New Student Guide: Special Programs and Services

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Academic Achievement Program

Students who are concerned that their study skills may not be appropriate for college work or about their ability to manage time efficiently may contact Dean Carol Gutman, (434) 924-3350, to discuss the possibility of enrolling in EDIS 289: Strategies for Academic Achievement. This course provides instruction in:

• Methods of time management and self-discipline in academic pursuits
• Procedures for listening and taking notes in lectures and discussions
• Strategies for learning from lengthy and complex reading assignments
• Analytic and critical thinking skills that are essential to scholarship
• Practices that insure clarity and completeness of written assignments
• Test analysis skills
• Appropriate review procedures for different types of examinations
• Stress management and life style choices that foster academic success

Class meetings feature descriptions and demonstrations of a variety of strategies that have assisted U.Va. students to increase their academic effectiveness and efficiency. Students are required to adapt, apply, and evaluate these strategies in the courses they are taking while enrolled in EDIS 289.

Interested students should contact Dean Gutman at their earliest convenience, as enrollment in the program is limited and placement is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), managed by the U.Va. Department of Student Health, is a full-service outpatient clinic whose mission is to be responsive to the counseling and psychiatric needs of U.Va. students while also providing crisis management, consultation, and psychoeducational outreach services to the broader U.Va. community.

For more information, visit the Elson Student Health Center's CAPS page.

Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) - Scholarships

The Center for Undergraduate Excellence assists College students in finding an interconnected course of study that challenges preconceptions, builds intellectual curiosity, hones analytical thinking, and prepares students for lives of leadership and service. To this end, we advise students regarding national and College fellowship competitions, undergraduate research opportunities, and the creation of interdisciplinary majors. Students are encouraged to visit the center throughout their undergraduate careers.

For more information, visit the CUE web site.

Echols Scholars Program

Enrolling approximately 8% of each year's entering class in the College, the Echols Program enables Scholars to freely pursue their personal, academic, and career interests, to proceed quickly to advanced courses, to experience high-level scholarly study and research, and to benefit from living together, in their first year, with their peers.

The cornerstone of the Echols Program is academic freedom. Because Echols Scholars come to the University well prepared for advanced work, they are exempt from the usual undergraduate requirements such as area requirements. Instead they are encouraged to follow their interests, wherever they lead, whether in seminars, or lectures, or in intermediate or higher-level courses.

To make the most of theis freedom, Scholars enjoy priority in registration, so that they may take the courses and the instructors they most want and need for their academic program.

With this early start, Echols Scholars may easily complete majors in two seperate fields, or pursue graduate-level study and research. They may also take advantage of various departmental honors programs in the College, or take a semester or a year to study abroad. While most Echols Scholars major in traditional fields, they may also choose the Echols Major, an interdisciplinary course of study custom-designed in close consultation with faculty advisors.

Admission to the Echols Scholars Program is by invitation. All applicants to the College of arts and Sciences are automatically considered by the Office of Admission; no special Echols application is necessary.

For more information, visit the Echols Scholars Program web site.

Interdisciplinary Major Program (IMP)

The Interdisciplinary Major Program offers students with unusual interests, superior ability, and exceptional self-discipline the opportunity to design an individual program of study instead of pursuing a regular department major. The program hopes to attract proposals that show creativity, novel approaches to learning, and experimentation, but it does insist that the applicant be able to designate clearly a definite field of study which falls within the liberal arts and sciences. Medical Ethics, Psychobiology, Irish Studies, Physical Anthropology, Post-modern Studies, and Philosophical Psychology are examples of the kinds of programs that are acceptable. There are, of course, many other.

The program is a Distinguished Majors Program and requires a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.4. Students generally make application in their third or fourth semester. Proposals made after the fifth semester cannot be considered.

All IMP students are required to write a two-semester thesis, for which they have free choice of subject area and methodology, in their fourth year.

If you are interested in applying, you should discuss your project proposal with several members of the faculty in your field of interest, and ,once your plans are firm, make an appointment to meet with Dean William Wilson (924-3672), the program Chair in Garrett Hall. To apply for the program you must have, along with the application, a written proposal outlining your project, a list of courses related to your field with a total of 30 credit hours, and a current transcript. Upon receiving an offer of admission to the program, you must submit a formal declaration of major form to be signed by Mr. Wilson.

For more information, visit the IMP web page.

Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC)

The Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC) determines eligibility and provides academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities in line with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These federal laws mandate that institutions of higher learning provide equal access to students with disabilities who are "otherwise qualified" to meet the essential demands of the academic program. A wide variety of disability conditions including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, medical disabilities and emotional disabilities are addressed by the LNEC.

The LNEC provides services to two groups of students: those who have been previously diagnosed with a disability condition; and those who have never been diagnosed, but begin struggling academically, and seek evaluation of their difficulties. For both groups of students, the LNEC invites participation in time management, attention, memory, anxiety, and study skills workshops held during the fall and spring semesters, and can provide brief, individual consulting on a limited basis.

For more information, visit the Elson Student Health Center's LNEC web page.

Pre-Business, Pre-Law, Pre-Medical

Students intending to graduate with an undergraduate business degree from the McIntire School of Commerce or pursue a graduate degree in business, law or medicine should review our pre-professional studies page.

Study Abroad

Study abroad, done through the International Studies Office, takes students beyond the typical international tourist experience and requires students to immerse themselves in another culture and academic setting for an extended period of time. All students are encouraged to consider studying abroad for a summer, semester, or full academic year sometime during their undergraduate career.

For more information, visit the College's Study Abroad web page and the International Studies Office web site.

University Career Services

University Career Services (UCS) provides students with guidance and resources for the achievement of their career-related goals by facilitating self-awareness, career exploration, and career decision-making. Utilizing UCS's realtionships with a significant base of employers, students can discover opportunities for internships and pre- and post-graduation employment in their field of study.

For more information, visit the UCS web site.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center offers free individual tutoring sessions (up to 50 minutes) to students who wish to improve their academic prose. Tutors can help you focus a thesis, organize an argument, fashion a style appropriate to an assignment, and use correct punctuation and grammar.

For more information, visit the Writing Center web site.

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