Students are assigned an advisor in a variety of ways.

First year students:

• Undeclared first-year students enrolled in a First Year Seminar  are assigned to the instructor of that seminar until they declare a major.
• Undeclared first-year students not in First Year Seminar are assigned a faculty advisor within the College. Those students will keep the same advisor until they declare a major. Once students declare a major, they will be assigned an advisor in their chosen field.
• First-year students who have a declared major and are enrolled in a First Year Seminar course are assigned to an advisor in their major field as well as the instructor of that seminar (for the fall semester only).

All other students:

• Students who have a declared major are assigned an advisor within their declared field.
• Transfer students with a declared major will be assigned an advisor in their declared field.
• Undeclared transfer students will be assigned an advisor from one of the departments within the College.

What do you have a right to expect from your advisor?

• They will make time available to meet with you—enough time to deal with your concerns adequately;
• They will know what the major consists of—the courses you need to take—and also what the college-wide (distributive) requirements are, what the university-wide requirements are, and what will help you meet them;
• They will be acquainted with such arcana as the 24-hour rule (the number of credits you can earn outside the college); the 45-hour rule (limit on number of English credits you can have in total); the nature of a cross-college minor, and a variety of other needed information;
• If you are interested in independent study, internship, college honors, study abroad, and other specialized forms of learning, they will know what to tell you or where to send you for detailed information and help;
• They will be compassionate and concerned about your academic and personal well-being.

What does your advisor have a right to expect from you?

• You will make and keep appointments, certainly during the period leading up to registration, but also at other times when you need information;
• You are aware of the various classes of requirements and are keeping track of your own progress toward meeting them;
• Before meeting your advisor you have given some independent thought to your proposed program, including what free electives you might take should there be room for them.

Your current advisor appears on myUVM under the Advising link. Plan to meet during office hours or contact them directly for an appointment. Faculty advisors are an invaluable resource in planning a schedule of courses and ensuring that your course selections meet graduation requirements, so plan to meet with them (frequently, if needed). However, you are ultimately responsible for deciding which courses to take and whether they meet degree requirements. Read the requirements carefully!

Things to discuss with your advisor:

• Course selection for the upcoming semester and other educational decisions
• Career options
• Any problems or concerns that may affect your academic performance

If you are planning to study linguistics while studying abroad, our transfer advisor can help you select your classes and evaluate how they will transfer back to UVM.

Linguistics Transfer Advisor: Guillermo Rodriguez