Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences | Rutgers-New Brunswick

Academic Support Services

We believe that our students are responsible for their own growth, development, and education and have a great capacity to make positive adaptive changes. Thus, our role is to serve as supportive, sympathetic, professional resources, and to assist students in navigating the complexities of life at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

Program services and activities are based in the practical reality that each student needs to understand what is required to succeed in college, and to develop an accurate view of her or his own skills, abilities, strengths, and capacities. The role of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences OSP staff is to guide and direct, inform and instruct, encourage and support students in this process.

The Academic Support Program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to enhance their academic performance during any given semester. Faculty, counselors, and staff are encouraged to refer students to the program, as necessary. Students are encouraged to participate in the Academic Student Support Program in order to strengthen their academic skills, thereby reducing the number of courses failed or not completed during the semester. Based on the Piaget model of learning, students are taught how to distinguish their learning styles and to identify instructional resources that best suit those styles.

The Program offers two distinct components. The first component allows students to receive academic instruction in pre-determined (from Rutgers University Graduate Programs) subject areas. Teaching Fellows will provide one-on-one and small-group assistance to students enrolled in the program. The second component provides a series of academic success workshops designed to enhance the students' ability to self-identify areas of weakness and develop strategies for success.

All first-year and probation Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences EOF students must participate in the Academic Support Program for a minimum of eighty minutes per week. Upper-class, transfer, and re-admitted students are encouraged to seek assistance as necessary. The Program is free to all OSP students, as well as other Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences students (if space is available).

The services of the program may be supplemented by other Rutgers-New Brunswick academic services, such as the Writing Center, Learning Resource Centers, and the Math/Science Learning Center.

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