Pack your Passport! What to Bring to Barnard if you Plan to Work this Fall

Whether you’re planning to work in a campus role, a paid internship, or off-campus at the local coffee shop, all new employees are required to complete a federal form called the I-9 within three days of being hired. This form is completed in two parts, including presenting both identity and work authorization documents in-person.

Which documents can you present? A passport is easiest, but you can also present specific combinations of documents that prove both your identity and your authorization to work legally in the US. Click here to view acceptable documents, but please note - they must be originals, not copies. Add these documents to your packing list, and you’ll be all set!

Are you interested in becoming a Peer Academic Coach this Academic Year? We are interviewing!

 

Never miss a deadline!: Add the Barnard Academic Calendar to your gBear calendar with one click!

Worrying about keeping track registration dates, add/drop deadlines, p/d/f and W deadlines, and the like?

The Registrar has you covered with its Google Calendar version of the Academic Calendar -- you can add this to your gBear calendar with just one click!  Registration and add/drop periods for fall are already added in, so this will help you ASAP

I'm in!  How can I add the Barnard Academic Calendar to my gBear Calendar?

1.  Go to https://barnard.edu/academic-calendar (or, honestly, just google-search "Barnard Academic Calendar")

2.  Click on View Barnard's academic calendar on Google Calendar (note: you must be logged into gBear to access this!). 

3.  In the google calendar that opens, go to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the blue square with the white plus sign (you'll know you're in the right place because when you hover your mouse there, text saying "Add to Google Calendar" will pop up).

4. Once you've added the calendar, set up notifications. Some recommended settings:

Rising Seniors!! Consider submitting a design for a tote bag for senior experience swag! Deadline is June 15.

Submit your tote design HERE for the Class of 2024 totes!

The chosen design will be featured on the Senior Experience Swag and will be presented in early August!  

 

How do I drop a Columbia Summer Class and can I get my money back?

 How do I drop a summer Columbia class?

If you are dropping a Columbia Summer class but not all of your summer CU classes, you may drop via SSOL.  If SSOL does not cooperate, please fill out this Registration Adjustment Form and reach out to your Class Dean, who will need to sign it and can submit it.   

What are the deadlines to drop a summer class and receive a full tuition refund? 

Summer A Session 

May 26 is the deadline to drop a summer session A class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session A as late as June 19, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Full-Term Summer Session (Summer X)

May 26 is the deadline to drop a summer session X class and receive a full refund.  
You may drop a summer session X class as late as July 17, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Summer B Session 

July 10 is the deadline to drop a summer session B class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session B class from your schedule as late as July 31, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.   

Can I take my summer class for PDF grading? 

In theory, yes, but because Columbia summer courses are considered transfer credit, you will only be able to transfer your Columbia summer courses to Barnard if you take them for a letter grade and earn at least a C-.

If, knowing all that, you still want to take a Columbia summer class p/d/f, the deadline to change your grading option for Summer A courses is June 19.  For Summer B courses it is July 31.  For Summer X courses it is July 17.  

I want to drop all of my summer classes (even if all=1); how do I do that?  

In order to drop all of your CU summer courses, thereby withdrawing from the summer term entirely:

1. Consult with your Barnard Class Dean
2. Barnard Class Dean signs Approval to Withdraw form (click here).
3. Student fills out Summer Non-SPS Withdrawal Request Student Form and uploads signed approval.
4. Student receives confirmation from sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu.

 

Please refer to the CU Summer Academic Calendar and to this page, which includes more details about refunds and drop and withdrawal processes.  If you have questions about your refund, please reach out to spsadvising@columbia.edu if you have any questions at all. 

I heard that this takes three weeks to process! Should I be concerned? 

Refunds, drops and transcript notations should be based on the date of form submission, not the date the form is processed -- please be in touch with the Columbia Summer School (spsadvising@columbia.edu) with any questions.  

Additional reason not to worry: Unlike summer 2021, this year as in all previous years, Columbia Summer courses are considered transfer credit, so only completed CU summer courses that you pass with at least a C- and for which you have also submitted an approved Summer Course Approval Form will appear on your Barnard transcript.

How do I drop a Barnard Summer Class, and can I get my money back?

How do I drop a summer Barnard class?

If you are dropping a Barnard Summer class but not all of your summer Barnard classes, you may drop via SSOL.

 

What if I want to drop all of my Barnard summer classes (even if all = 1)?

SSOL won't allow you to just drop all of the classes for a term (even if "all" is just one class). In that case, email registrar@barnard.edu and ask that they please drop all of your summer Barnard classes for you.

 

I tried to drop my Columbia Summer class using this process, but it won't work!

This process is only for Barnard summer courses. For Columbia summer courses, please follow the Columbia process.

 

Will I get a refund? How much? Until when?

Please refer to the Academic Calendar for these and other important deadlines (and consider adding the academic calendar to your gBear calendar!). Most notably:

Friday, May 26            Last day to drop a Summer A course for a full refund

Monday, June 19         Last day to withdraw from a Summer A course

Monday, June 19         Last day to declare the P/D/F option for a Summer A course

 

Monday, July 10          Last day to drop a Summer B class for a full refund

Monday, July 31          Last day to elect P/D/F for Summer B classes (email grades@barnard.edu)

Monday, July 31          Last day to withdraw from a Summer B class

IMPORTANT END-OF-THE-SEMESTER INFORMATION FOR COMPLETION OF COURSEWORK

 We hope you won't become ill or have an emergency during finals, but in case you do, the information in the email below, sent to students by Dean Tedder on Monday, May 1, will help:

Dear Students,   As we come to the end of the spring semester, the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support wants to update you about final exam information and academic resources and remind you what to do if you experience anything that impacts your ability to complete work for your courses and final exams.   One of the most important things to remember if you are experiencing difficulties is to reach out to your instructor and/or Class Dean. Your class dean is available to discuss your specific situation and offer advice and options.   Academic Resources   • Personal Librarians: As you complete your final assignments for this semester, contact Barnard Library’s research and instruction team (Personal Librarians) for any support needed around research-based assignments, including senior projects. Librarians are available for individual consultations about ways to access online research materials and meet citation requirements for your papers and projects. Personal Librarians can assist in finding e-books, full-text articles, and open access sources. • Center for Engaged Pedagogy: The CEP has put together helpful guides for time management, active reading strategies, and a resource map that points you to various supports. • Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS): Students who are registered with the Barnard Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS) and have accommodations should be in touch with CARDS as needed to ensure that their accommodations align with end-of-term assignments. If a faculty member has specific questions about how to implement accommodations in their courses, CARDS is available for individual consultation at cards@barnard.edu.   FINAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION:   All students and instructors are expected to follow the official exam schedule. If you find yourself scheduled for three exams within a 24-hour period or four within 48 hours, you should fill out this form.   If you find that you need to take your exam on a different day during the final exams period, please contact your instructor and make arrangements directly through them (this is different from a deferred exam -- see below). Individual faculty members have discretion to allow or deny requests to take an exam at a time different than originally scheduled, or to take an exam online instead of in-person. If you need assistance with communicating with an instructor, you may contact your Class Dean. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 and/or have been required by the College to quarantine and/or isolate when you otherwise would be taking an in-person exam, please be in touch with your Class Dean to discuss possible options.   DEFERRED EXAMS:   Students may defer an exam due to illness or personal emergency on the day of the exam. If you need to request a deferral, you must:   a) Email your instructor, copying your class dean, on the day of the exam requesting a deferred exam.   b) You must also submit an official request for a deferred exam in Slate. You will need to upload an approval email from your instructor when you submit the Slate form.   c) Deferred exams will be given on Friday, September 8, 2023 and Monday, September 11, 2023. After submitting the Request for a Deferred Exam form, you will receive a confirmation email. It is your responsibility to check the registrar's website and your Barnard email the previous week for the details of your deferred exam.   Please be aware that deferred exams cannot be requested in advance of exam week. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Final and Deferred Exams."   ILLNESS DURING EXAM:   If you become ill during an examination:   a) inform the proctor b) hand in the exam, and c) call Primary Care Health Services at 212-854-2091 to make an appointment.   If you've completed less than 40 minutes of a two-hour exam or less than one hour of a three-hour exam, you qualify for a deferred exam (see above.) If you leave the exam more than 40 minutes into a two-hour exam or more than an hour into a three-hour exam, you'll be graded on the basis of the work you've completed to that point.   INCOMPLETES:   Incompletes are to be given only in cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances. If you need to request an Incomplete, and the instructor is amenable, please be in touch with your faculty member via email to obtain their approval. From there, you will need to submit an Incomplete Request Form in Slate. You will need to upload email confirmation from your instructor when you submit the Slate form.     As a reminder, the official College deadline for completing Spring 2023 Incomplete coursework is September 5, 2023. Individual faculty may also set an earlier deadline for the work to be completed. Please note that incompletes apply only to coursework exclusive of the final examination. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Incomplete Grades."   GRADES:   Final grades are indeed final. Grades may be changed only in cases of clerical error or in the event that for some unusual reason the instructor needs to reevaluate the work of the entire class. Grades may not be recalculated on the basis of reexamination or the submission of  additional or revised work.   ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND THE BARNARD HONOR CODE:   As you write papers or complete exams, whether in a proctored environment or in the comfort of your residence hall, keep the College's Honor Code (https://barnard.edu/honor-code) in mind. Under pressure, it can sometimes be tempting to make a regrettable decision, such as using untrustworthy and undocumented sources, collaborating on an exam, not following proper citation methods on a paper, or claiming someone else's work as your own. Doing something that might violate the Honor Code is NEVER the way to respond to a difficult or pressured academic situation. There's always a better choice. Please also be aware that any misrepresentation of your circumstances in order to obtain an exam deferral or an incomplete is a violation of the Honor Code. An additional word of caution:  it is your responsibility as a student to be aware of your professor’s individual stance on the use of generative AI (ex. ChatGPT). If you are not sure about whether the use of generative AI is permitted in a course, you must consult with your instructor for additional guidance before using generative AI. Note that the Honor Code states that students must responsibly use electronic, print and other resources.     ACADEMIC PROBATION or SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) WARNING:   Please be advised that if you are on academic probation or SAP warning, incompletes or deferrals may have an impact on your academic standing. To discuss your academic standing, please contact your Class Dean.   We wish you all the best as you complete your work for the semester, and hope you have a restful, restorative summer.   Sincerely, Holly Tedder Dean for Academic Planning and Class Advising

Are you interested in working at Barnard as a Peer Academic Coach?

 

Furman Workshop: Fighting Finals Freak Out! on April 19

 

Are you looking for a credit or two to round out your Fall 2023 schedule?

Fall 2023 1-2 credit course options:

1. Fulfill your PE requirement if you haven't yet.

Register online and be sure to attend the first class meeting. PE courses may initially appear in your myBarnard program as 0 credits and will then be transformed to 1 credit (if you are eligible) after the final registration deadline.

Pro Tip:

Unfortunately, there is little to no space in PE for students who want this as an elective. Only students who have not yet completed the PE requirement will be able to register in advance for PE. Dance, on the other hand (see below!), often has space

2. Take a dance class

Dance classes may initially appear in your myBarnard program as 0 credits -- if you don't change this when registering, you can fill out the Form to Request a Point of Dance Credit.

3. Depending on your background and interests, here are some popular ways to enrich your academic experience while also adding a credit or two.

a. For students who sing, play an instrument, or want to know more about music:

• Check the Music Performance Program for information about vocal and instrumental ensembles, and individual vocal and instrumental music lessons, which will also be listed in the Music Department and Music Performance Program pages of the Columbia Directory 

• Be sure to refer to the Music Department website for info about auditions and fees  

• These may be free for music majors and minors, and those participating in University Chorus or Orchestra -- there is additional cost for other students.

• Classes in Ear Training, at a variety of levels, are also an option
  
  

b. If you're interested in Physics/Astronomy, Biology, Environmental Science, Psychology

Contact your department to see if you can earn credit for supervised research in a professor's lab

Or, check out an intro-level seminar in one of the above listed disciplines, such as   

Frontiers of Astrophysics (1 credit)

c. If you're interested in Theatre, Dance, or Backstage work:
Practicum or Rehearsal & Performance (Theatre or Dance) -- for actors, dancers, stage managers, prop or costume makers, and theatre tech people. Check the course description to see who to contact if you are interested.

d. If you have background in some languages and want to improve your fluency:

Check the course listings for 2-credit Intermediate or Advanced Conversation classes in French, Italian, or German,

Or supervised readings in languages -- varies each semester: past options have included Dutch, Sinhala, and Zulu.

e. If you're interested in International Affairs, Political Science, and/or Economics: consider a "short course" at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)
*search the CU Directory of Classes for "course date" to see when the course starts & ends*

One of the "short courses" offered by the School for International & Public Affairs (SIPA). Search The SIPA Catalogue or the SIPA page of the CU Directory of Classes for 1-1.5-credit courses. You can't just register online for these.  Here is the procedure:

1. Check to see if the class you want is on the list of SIPA courses approved for Barnard students (forthcoming -- link will be added when available; in the meantime, use your judgment to assess if the class is academic as opposed to professional development)

2. Contact the instructor to ask if there is space available and if it is appropriate for you given your background. Get any approvals in writing (email is fine).

3. Contact your academic adviser for approval that the course appropriately fits into both your schedule and a liberal arts curriculum. 

4. Upload both approvals when submitting the online add form.

4. Search Vergil for courses between 0 and 2 credits.
You'll have to scroll through a lot of things that may not help you, like labs for courses you're not taking, courses limited to class years other than yours, but this will give you the most comprehensive listing.

Pro Tip:
Check the detailed course descriptions in the Directory of Classes for prerequisites, restrictions, or special application procedures.