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Academic Advising at Cornell

Each of the seven undergraduate colleges and schools within the University organizes its academic advising system to support its particular educational mission and to provide a variety of advising opportunities for students. Certain underlying principles and assumptions about academic advising, however, may provide useful background for you when your student speaks with you about his or her Cornell experience.

The relationship between advisor and advisee at a university is best described as a professional consultation, in which the student and the academic advisor take joint responsibility for the success of the relationship. As in any professional consultation, students have the right to seek other advice if they are not getting what they need; however, students need to remember that they share responsibility for developing this advisor/advisee relationship. The advisor and advisee will not necessarily build a personal friendship, nor will the academic advisor necessarily be equipped or prepared to give advice on personal problems. The goal for the student in an academic advising relationship should be to obtain useful advice about educational interests and to design an appropriate program of study to enhance and develop those interests.

Student’s Responsibilities
Take the initiative to make an appointment with the advisor and then keep that appointment or notify the advisor if it needs to be cancelled or rescheduled.

Take an active role in preparing for, and participating in, the advising session.

Read the relevant sections of Courses of Study and the materials distributed by the college office of undergraduate instruction.

Think about questions that will help them learn about available options.

Be open to exploring referrals from the advisor if a broader range or depth of advising is required.

Take the initiative to change an academic advisor if the relationship with the assigned advisor is not productive.

Take responsibility to ensure progress toward the degree. Each student is responsible for meeting the specific requirements for acceptance into a major area of study and for completing the requirements for graduation.

Academic Advisor’s Responsibilities
Be knowledgeable about the structure of the curriculum in his or her college or school and be able to refer elsewhere when necessary. Although Cornell faculty members are all highly trained and knowledgeable in their specific disciplines, they are not always in a position to give advice on every other discipline at the University–nor should they be expected to be. Most do, however, know where to look or to send students for additional advice when necessary.

Help students select courses and formulate an academic plan of study. Although the advisor may discuss graduation requirements with the student, in the end the student is responsible for knowing and accomplishing what is necessary to earn a degree.

Help students think about their undergraduate education in the context of their long-range goals.

Colleges and Schools

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Engineering
• School of Hotel Administration
• College of Human Ecology
• School of Industrial and Labor Relations

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
www.cals.cornell.edu
140 Roberts Hall • (607) 254-5386

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences coordinates its faculty advising program through the Counseling and Advising Office. The office prepares an advising folder for each new student, including biographical information collected by the admissions office, and sends it to the advising coordinator in the appropriate department. The coordinator reviews each student’s folder and makes the initial faculty advisor assignment, considering the student’s background and interests. Students are notified of their advisor assignment before they begin their first semester. The College has established a simple process for changing advisors, when interests and career plans change or for cases in which personalities may not be compatible.

The Counseling and Advising Office assists students with the process, by providing advice and referring students to appropriate advisors or advising coordinators. This office also serves as the College’s central undergraduate advising office, and offers personal counseling. Academic advising is available for students who are interested in international study, need to file petitions to waive College academic regulations, have disability concerns, are experiencing academic difficulties, or have requests for tutoring. Students may seek counseling on a variety of issues including academic difficulty, personal and family problems, stress management, and time management. Two professional counselors with expertise in College policies and procedures provide short-term counseling. Counseling is framed as appropriate to each student’s academic circumstances.

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
www.aap.cornell.edu
B-1 West Sibley Hall • (607) 255-3616

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning assists new students in their adjustment to the university setting by providing several well developed on-campus guidance and counseling services. Upon their arrival, new students are assigned a faculty advisor in their chosen department.

Faculty advisors offer professional advice to students regarding academic issues, including course selection, graduate studies, and current trends and research in a given field. Incoming students can obtain information about student living, recreational activities, and university resources from upper-division students. In addition, staff in Student Services (Admissions, Multicultural Affairs, Registrar, and Career Services) frequently advise students on a variety of issues such as developing time-management and organizational skills, completing graduation requirements, pursuing career goals, and dealing with personal difficulties. With the aid of faculty advisors, upperclass students, and guidance personnel, new students develop the tools necessary for a smooth transition into college life and for establishing close relationships among fellow students, faculty, and staff.

College of Arts and Sciences
www.arts.cornell.edu
55 Goldwin Smith Hall • (607) 255-5004

The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the undergraduate colleges at Cornell. When new students enroll in the college, they are assigned a faculty advisor who may or may not be in the student’s intended major. Each student receives information about the College, its curriculum and degree requirements, descriptions of departments and introductory courses, and advice on making the most of the advisor/advisee relationship. Each department has a designated faculty member who serves as director of undergraduate studies and who can explain the department’s programs.

The Robert and Donna Paul Advising Center in 55 Goldwin Smith Hall supplements and serves as a resource center for faculty advising. Class deans are available to listen to students, help them define their academic and career goals, resolve academic difficulties, and deal with special programs such as undergraduate research, Cornell Abroad, and independent majors. As specialists in academic advising and as sources of information about other student support services on campus, the advising center’s staff welcomes all questions regarding the College and Cornell in general.

Each new student is also put in contact with a group of student advisors who can pass on history about the College and the University. Their experience as Cornell students makes them invaluable resources to new and continuing students.

College of Engineering
www.engineering.cornell.edu
167 Olin Hall • (607) 255-7414

The College of Engineering has a multi-tiered system for academic advising. With the assistance of an assigned faculty advisor and student peer support advisors, new students begin their engineering education by pursuing a course of study called the Common Curriculum. In addition, students may receive assistance from the Offices of Engineering Advising, Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, and the Assistant Dean for Engineering Student Services.

New students are enrolled in the First-Year Engineering Seminar (ENGRG 150), which provides an opportunity for frequent contact with a student’s advisor and a small-group setting for exploring the curriculum, aspects of various engineering careers, engineering research, and study and examination skills useful to engineering students. Students will be assigned a new faculty advisor when they enter a major program, typically before the spring semester of their sophomore year.

School of Hotel Administration
www.hotelschool.cornell.edu
180 Statler Hall • (607) 255-6376

Student-faculty interaction is a hallmark of the School of Hotel Administration. The benefits that students gain from relationships with individual faculty have an impact on both their professional and personal lives.

All sixty full-time faculty members serve as advisors. In addition, a select group of “master advisors” advise all first-year students and new transfer students. These advisors devote significant time to their advisees during their first year, meeting with them on a regular basis to review academic matters as well as personal issues as the students adjust to Cornell. After the first year, each student is asked to select a new advisor, and this choice is often a faculty member who teaches in the student’s primary area of interest.

Supporting the faculty is the whole Student Services Office, where an experienced staff provides a wealth of information to students and families alike. While the first two years of study in the Hotel School are fairly structured, numerous questions arise concerning course enrollment, electives, graduation requirements, etc. Students are strongly encouraged, to visit the Office of Student Services starting in their first year to receive advice and guidance regarding internships, summer jobs, and permanent employment. Sessions on career-related topics that include self-assessment, resume and cover letter preparation, networking, interviewing skills, and evaluating job offers are held throughout the academic year.

College of Human Ecology
www.humec.cornell.edu
172 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall (MVR) • (607) 255-2532

The advising and counseling activities in the College of Human Ecology are carried out by faculty advisors in each of the major fields and by student development counselors. Both advisors and counselors receive biographical information on new students before those students arrive.

All new students are assigned a faculty advisor in their intended field of study. The College and its rules, procedures, and requirements are described within Courses of Study; it should be the first place Human Ecology students look for answers to academic policy questions. Each major has a director of undergraduate studies who can answer questions and help students change advisors if necessary.

The Office of Admissions, Student, and Career Development is a center for Human Ecology orientation activities; academic, personal, and career counseling; career development services; and multicultural programs. In addition, the office provides support for several student organizations.

New students are invited to meet with upper-class students and faculty members for discussion groups during their first few days on campus. This is an opportunity to become personally acquainted with faculty members and with other students.

School of Industrial and Labor Relations
www.ilr.cornell.edu
146 Ives Hall • (607) 255-2223

First-Year and transfer students in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) are introduced to the field and to the faculty teaching in the School through the ILR Colloquium. Small sections of twelve to fourteen students meet regularly early in the first semester with their colloquium instructor, who also serves as the students’ faculty advisor for the entire first year.

Counselors in the Office of Student Services are also available to meet with students individually to answer a wide range of questions and to inform students of special programs and options. Four of the five courses typically taken each semester of the first year are required. Elective course offerings may be taken in any number of departments depending on a student’s interests and previous experience (for example, in foreign language study). Peer advisors are also assigned to incoming ILR students to assist in the transition to the School and to the University environment.

During their second semester here, students are asked to identify a department in ILR from which they wish to be assigned a faculty advisor. Department chairs then assign students to faculty members and inform both the students and faculty directly. Faculty advisors can be helpful in understanding the disciplines and departments in which they teach. Counselors in the Office of Student Services can assist students in considering course workload concerns, joint-degree and special-study programs in the United States and abroad, and student organizations that may incorporate a student’s academic and extracurricular interests.

Change in Course of Study

Choosing or Changing Majors
Deciding on a college major is an important and serious task, and one that many students struggle with during their first two years on campus. It is not uncommon for a student who once seemed sure of his or her choice of major to change majors several times. It may be difficult for you, as a family, to watch your formerly decisive and focused student become uncertain and confused about whether his or her interests and abilities are best addressed by the major course of study chosen. This is a time of great change and exploration for students, and choosing a major is part of the process.

The college or school in which the student is enrolled at Cornell determines the process of choosing or changing majors. Please encourage your student to seek all of the advice available if the choice of a major seems difficult. Urge him or her to talk to advisors, departmental directors of undergraduate studies, faculty members in a variety of disciplines, other students, and staff members in any of the academic and career counseling/student services offices.

Changing Colleges Within Cornell
One of the most difficult conclusions a student can come to is that he or she has chosen not only the wrong major or field, but the wrong college at Cornell. Every year some students at Cornell come to this realization. Fortunately, Cornell University prides itself on founding “...an institution where any person can find instruction in any study...” and is able to help students find their best academic fit without transferring to a new school. Students may not always be satisfied with the college at Cornell into which they were originally admitted. Frequently, an Internal Transfer between colleges can be one of the best decisions a student will make while at Cornell. The criteria for transfer vary among the seven undergraduate colleges and schools at Cornell.

The Internal Transfer Division exists to advise students and to facilitate transfers from one college or school to another. Students who wish to transfer should speak to faculty members and admissions staff members in the new school and have a clear idea of what they want to pursue; they should also schedule an appointment with the director of the Internal Transfer Division (220 Day Hall; 255-4386). For more information, please visit the web site at www.sws.cornell.edu/itd/.

Other Resources

Behrman Biology Advising Center
216 Stimson Hall • (607) 255-5233
www.bio.cornell.edu/advising/
This center provides a warm, home-like environment that encourages conversation between peer or professional advisors and students seeking academic advice. Additional services include free tutoring, walk-in academic advice, career talks, information fairs and information on undergraduate research opportunities.

Learning Strategies Center
420 Computing and Communications Center • (607) 255-6310
www.clt.cornell.edu/campus/learn/learn.html
The Center’s faculty help students cope with the intensity of university study by helping them develop learning strategies, skills, and insights for academic success. Students are offered supplemental instruction in introductory-level science, mathematics, and economics courses, as well as a full semester course, workshops, and consulations in critical reading and study skills.

Mathematics Support Center
256 Malott Hall • (607) 255-4658
www.math.cornell.edu/Courses/FSM/msc.html
The Center specializes in helping students with calculus, but provides assistance in other courses as well. Free one-on-one tutoring by appointment, occasional workshops, and handouts on a variety of topics are available Monday through Friday during the day, and on Sunday afternoons as posted.

Office of Minority Educational Affairs (OMEA) and
Committee on Special Educational Projects (COSEP)
100 Barnes Hall • (607) 255-3841
www.sas.cornell.edu/MEA/ome_ld.html
Working cooperatively with Cornell’s undergraduate colleges and schools, this office provides student leadership and career-exploration opportunities. H/EOP and particularly students selecting the COSEP services may seek work study appointments, counseling, advising, and related support services for their academic success.

Writing Walk-In Service
174 Rockefeller Hall (office) • (607) 255-6349
www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute/workshop/walkin/walkin_about.html
The Writing Walk-In Service offers support to students working on essays for their first-year writing seminars as well as any academic papers at any stage of their composition. Tutors are available on a walk-in basis in several campus locations, including Alice Cook House, Carol Tatkon Center, and Robert Purcell Community Center. Visit the web site listed above for information on sites and times. The Writing Workshop also offers a special writing seminar for students who are struggling with their writing. Contact the director at (607) 255-6349 for more information.

Career Services
103 Barnes Hall • (607) 255-5521
www.career.cornell.edu
Cornell Career Services is comprised of college career offices and the University-wide services in Barnes Hall which work together to provide a full range of services to help students make the transition from Cornell to a first job or to graduate or professional school. Career offices in each of the undergraduate colleges and schools offer a variety of career development services, including advising and programming, tailored to the curricular and career goals of students in the colleges. Generally, college career offices offer the first point of contact for career issues during the first two years of college.

Cornell Career Services in Barnes Hall offers counseling and programs to help Cornell students solidify their career goals, develop job-search skills, and apply to graduate and professional schools. CCS works with employers to schedule on-campus interviews for seniors and helps seniors obtain off-campus interviews through MonsterTRAK, an online listing of positions that provides job descriptions and application information for regional, national, and international employers. A credentials service allows students to store confidential letters of recommendation.

Cornell University Library
201 Olin Library • (607) 255-4144
www.library.cornell.edu
Cornell University Library is one of the 10 largest academic research libraries in the U.S. With ultramodern computing labs, wireless network access, cyber cafés, quiet areas for individual and group study, special events, and exhibitions, Cornell Library is an active and inviting center for information discovery and the celebration of knowledge.

The staff, which includes more than 120 professional librarians, provides students with award-winning service to navigate the global information environment. Twenty libraries offer close to 7.5 million printed volumes, more than 62,000 printed journals, and access to over 200,000 electronic books and 27,000 electronic journals. The library’s website, www.library.cornell.edu, is a portal to the world of information, providing students with easy access to electronic and print resources.

Cornell Abroad
300 Caldwell Hall • (607) 255-6224
www.cuabroad.cornell.edu
Cornell Abroad provides a semester or academic year of study overseas in over 40 countries to more than 500 Cornell undergraduates every year. Students learn about study-abroad opportunities through materials available in the Cornell Abroad library and through informational meetings that are held at the start of every semester. Study-abroad advisors in each of the colleges help students choose the right overseas program and courses of study. Students are encouraged to begin planning as early as their first year.

Cornell in Washington
M101 McGraw Hall • (607) 255-4090
www.ciw.cornell.edu
The Cornell in Washington Program offers qualified juniors and seniors from all colleges and majors within the University an opportunity to earn full academic credit for a semester in Washington, D.C. The program offers two study options: 1) studies in public policy; and 2) studies in the American experience. Students take limited-enrollment courses from Cornell faculty; learn how to do original research while undertaking their own individual research projects; and work as externs in the public, private, or non-profit sectors in the Washington metropolitan area. Students live and learn at the Cornell Center, conveniently located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Their opportunity to combine a residential college atmosphere, rigorous coursework, and career explorations in fields as diverse as politics, law, medicine, and communications is unparalleled among Cornell programs.

Records and Information Access

The Office of the University Registrar
The Office of the University Registrar provides students with official university transcripts, Cornell ID cards, and certification of current student status (for documentation regarding insurance coverage and scholarship reporting). The University Registrar also maintains students’ address information, coordinates registration, and issues all university diplomas.

College Registrars
The registrar in each college keeps individual records and oversees all course offerings in which the student is enrolled. The college registrar’s office can answer student questions about such issues as a particular course offering, enrollment, adding and dropping courses, progress towards degree, the teaching faculty, and leaves of absence.

College and School Registrars:
Agriculture and Life Sciences (607) 255-2017
Architecture, Art, and Planning (607) 255-6251
Arts and Sciences (607) 255-5004
Engineering (607) 255-7140
Hotel Administration (607) 255-3076
Human Ecology (607) 255-2235
Industrial and Labor Relations (607) 255-2223

Educational Records and Student Privacy
As your student adjusts to the academic challenges at Cornell, families will be adjusting to a new set of procedures for reporting grades. When your child was in primary and secondary school, you were probably used to seeing report cards and class schedules. Many families are alarmed to learn that the university’s policy on student education records, together with federal law, guarantees each student the right to keep his or her records private, including professors’ names, course schedules, and grade reports.

The educational records of all matriculated students at Cornell, regardless of student age, are protected under both the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the Cornell University Access to Student Information, Policy 4.5. Under these policies, matriculated Cornell students are treated as legal adults, with the responsibilities and privileges inherent in that status. They are expected to make decisions about coursework, classes, social life, and their personal well-being. They are also expected to learn from, and take responsibility for, the consequences of those decisions.

Although Cornell is committed to the principle of freedom with responsibility, and sees it as an important step in preparing students for responsible adulthood, we also acknowledge that the transformation does not happen overnight. This process can be problematic and confusing for families and students alike. Many families who still provide most of their child’s financial support feel that they have a right to know what academic progress their child is making. Many students have grown up with their parents as active partners in their academic lives and are surprised to learn that the university does not automatically include parents when distributing grade reports and other educational records.

We urge you to discuss your feelings on these issues with your student, and to maintain an open dialogue throughout your student’s Cornell career. Family support is essential to students’ success and we hope that early discussion will encourage ongoing communication and support.

Other Academic Links

New Student Reading Project
www.reading.cornell.edu

Commencement Information
www.commencement.cornell.edu