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How to get pre-major advice

Goals of pre-major advising

The aim of Pre-Major Advising is to facilitate a productive advising relationship between faculty and students who are in their first and second years and have not yet declared a major.  Entering students are assigned academic advisors from the faculty who will help guide students in electing courses for the first and second years.

The nature of the advice students need changes dramatically over the four years of college.  The advising system is therefore decentralized by design and consists of a host of different resources and people that students will access at different points during their academic careers. Faculty advisors are an important component of every student’s advising network, but students also have access to many other types of advisors and advising resources. Students are responsible for taking the initiative to seek the advice they need from other people and resources on campus.

Faculty Advisors

First year students will be assigned a faculty advisor when the students arrive on campus for orientation. These faculty will be students' advisors until students declare a major (typically in the 5th term of enrollment) at which point the major department or program will take on the responsibility for advising students through graduation. 

Because of the D-plan, students may find that their faculty advisors are not on campus every term. Other faculty advisors who are part of the same residential community will be available to advise students when their assigned advisors are not available.

Undergraduate Deans

The Undergraduate Deans Office provides support for students in all undergraduate classes (including first-year students) as well as for other enrolled students. The dean assigned to a student will remain with that student for his/her entire undergraduate career, but all of the deans are available for consultation and advice. Students may schedule individual appointments to consult about various academic, personal and social issues. Students in academic difficulty are invited to meet with their deans for assistance in returning to good academic standing.