements for the BA and the BS in General Psych are the same and are found here
The College of Natural Sciences (CNS) requirement for BA degrees is a foreign language requirement that can be satisfied many ways outlined here
The CNS requirement for BS degrees is to complete 60 credits in the college (your major requirements and BS/PS/R1/R2 GenEds count in the 60 credits). More info can be found here
If you are a general psych major and want to switch from BA to BS or vice versa, visit the Psych Advising Center (Tobin 501) during drop-in and we will be happy to make this change.
If you want to join the neuroscience track, you must complete at least one semester at UMass and achieve a GPA of at least 3.0. Then meet with a neuroscience track advisor.
For First Year Students, you will not continue to meet with your NSOT advisor. Instead, all first year students will be assigned to a First Year Advisor in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS). You can expect to receive an email from your First Year Advisor by August 15 with an introduction and information about how advising will work. Your First Year Advisor will also be listed on your Spire account by mid August.
At the start of your Sophomore year, you will transition back to Psychology Advising. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences does will not assign you a specific advisor. Our upperclass students (Soph, Jr, Sr) are welcome to consult with any of the advisors in the department. You may choose to consistently see the same person, or you can see whoever is available in drop-in or who has a convenient appointment available.
We have Drop-In advising open 10-3 every weekday in Tobin 501 during the fall and spring semesters when you can consult with peer advisors or the staff advisor on duty. This is a great way to get all kinds of questions answered quickly!
Hector Sosa is a graduate student who advises students ONLY during summer orientation.
Success in these foundation courses is very important. The Biology and Chemistry departments have prepared free, online refresher tutorial courses to prepare you! During August watch for information from the biology department and/or chemistry department about BioPrep and ChemPrep. Plan to COMPLETE the prep courses BEFORE you come to campus. Research shows that students who complete Bio and Chem prep do better in these courses!
These classes (and many others) will also have Supplemental Instruction (SI) at the Learning Resource Center. Pay attention to your instructor when they explain SI and plan to attend regularly from the start of the semester!
For students enrolled in Psych 103 (Navigating Psychology), you will have the option to be matched with a Mentor (an upperclass Psych major) as part of this class. This is a great opportunity to meet other students, learn more about our major, and receive support adjusting to your first semester on campus!
There are LOTS of resources on campus for support. Some of the most valuable are outlined here.
Be sure to bookmark the psych advising page that has links to LOADS of other information about the psych major and other campus resources.
