During the first week of spring semester, first-year students had the opportunity to declare a major. With that in mind, the Advising Connections Event at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, gives these students the opportunity to meet their major’s department faculty as they move into their sophomore year.
The event, sponsored by the office of the assistant dean for general education and assessment, is intended to mark the transition from First-Year Seminar advisors to advisors in that student’s discipline. “You are kind of saying goodbye to your first–year seminar advisor and hello to your new major’s advisor,” said Dr. David Brown, history department chair. The day is designed for students to visit their new home department and meet its faculty members while enjoying punch and carrot cake muffins. They will be given the opportunity to establish connections before meeting with their new advisor later in the semester to schedule classes for the fall.
Advising Connections, created last year, bridges the First-Year Program with the Sophomore Year Experience. The First-Year Program was designed to bring students on a learning experience with others in their year. It allows students to learn critical thinking skills while helping them transition from high school to college. During this program, first-year students receive advising from their First-Year Seminar advisor for the first three-quarters of their first year. This helps them build a better relationship with their professor.
It’s important that students can come to us at anytime for a letter, for support or just to sit down and discuss their work.”
With all the programs planned during the first year and all of the research, internship and career opportunities associated with junior and senior years, Elizabethtown wanted to fill the gap known as the ‘sophomore slump’. To fix this, the Sophomore Year Experience was created to ease the transition from structured programs to more independent ones. This program, built around vocational discernment, is composed of class dinners, mentoring programs and retreats.
Having Advising Connections at a small school, like E-town, helps build student and professor interaction outside of the classroom, making advising easier. “I think that this is important for success,“ said Brown. “It’s important that students can come to us at anytime for a letter, for support or just to sit down and discuss their work.”
Not all students have to select a major at the beginning of the semester. Those who do not, have the option to remain with their First-Year Seminar professor or switch to an advisor in the Office of Academic Advising. Learn more here.