Advising Updates

Mr. Doug Pellatz
Mr. Doug Pellatz

Hello Geology Majors,

As we start the second week of classes for the spring semester, I hope that you have begun to be settled into your classes. One of the biggest issues that students faced during the fall semester was time management due to courses being taught in multiple different formats. In my experience, students do not do as well in their classes not because they lack the ability to succeed but because they did not put in the time required to be successful. No one is perfect at their managing their time, but there are things you can do to be better at it.

The first step is to figure out when your major assignments, projects, and exams are in each class. This will help you determine what needs to be a priority during each week of the semester and when you will have weeks with multiple courses with important due dates. I would recommend using a blank monthly calendar or a white board list.

The second step is to plan out your time management per day and week. When you do this, be sure to create a schedule that you believe you can stick with at least 75 to 80% of the time. Remember, on average, you should be spending two hours of study time for each hour of in class time, which is 6 hours of outside of class time per week for a 3 credit hour course. If you are in an online course, you should commit to 3 additional hours of time per week since you won't have any in-class meetings.

Finally, once you have a time management plan, do your best to stick with that plan. Please keep your weekly schedule is an convenient place to review, and keep your important course dates calendar in a place that you can review at least once per week.

The Center for Academic Success and Transition (CAST) has resources that can help you with time management. I recommend their Syllabi Matrix, Schedule by the Hours, and Weekly Study Schedule to help you manage your time and classes. CAST also has other resources available here: https://success.unl.edu/resources#handouts.

COVID-19 Entrance Locations
Looking to get 'N' a building that has a College of Arts and Sciences class? Here's a handy dandy list of building entrances to help you out: https://cas.unl.edu/covid-19.

Thanks, Doug

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Spring 2021 Geology Advising

All academic advising for the Spring 2021 season will be completed virtually. This means that all advising meetings and interactions will be conducted on Zoom, over the phone, or via email. Doug and Professor Kettler are available to meet your academic advising needs, and we look forward to meeting with you and working with you throughout the fall semester. Even though advising will continue to be virtual, we will do everything we can to support you for the winter season.

Due to social distancing even if Doug and Professor Kettler are in their offices, you will need schedule an advising appointment that will be conducted via Zoom, phone, or email or join drop-in advising on Zoom. If an in-person meeting is absolutely required, arrangements will need to be made well in advance so we can accommodate social distancing in the meeting.

Doug’s advising hours will be:
Appointments – 8:30 am to 4:30 pm every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
Appointments – 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm every Wednesday and Friday
Drop-In Advising - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm every Wednesday and Friday

You can schedule an appointment with Doug by using the MyPlan system via this link, by calling the College of Arts and Sciences Academic and Career Advising Center at 402-472-4190, or by emailing him at dpellatz@unl.edu. Doug is also taking drop-in meetings from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays at https://unl.zoom.us/my/casadvising.

Professor Kettler’s advising hours will be by appointment only. To schedule a meeting with Professor Kettler, please email him at rkettler1@unl.edu.