Tips and Advice

Your first year is the best time to begin establishing good habits that will help you be successful.  As you think about setting the stage for your time at Miami, keep these tips in mind.  

• Ask for help when you need it!
• Maintain a healthy schedule. 
• Attend all of your classes.
• Complete all of your assignments.
• Read your email and check Canvas at least once a day.
• Visit faculty during office hours.
• Get to know your academic advisor.
• Find the ideal place for you to study.
• Familiarize yourself with campus resources.
• Try something new.

Throughout your first and second year, you may still need to decide on a major, or you may find something new that you’d like to pursue.  Regardless, academic advisors can help you continue exploring the academic opportunities that are available to you.

Things to remember:

• It’s okay to be unsure about your major, and to be “undeclared.”
• It’s okay to change your major.
• It’s okay to discover new things.

Tips for Exploring:

• Take courses that explore different fields of study.  You can usually do this while completing your Miami Plan and/or College requirements.
• Review the majors available in CAS.  
• Think about what you do NOT like; sometimes that is an easier place to start and it can help you narrow down your list of options.  
• Meet with an advisor to discuss your interests and strengths.
• Get involved in student organizations that can help you explore different academic interests
• Explore careers, too!
  • Meet with a Career Advisor in the Center for Career Exploration and Success
  • Enroll in EDL 100 - Career Development for College Students
  • Conduct informational interviews and/or set-up shadowing experiences with progressional in your field of interest

In your second year, you’ll continue working on your Miami Plan and College Requirements, as well as digging deeper into your major/minor.  Here are some resources that may help further define your academic success and/or career focus.

Identify undergraduate research opportunities:

• Contact your department for a list of research opportunities in your major.
• Identify your interests and contact faculty members with similar research interests.
• Investigate:
  • Undergraduate Summer Scholars
  • DUOS Research Opportunities
  • Undergraduate Research Forum

Connect with the Center for Career Exploration and Success:

• Create an account and profile in Handshake to make the most of your career exploration process.
• Visit Programs & Events.
• Attend Career Fairs and Expos, where you can discuss full-time and internship positions with selected employers.
• Check out Internships to learn about the different types and how to set them up appropriately.

Join student organizations, honorary societies, and leadership programs that further develop specific skills and experiences:

• Take advantage of leadership opportunities in your student organizations, as well as programs offered through Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service.

Explore scholarships and fellowships:

• You may want to consider national scholarships and fellowships.
• To be competitive for one of the prestigious scholarships (e.g., Rhodes, Goldwater), you need to begin to prepare for the application process now. Many Miami students have been awarded prestigious scholarships and fellowships.

Consider study abroad programs:

• Review Education Abroad Resources (Global Initiatives).
• Research study abroad and away programs (Global Initiatives).

• Consult your degree audit to confirm that you are on track to meet all of your degree requirements by your intended graduation date.
• Meet with your assigned advisor to review your degree audit and confirm your progress.

• Attend career fairs and expos
• Utilize job search resources
• Take advantage of mock interviews
• Finalize your resume, work on cover letter development

You must apply for graduation whether or not you plan to attend the commencement ceremony.  

You should apply for the graduation date that represents the term you will have completed all of your degree requirements.  

• May graduation - apply by November 1
• August graduation - apply by March 1
• December graduation - apply by May 1
• January graduation - apply by May 1

For additional information regarding graduation, please visit the Commencement website.

To confirm that the application has been received and processed, check your degree audit for the following note:
Graduation Review Process 

• Once the deadline to apply for graduation has passed, the College of Arts and Science Academic Advising Office will begin reviewing the degree audits of all graduation candidates to confirm whether requirements are being met or if there are problems that might interfere with a student’s ability to graduate.
• Students will receive an email notification indicating either that their requirements are in progress for completion or that they have deficiencies that will prevent them from graduating in the upcoming graduation.  
• Students with deficiencies will be invited to meet with a CAS academic advisor to review their situation and make a plan for resolution.  Students are strongly encouraged to attend these meetings.

• Identify graduate and professional programs with your faculty/pre-professional advisor.
• Research specific graduate school options through the Center for Career Exploration and Success.
• Check out Miami University’s Graduate School.
• Take or retake (if appropriate) graduate school admission tests (i.e. GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.).
• Check application deadlines, including those for assistantships and fellowships.
• Request letters of recommendation.