Movin' On Up: Rising Sophomores Sweat Academic Advising Systems

Early on the morning of March 19, Adams House representatives went door to door in the Yard, distributing T-shirts and welcoming smiles to the newest members of their house and that same evening, their counterparts from Pforzheimer House arrived at other rooms with bags of candy and all-important shuttle schedules.

The warm welcome was well orchestrated, and, it seems, much appreciated. But first-year students anxious to explore academic life in the Houses must wait a few more months for the real introduction--to advising.

According to Cabot House Senior Tutor Robert H. Neugebourn '83, advising will be dealt with after first-years actually move into their respective Houses. Neugebourn said first-years in Cabot will become acquainted with advising when they arrive in September.

"They're officially not ours until the fall," he said.

Some first-year students, however, are already worried about the state of House advising. For some, it seems best to worry now about how they will adjust to upper-class advising later on.

"I haven't found out much about it yet," said Maureen P. Murphy '01. Murphy, who will be joining Neugebourn in Cabot House next year, said her experience with advising thus far has been good but that she fears losing touch.

"I know my advisor pretty well now, and I feel like I might lose that connection next year," Murphy said.

Separation anxiety is a prime concern for all. Among other responsibilities, Neugebourn said sophomore advisors help "wean [students] off their freshman year."

The sophomore advisor is a student's first exposure to the House system of residential and non-residential tutors, and Neugebourn said the tutors often address a variety of concerns.

"It's meant to be a first tier to the academic advising system," he said. "They're somebody [students] can talk to in an informal way."

In most Houses, students independently determine the number and timing of tutor meetings.

"There can be as many additional meetings as the parties arrange," Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson said of his house's system, which requires sophomores to meet with their assigned tutor at least three times during the year.

According to Hanson, sophomore advisors are primarily concerned with helping students form an over-arching academic plan. The specifics of academic planning, he said, are left to the departmental systems.

"Our operating system is that departments do quite well at advising their concentrators," Hanson said.

Instead of concentration advising, Hanson said the sophomore advisor helps students navigate College requirements, including the Core. The sophomore advisor also helps students to plan ahead.

"What students often look for most is someone to talk to about their longer range plans," Hanson said.

Some first-years said that information sessions about House advising as early as this spring would help to allay their fears.

"It would be nice to have it now. Now is when we're beginning to think about our future, when we have to choose our concentrations," said Xunhua Wong '01.

Others are content to wait until they move in next fall to learn about upper-class advising.

"I haven't thought about advising at all," Julia M. Rosenbloom '01 said. "I think I'll figure it out or someone will tell me."

Some first-year students also feel that as they learn more about the College, they will come to rely on official advisors less and less.

"I don't expect to rely on my advisor too much," Robert A. Pike '01 said. "There are plenty of people around that can give you good advice. I won't be devastated if I have a bad advisor."

But for nervous first-years, both Neugebourn and Hanson said students can feel free to call their Houses to learn more about their prospective advisors.