Your Freshman Adviser
Your freshman adviser is a Yale faculty member or administrator affiliated with your residential college who has volunteered to talk with you about your academic interests and aspirations. Please note that the purpose of these meetings is to have a general conversation about course selection in freshman year; specific information about course levels and content, or details about academic requirements, is available through the departments and your college dean. Your freshman adviser, however, can offer guidance about constructing a sensible overall schedule for your first year, help you think through larger questions and plans, and direct you to relevant resources. Your assigned academic adviser may or may not share your academic interests, but don’t let this worry you; the point of these conversations is to gain general advice and become acquainted with members of the faculty affiliated with your residential college. |
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Your First Meeting with Your Freshman Adviser
You will meet your freshman adviser at the advising meeting in your residential college dining hall on Tuesday, September 2. As you plan to meet with your freshman adviser, be sure you know your adviser’s name. If you don’t, ask your college dean. Take a calendar so that you can schedule a follow-up meeting with your adviser.When you meet, you and your adviser might discuss some of the following topics:
> Your background (hometown, family, high school).
> Your general interests.
> What you hope to accomplish at Yale.
> Any tentative longer-range plans you may have (study abroad, graduate or professional school, career choices).
> Academic opportunities at Yale.
> Questions you may have about Yale College and New Haven.
Follow-up Meetings with Your Freshman Adviser
You and your adviser must meet at least one more time following the freshman advising meeting, either in your adviser’s office or in your residential college, perhaps over lunch. Even if you have a clear idea about which courses you want to take, be receptive to the advice and suggestions your adviser offers. Conversely, you don’t need to come to these advising meetings with a settled plan; it is perfectly appropriate to be considering six to eight courses as you prepare for course selection period (“shopping period”), during which you can make your final selections. Among the purposes of the follow-up meeting(s) are reviewing the courses you chose during course selection period and securing your adviser’s signature endorsing your fall-term program of study. Advisers are also available to meet throughout the term about any matter you wish to discuss.We particularly encourage you to arrange a meeting with your adviser around midterm to discuss how your courses are going, and again toward the end of the term as you begin to think about the spring term.
