The Counseling Center is dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of UMBC students, and staff are excited to offer new and expanded wellness resources. We hope you will take advantage of these important tools to support your personal development and help you make the most of your UMBC experience.  

New WellTrack Interactive Self-Help Therapy App

The Counseling Center now offers the WellTrack interactive self-help therapy app free to UMBC students. Use the modules to address concerns related to stress, anxiety, depression, and public speaking (this module available only on the WellTrack website). If you want to follow up with a counselor, the Counseling Center staff is here to help. Services are free and confidential for registered UMBC students. To make an appointment, call 410-455-2472 or stop by the offices at the Student Development & Success Center on Center Road (in between Chesapeake Hall and Susquehanna Hall across from Erickson Field).  

Download the WellTrack app and register with your UMBC ID for full access; no identifying information will be shared with counseling staff unless you choose the option to do so. Please note that all of the Counseling Center’s screening resources are for informational and educational purposes only, and are not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Mind Spa Expands, Moves to Albin O. Kuhn Library and Patapsco Hall 

Mind Spa is an important campus resource with self-care tools to help you relax, improve concentration and memory, and overall success as a student. Counseling staff have collaborated with staff from University Health Services’ Office of Health Promotion, Residential Life, and the Albin O. Kuhn Library to make it more accessible to all students. Mind Spa has moved out of the Counseling Center and is now available in two locations: Albin O. Kuhn Library, Room 367, and Patapsco Hall, Room 163. A UMBC ID is required to access either space. 

Mind Spa is a quiet space equipped for the practices of mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation, and includes a massage chair, meditation cushions, hot tea, and other wellness resources. You can also check out light therapy boxes from the library location to use in the Mind Spa space or in your room. 

Practicing mindfulness and meditation can have important physical and mental health benefits such as increased concentration, awareness, and regulation of emotions. Studies show that these practices have positive short- and long-term effects on the brain. You might begin to notice benefits from your experience at Mind Spa immediately or after a few sessions.

“These resources tap into our goal to create a supportive culture of care and wellness for our students,” says Alayna Berkowitz, who recently joined the Counseling Center as assistant director of outreach and mental health promotion. “There are many different ways to engage with therapeutic resources beyond the in-person setting. The WellTrack phone app is great for a generation that is using social media and apps more than previous generations. Not all students present for traditional talk therapy, and both WellTrack and Mind Spa offer students other opportunities – through a phone app and quiet spaces – to take care of themselves.”

Berkowitz adds that the Counseling Center’s goal is to make sure its resources and programming take into account the complexity of UMBC students’ diverse and intersecting identities and needs. 

 Learn more about the Counseling Center’s services and resources.

Winter Break Closing Information
Eight-month communities close for Winter Break on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 8:00 PM and reopen on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 9AM. 

Students in 8-month communities are expected to vacate and complete the below checklist to help ensure the overall health & safety of your room and personal belongings:

• Clean your bathroom and personal spaces well. 
• Clean your refrigerator and dispose of perishable items. 
• Defrost and prop microfridge doors open.
• Take valuables home including medicine, passports, pet fish, and any other items you will need over break. Communities will be inaccessible during break.
• Remove all remaining personal items from the floor and place on elevated surfaces. 
• Remove and dispose of all trash in a trash room or a dumpster.
• Set the heat between 70-72.
• Unplug all appliances and extension cords from the wall, including microfridges.
• Turn off water. 
• Turn off lights and bathroom exhaust fans.
• Close and lock all windows and doors.
• Close blinds on ground floor rooms; leave blinds up on all other floors.
• Report facilities concerns to FXIT (x53948).

RAs will conduct an inspection in each 8-month community. Failure to properly prepare your space and vacate by the deadline may result in student conduct action. For more information about break closing please contact your RA or Community Director.

Late Stay Requests
Residents may be eligible to apply for late stay if their permanent address is more than 50 miles (Distance D) from UMBC and they are:

• Graduating,
• Have a late exam ending after 8PM on Wednesday, December 18, 2019; or
• Volunteering with commencement

Residents approved for late stay will be expected to depart by Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 10AM.

If you meet the requirements, please contact Residential Life to be issued the late stay application.  Late stay applications are due by Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 11:59PM.

Dining Hours

• Click here to view Exam Week Dining Hours
• Click here to view Winter Break Dining Hours

Thanksgiving Break Closing Information

Eight-month communities close for Thanksgiving Break on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 8:00 PM and reopen on Sunday, December 1, 2019 at Noon. Students in 8-month communities are expected to vacate and complete the below checklist to help ensure the overall health & safety of your room and personal belongings:

• Clean your bathroom and personal spaces well. 

• Remove and dispose of all trash in a trash room or a dumpster.

• Turn the heat to a low setting.

• Unplug all appliances and extension cords from the wall, with the exception of refrigerators and fish tanks.

• Feed your fish and water your plants.

• Pack medications and other necessities you might need during break.

• Turn off water. 

• Turn off lights and bathroom exhaust fans.

• Close and lock all windows and doors.

• Close blinds on ground floor rooms; leave blinds up on all other floors.

• Report facilities concerns to your RA or FIXIT (x53948).

The purpose of the Student Success Scholarship is to assist current residential students who demonstrate significant financial need to remain in on-campus residents, who may otherwise be unable to afford housing during the academic year. 

The scholarship is supported by the cable contract with Residential Life. Award funds are for the following semester. If you are applying in fall, the funds would be applied for the spring semester housing balance. If the application is submitted and accepted in spring, the funds would be for the subsequent fall. Several scholarships may be awarded each semester. Funds will vary based on eligibility and will range from full semester housing costs to partial semester housing costs, not to exceed the cost of a double room.

 Apply Now, application closes Thursday, October 31, 2019 at 12:00pm.

Men's Soccer Game, Friday, August 30, 2019 at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Cheer your Retrievers Men’s Soccer team on to victory! Free giveaways and lots of school spirit to go around! In 2018, our fans broke the attendance record at the Welcome Week game, so let’s do it again!

Russ Peak Hypnotist, Friday, August 30, 2019 at 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Enjoy a night of comedy and hypnosis with the incredible Russ Peak! Watch your new friends, classmates, or even Woolie get hypnotized in this laugh-out-loud Welcome Week favorite event!

Welcome Week Service Project and Cook-out, Sponsored by UMBC Fraternities and Sororities, Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Spend some time during your first week at UMBC helping to make our campus better!  Engage in a campus clean up initiative with other students, service oriented organizations, and UMBC Fraternities.

Big Breakfast and Bingo, TICKETED • Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Kick off the year by winning some awesome prizes at (seb)’s annual Bingo event! Grab your FREE ticket and reserve your space at tickets.umbc.edu.

Late Night at True Grit's, Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 9:00 PM - Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 2:30 AM

Enjoy yummy eats, treats, and fun activities at Late Night!

IKEA Bus Trip, TICKETED • Sunday, September 1, 2019 at 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Come along to IKEA to grab those last-minute bookshelves, throw pillows, and silverware to make your room complete. The bus will meet at The Commons loop at 9:30am, and will return to campus by 2:00pm. Get your free ticket for this trip at tickets.umbc.edu. Space is limited, so don’t miss out!

Transit lines open on Labor Day, Catch a ride to lots of places around Baltimore, Monday, September 2, All Day

Three of the UMBC Transit Lines will be open for you to take advantage of local shopping, movies, community fairs, and more. The Arundel Mills, Downtown, and Courtney Road lines will run from 10:30am-7pm on Labor Day. Please see the Transit website for more information: https://www.umbc.edu/transit/

Pool Party, Monday, September 2, 2019 at 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

It's Labor Day! Take one last dip of summer and relax in our Olympic-sized pool. Free food and floaties!

For additional information and event listing visit https://welcomeweek.umbc.edu/events/ for tickets, https://umbctickets.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx.