Your Advisor is Here to Assist Throughout your Journey
Academic Advisors engage students in a community of inquiry by promoting self-reflection, intellectual exploration, and thoughtful planning. We encourage students to make independent decisions about their academic journey, while helping them discover connections among their interests and courses.听
Meeting with your academic advisor is a great way to learn more about your degree, explore other fields of study, get connected to other campus resources聽and discover co-curricular and extracurricular involvement opportunities. Here are some things to consider as you access academic advising services in the College of Arts and聽Sciences.
What type of appointment do I need?
I have a quick question about one or two topics.
Check out our Quick Links page, come to your advisor鈥檚 drop-in hours, or email your advisor!
I have many things I need to discuss. Long-term planning, maybe exploring other fields of study, doing an internship鈥�
I don鈥檛 know where to begin! Can my advisor still help me?
Schedule a 30-45 minute appointment so your advisor can get to know you.
Once you have a sense of what type of appointment would best suit your needs, you can reserve an individual appointment in Buff Portal Advising聽or view your advisor鈥檚 drop-in hours and plan to attend drop-ins.
Don't know how to make an appointment?听搁别补诲听.听You can also find your advisor鈥檚 email address in Buff Portal Advising if you plan to reach out via email.
Looking for an individual appointment but don鈥檛 see any open?
Try looking a week or two ahead in your advisor鈥檚 calendar. You can also email them with questions.
Do you have an urgent question?
Email is a great way to connect with your advisor quickly. Most advisors reply to emails within 24 hours during the workweek. Drop-ins are also good for connecting quickly, though most advisors do not offer them daily. Check .
I鈥檝e made an advising appointment! What鈥檚 next?
Here are some things you might want to do to prepare for your advising meeting:
1.听Have a list of questions for your advisor that you want to focus on, and prioritize the questions if possible.
2.听Run a new degree audit before your advising meeting to get a sense of your remaining degree requirements. Learn more about running degree audits.听
3.听Share your goals with your advisor! Academic advisors can help with so much more than course selection. Learn more from one of our advisors and see how advising can support you.
How does advising look in A&S Academic Advising and Coaching?
Transition to CU Boulder:
Meet with your Summer Advisor
In the College of Arts and聽Sciences, we prioritize offering each incoming first-year student the opportunity to have an individual advising appointment during the summer with a highly knowledgeable academic advisor. In order to meet individually with each incoming student, some students will meet with their first-year advisor and others will meet with a departmental advisor who has been specifically trained to work with incoming first-year students.
The First聽Year:
Meet with your First-Year Advisor
The first year of college is a transitional time, as students learn more about themselves and their academic interests. While the first year is filled with exciting new experiences, students may face challenges聽as well. Our first-year academic advisors are attuned to support students as they navigate these opportunities and challenges. Our first-year advisors are knowledgeable in all of the majors and minors on campus and can help students explore the many opportunities CU Boulder聽offers as they chart their academic path.
Sophomore Year Through Graduation:
Meet with your Departmental Advisor(s)
At the end of the first year, students with a declared major are transitioned to one聽or more departmental advisors. For example, a student who is majoring in psychology and minoring in French would have a psychology advisor and a French advisor. Departmental advisors work with students through to graduation and help them explore opportunities to enhance their academic and career paths while completing their degrees.