Academic Help

If you are having trouble with your academics, classes or are in bad academic standing, there are many ways to get academic help with classes at UCD and all the local schools.

See the Help page for other types of help.

Resources for UCD Students

Getting Help

• Go to your professor's office hours. Professors' office hours are an underutilized resource.
• Speak with your teacher or professor; they are there for you to learn.
• Form a study group with others in your class.
• Consider hiring a tutor or get free tutoring at the Learning Skills Center.
• Students in the MAT 16 series can go to the Calculus Room in the third floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building for free help from graduate students.
• Shields Library has workshops to get students acquainted with library resources.
• Any more general advice? Someone should add something here specific to Davis. E.g., links to academic counselors

Counselors

• Educational Opportunity Program - offers peer advising counselors who know the university's policies well
• Learning Skills Center - employs a staff of counselors and subject specialists
• Student Recruitment and Retention Center - get some motivation from this student-run organization
• The Cross Cultural Center offers academic counseling, no appointment neccsary.
• UCD freshmen can find help in their dorms through Academic Advising Centers which have free counseling and tutoring.
• Any more general advice? Someone should add something here specific to Davis. E.g., links to academic counselors

Getting Out

• If your major is too hard, or not to your liking, consider changing your major.
• Taking some easy classes to boost your GPA may be good. Which classes?
• Retaking classes you did poorly in would instantly raise your GPA. You may do this for up to 16 units worth of classes (approx. 4 classes) and only in classes where your grade was D or F (you can't replace grades of C- or above).

Getting to Graduate School

• Take courses for a letter-grade instead of pass/fail when possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the GRE. You can register for it at the ETS.org website, but do not take the exam until you know more about it! Taking the SAT more than once was okay, but you want to avoid taking the GRE more than once.
• Kaplan occasionally hosts free GRE practice tests in the hopes of getting students to sign up for their prep courses. Take the practice test and see how you do.
• People to ask for information: your major advisors, your college advisors, the Career and Graduate Study Resource Center, your professors, and graduate students themselves. Also see Advising Services.
• Ask a question on the Q & A for Prospective Academics page

First-generation, poor, and/or underrepresented?

• McNair Scholars Program - offers summer research funding, GRE preparation, and help applying to graduate schools
• Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program - focused on helping students succeed in college, but also encourages post-bachelor education
• UC LEADS - academic program within the UC-system which pairs UC students with UC professors at different campuses
• The Financial Aid Office has a GRE fee reduction program that is ridiculously under-publicized. Tell all your poor friends. The form is on the financial aid website. Note that if you get a fee waiver, you will have to register for the GRE by snail mail, so register especially early!

Useful Websites

• Office of the Registrar - master page of links to everything a registered student needs
• Academic Calendar - Last day to add? Drop? Change to P/NP grading? Look up the dates here.
• General Catalog's Programs and Courses - look up major and minor requirements, find out who your major advisors are and how to contact them, see class descriptions and prerequisites
• UCD Financial Aid Website - look up deadlines and information
• Assist.org - see what courses are equivalent between UC Davis and another college

Resources for High School students

• If you are a student, talk to your teacher and parents as a starting point.
• Setting Limits helps parents and teachers.
• Social and Cognitive Learning Center helps students and their families.
• Consider private tutoring.
• Know of another resource? Sign up for an account, and then click the "Edit" icon to add a resource for those in need of support!

Resources for Junior High School students

• If you are a student, talk to your teacher and parents as a starting point.
• Setting Limits helps parents and teachers.
• Social and Cognitive Learning Center helps students and their families.
• Consider tutoring or private tutoring.
• Know of another resource? Sign up for an account, and then click the "Edit" icon to add a resource for those in need of support!

Resources for Elementary School students

• If you are a student, talk to your teacher and parents as a starting point.
• Progress Ranch offers help for emotionally disturbed boys between 6 and 10 years old.
• Setting Limits helps parents and teachers.
• Social and Cognitive Learning Center helps students and their families.
• Consider tutoring.
• Know of another resource? Sign up for an account, and then click the "Edit" icon to add a resource for those in need of support!