three people at table with charts and coffee and papers

Advising

Gemstone works with the academic departments to assure that advisors are aware of curriculum updates in order to ensure that students are meeting their academic goals. The Gemstone Academic Plan can assist students and advisors with incorporating the Gemstone requirements along with degree requirements.

Gemstone also offers several programs to support our students academically.

Gemstone CONNECT

CONNECT is Gemstone’s peer mentoring initiative that seeks to connect incoming students with current students during the summer and continues the relationship through a peer mentoring role in the Fall semester. During both the fall and spring semesters, CONNECT offers evening study hours in the evenings (Sunday-Wednesday) in the Gemstone Suite.

group of students at table huddled laptops Gemstone CONNECT is a peer mentorship program designed to help integrate first year students into the Gemstone Program and the University of Maryland. Prior to arrival on campus, CONNECT mentors communicate with their mentees via email to help answer any questions students have and help students feel more prepared, comfortable and engaged before the start of the Fall semester. CONNECT mentors are current Gemstone sophomores, juniors, and seniors who each mentor 2-3 students. Throughout the year, CONNECT mentors interact with their mentees and conduct a first-year check in.

If you are interested in becoming a CONNECT mentor, see our see our Leadership Opportunities.

Gemstone Advising Walk-in Hours

Gemstone advising hours change each semester. These hours are established for Gemstone students seeking advice on a multitude of items:

The Gemstone curriculum
Fitting Gemstone classes into your schedule
Wanting to get more involved with Gemstone extra-curricular activities, such as the Gemstone Student Council, the Gems Camp Planning Committee, the Outreach Team, and more…
Finding out who and where your academic advisor is
Finding other academic resources on campus
Or you just have questions/concerns about the Gemstone Program in general…

First Year Student Check-In Meetings

Each first year Gemstone student will have the opportunity to engage in a short check-in meeting with a CONNECT Mentor during the fall semester. The purpose of these meetings is foster individual relationships between the CONNECT Mentors and new students, as well as to help provide assistance with questions/concerns about the University of Maryland and the Gemstone Program. The CONNECT Mentors have valuable experience to share and will able to give advice on academic success, extra-curricular activities, and how to take advantage of the resources offered across campus. Students will be contacted directly by their CONNECT Mentors to set up these meetings.