Carnegie Mellon University

students in a classroom physically distanced and listening to the professor

November 13, 2020

Academic Updates for Families of Second- and Third-Year Students

The middle years of college are full of opportunity — a chance to become more deeply involved in extracurricular opportunities and the exciting quest for practical experience through internships or research. It’s also a great time for a student to pause and reflect on their academic experience thus far and begin to solidify how they wish to spend the remainder of their time at CMU. Here, we’d like to outline some ways in which your student can do that.

Academic Planning

Now is the time when your student will focus their academic plans by determining what programs they will pursue that best align with their curricular interests and career aspirations. While most students will select coursework and experiences that deepen their knowledge and skills related to their declared major, others may be exploring new options related to a change of major or addition of a minor or second major. In either case, the middle years are the perfect time for your student to talk to their academic advisor about their goals and ensure that their academic path will achieve those goals.

We encourage you to talk with your student about what they are getting out of their academic experience and if they’d like to consider any other options. With the help of their academic advisor, we can help ensure they are making the most of their time at CMU.

Stellic: A Student Success Platform

CMU offers a degree audit system called Stellic. Through this tool, students can assess their progress in any major or minor at CMU and plan out their remaining semesters. Academic advisors can also view a student’s audit, so this tool becomes very helpful in ensuring both students and their advisors know what’s ahead.

We encourage you to talk to your student about this system and how they can use it to work towards achieving their academic goals at CMU. Learn more about Stellic.

Spring 2021 Course Registration

Registration for Spring 2021 courses took place during the week of November 30. As your student progresses through their time at CMU, their coursework will become more focused within their area of study and students will have the opportunity to dive deep into their field. However, it’s important that a student has balance in their schedule as well. Such a balance can be achieved through college-specific general education requirements, courses for a minor or additional major, or elective courses in a subject they find interesting. As always, your student’s academic advisor is here to help them create a plan and register for courses successfully.

We encourage you to talk to your student about their plans for spring and offer support in creating a schedule that will be both robust and meaningful.