FIRE STUDENT SUPPORT
Please use the following resources and contact us at any time for support.
STUDENT LIFE
Please be sure you are getting the mental, physical, interpersonal, academic, and professional support you need to succeed in all your UMD engagements.
FIRE recommends you become familiar with the following:
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MENTAL-HEALTH & WELL-BEING
The Division of Student Affairs has designed a dedicated website to help students with a broad range of mental and physical needs.
UMD provides resources to undergraduate and graduate students to meet their diverse mental health and wellness needs. Browse the resources to find free and low-cost mental health treatment, essential needs support, and campus programs to meet your wellness needs.
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WRITING CENTER
The Writing Center is for student-writers at any stage of the writing process, from early brainstorming to a polished draft. Regardless of your skill level or academic discipline, the writing center is an excellent resource for you.
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ORAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
The Oral Communication Center's mission is to offer the University of Maryland community high-quality consulting and training in the art of oral communication, and to conduct research that continually advances best practices in the field.
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TUTORING & ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The University is committed to academic excellence and provides a variety of tutoring and other academic resources to support student success.
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CAMPUS PANTRY
The UMD Campus Pantry is open to help students, faculty, and staff experiencing food insecurity.
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CAREER CENTER
The University Career Center & The President’s Promise provides comprehensive career assistance for all students enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park. Designed to support students through each stage of their career development, the Center offers an array of resources, services, and programs that empower students to pursue their ambitions and navigate a meaningful career journey.
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STUDENT SUCCESS OFFICE
The Student Success Office has a broad range of support available for students seeking tutoring, financial assistance, information on academic policies, and health and wellness services.
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OFFICE OF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
This important UMD office includes resources and support for a broad range of identity-based groups including the LGBTQ+ Equity Center, the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education, the Nyumburu Cultural Center, and Bias Incident Support Services.
TECHNOLOGY
The following is a list of resources that will help ensure you and your computer are ready for the engagement.
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TERPMAIL
Several FIRE services require you to have an active Terpmail account working.
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TERPWARE
Visit the UMD Terpware website and download and install software provided by your enrollment at UMD.
Even if you already have some of this software (Microsoft Office), it is recommended that you uninstall your existing version and install a full and complete version of the current version on Terpware.
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CHROME
There are many web browsers, right? FIRE highly recommends you adopt and use Google Chrome exclusively for your UMD courses.
We have found that most of the websites, applications, and extensions we use work best and most reliably with Chrome. We have fixed many problems that students have by suggesting "Have you tried it in Chrome?". So, just start with Chrome, and let's go from there.
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GOOGLE DRIVE & GOOGLE APPS
You have a huge amount of cloud storage available to you through your UMD Google account.
Install Google Drive on your computer to ensure all of your non-Google documents (Office, PDF, source code, etc) are automatically backed up as you work on them!
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ZOOM
Zoom will continue to be a tool FIRE uses to support student engagement, community, and learning. Please be sure it is installed on your computer and that you frequently check for updates that enable new features we might use.
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TECH HELP DESK
Get help now with any technology issues that you are having (or call 301-405-1500).
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LEARN ELMS & GET HELP
Take advantage of this short tutorial, and get help when you need it. You can also browse tutorials and ELMs support guides (or call 877-399-4090).
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EDUROAM
Access the campus wireless network and solve connection problems.
RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
FIRE faculty and staff have worked with first-year students for many years and have come to understand many of the factors that support and challenge student success during this period of transition and acclimation to university life.
We recommend you consider the following:
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Think of your college life more like a work day, less like a school day.
Each and every day you will have both academic and personal commitments, goals - things that you need and want to do. Plan accordingly. Design a sleep schedule that allows you to get the rest you need. Wake up and do the things you need to do to start your day in a healthy way (exercise, etc). Then - engage your work day. This will include classes, team meetings, getting assignments done, studying, meeting with your instructors, and doing the other parts of your academic life. This is your job now. Plan for and reach a stopping point each day so that you can also enjoy your personal and social life. Get out there, try new things, get involved! Get to sleep at a reasonable hour, repeat the process the next day. Put in good work hours. Put in good play hours. Do not confuse the two.
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Plan and manage your time.
You cannot keep it all straight in your head. You just can't. Use an electronic calendar of some kind that gives you access to your scheduled commitments and, very importantly, due dates for all assignments. Yes. Put all assignments on your calendar and study your calendar each day to ensure you are both on top of what you need to do today but, perhaps most importantly, to allow you to be ready for tomorrow.
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Get help when you need it.
There are a broad range of services available (see above) to you to help you with academic, personal and professional (career, etc) challenges. Get the help you need before a challenge becomes a real problem.