IMPORTANT DATES
Feb. 21: Last day to withdraw without a grade or change a credit to an audit (or vice versa) for Spring 7-Week Session I
March 7: Classes end for Spring 7-Week Session I; summer registration opens for current students.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE FAFSA PRIORITY DEADLINE IS MARCH 1
Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2022-23 school year! You’ll need to file a new FAFSA every year to be eligible for financial aid. File your 2022-23 FAFSA by the March 1 priority deadline to ensure the greatest possible consideration for scholarships, grants, and other financial aid opportunities. Get started at studentaid.gov.
Need help figuring out or completing your FAFSA? Check out the Financial Aid Fundamentals and FAFSA Completion events, happening each week in February.
COMPLETE YOUR FAFSA BY MARCH 1 TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE MARYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
Receive up to $5,000 to attend CSM full time with the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship! This last-dollar scholarship is renewable for up to three years. To be eligible, you must submit your FAFSA by March 1 and use CSM’s federal school code (002064). Students who aren’t eligible to receive federal aid, but are eligible for in-state tuition, can submit the Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA).
LEARN MORE
NEW TRANSFER PATHWAYS: PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
Go farther and achieve more with the latest additions to CSM’s more than 220 articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities. CSM students who earn their associate degree in social sciences have four new pathways to complete their bachelor’s in psychology—with an option to minor in addiction studies—or sociology at West Virginia University (WVU). Visit Transfer Services for the full list of more than 220 articulation agreements and search by institution or program of study!
HAPPENING THIS WEEK
TALON TALK: FINANCIAL AID FUNDAMENTALS AND FAFSA COMPLETION
It’s FAFSA February! Join us each week in February for interactive and informative sessions to discuss the financial aid process, unravel the mystery of financial need, and get guidance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Register now for the webinar on Feb. 9.
Register Here
7 WEEK STILL GOT YOU WEAK?
Adjusting to new and ongoing challenges can be a struggle. Learning to adapt in effective ways takes time and deliberate actions. Join Counseling Services on Feb. 9 for an interactive discussion on how to OPT in to 7-week course success. We will discuss the importance of O-organizing your schedule; P-prioritizing tasks; and T-time management strategies that will help you OPT in and win academically!
FACULTY RECITAL: GUITARIST BRENT FERGUSON
The college is proud to showcase the talents of our student and faculty musicians. Join us Feb. 11 on the La Plata Campus for a faculty recital featuring classical guitarist and CSM music professor Brent Ferguson, with an encore performance on Feb. 13 at the Indian Head Center for the Arts Black Box Theater.
Admission is free for both events, but be sure to reserve your ticket for the Feb. 13 event!
(No prior registration is necessary for the recital on Feb. 11.)
Register Here
TRANSFER THURSDAY
Connect directly with our transfer partners and get answers, straight from the source! Learn more and register for the Feb. 10 sessions you're interested in.
NEXT WEEK'S EVENTS
ARTIST RECEPTION: GRETCHEN SCHERMERHORN
Join CSM and artist Gretchen Schermerhorn on Feb. 15 for a reception and discussion of her exhibition, "Perception," on display at the Tony Hungerford Art Gallery through March 8.
LEARN MORE
TALON TALK: FINANCIAL AID FUNDAMENTALS AND FAFSA COMPLETION
Register now for the Financial Aid Fundamentals and FAFSA Completion webinar on Feb. 16.
Register Here
TRANSFER THURSDAY
Connect directly with our transfer partners and get answers, straight from the source! Learn more and register for the Feb. 17 sessions you're interested in.
SHAUN BOOTHE: REPACKAGING HISTORY THROUGH HIP-HOP
Join Shaun Boothe, award-winning hip-hop artist and creator of "The Unauthorized Biography Series," to discuss his critically acclaimed musical project that celebrates the world’s greatest cultural icons through biographical rap songs.
LEARN MORE
REAL STUDENTS, REAL STORIES: IN THEIR OWN WORDS
This week, hear from Jaelene Amaya, a current electrical engineering student:
I’m someone who’s grateful for what I have, but I want to keep growing —academically, and as a person.
My background is a mix of cultures. I was born here and lived part of my life here, but I’m also from Mexico. I was born in Denver, moved to Mexico at age 12, moved back to the U.S. at 17 to finish high school.
When I came back, I was by myself, and I didn’t have money to afford college, so I was looking at my options when I was leaving high school. My school guidance counselor recommended CSM, and I liked what I saw. I especially like the MTAP [Maryland Transfer Advantage Program]—I want to transfer to University of Maryland College Park (UMD) to get my bachelor’s.
I’m someone who communicates better in person—I feel like it makes a stronger connection—and since my time at CSM has all been during COVID, it’s been hard to engage as much with teachers and other students. But all of my instructors have been really professional and understanding, and I’ve been able to learn a lot.
It just goes to show that it’s important to have a plan, to have in mind what you want, but life can be hard to predict, and it’s just as important to be able to look for the positive and make the best of it when things don’t go your way.
Right now, my plan is to finish my associate degree at CSM, then transfer to UMD. I want to get experience in my field, acquiring knowledge and little by little developing myself into a professional engineer.
STUDENT RESOURCES
CSM COLLEGE SURVIVAL GUIDE
The College Survival Guide is a recurring feature that directs members of the CSM community to free resources and support for whatever challenges they may be facing. At CSM, no hawk has to fly alone.
NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL AID? Figuring out how to keep college affordable—the kinds of financial assistance available and how to apply, just for starters—can be complicated and confusing. We can help! Check out CSM’s FinancialAidTV for short, easy to digest videos on a wide range of topics, including FAFSA, scholarships, 1098-Ts and much more.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
REGISTER TO VOTE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Go to www.csmd.edu/Vote and register to vote, check your registration, and find resources on the offices and candidates.
