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September 16, 2011

Grade Options, Health Careers, and New Scientist Program

List of emails

Hello, Brown first-year students! Welcome to the end of your first full week of classes. Shopping period ends at 5 p.m. next Tuesday. Please remember that the work for your courses begins on the first day of the semester, and not when you join a course; therefore, it is your responsibility to catch up on material you missed while you were shopping. Whenever possible, please obtain lecture notes and other missed material from classmates or from a teaching assistant, and not from the course instructor.

* Grade options *

Once you’ve finalized your course selections, you’ll want to begin thinking about your grade options. Check which option, ABC/NC or S/NC, you’ve selected for each course and make sure you haven’t entered an incorrect one. If you’re not sure which grade option you want for a given course, talk with your advisor or Meiklejohn, or with one of the academic deans. Any of these advisors can help you think through the pros and cons of a given choice, and may offer some insights you haven’t considered. You can change your grade option up until Tuesday, October 4, at 5:00 p.m. This is a hard and fast deadline, so make sure you’ve entered the options you want.

* Biology & Health Careers *

If you’re interested in the biological sciences or in medical school, you may want to consult with Dean Marjorie Thompson in Biology or with the Health Careers Office about grade options and related issues. Both websites have helpful FAQs (http://biology.brown.edu/bug/faq.html and http://www.brown.edu/college/hco/faq/), and the Health Careers Office offers regular drop-in hours with the Health Careers Peer Advisors. Stop by the Science Center (3rd floor of the Sci Li) on a Sunday afternoon between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., or contact them through their website:
http://www.brown.edu/college/hco/first-year_sophomore/peeradvisors0_10.shtml

* New Scientist Program *

An important resource for students studying in the sciences but not necessarily towards a health career is the New Scientist Program. Supported by the Dean of the College Office, NSP aims to increase the presence, performance, and retention of under-represented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concentrations. The term "under-represented minority" refers not only to racial/ethnic groups, but also to any group with a statistically low presence in STEM fields. For more info about NSP, write to nsp@brown.edu.


Have a great weekend --

The Advising Team