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Advising
Academic advising is key to a successful undergraduate experience. Stanford offers a wealth of intellectual opportunities, both in and outside the classroom. The central role of advisors is to help you take full advantage of all that’s available as you create your unique path through your undergraduate career.
No one path is right or recommended. An advisor’s role is to challenge you to stretch your mind and question your assumptions. They help provide a compass for you (not a roadmap), and encourage you to take intellectual risks. Create relationships with faculty and staff mentors who can support you as you pursue opportunities.
It is in your best interest to seek advising early and often from many different sources. Even the most common academic concern can relate to your deepest aspirations. This is why the relationships you form with faculty and staff advisors are an essential element of your undergraduate experience.
Advising Freshman Year
Freshmen entering Stanford in Fall 2008 will be assigned two academic advisors. The first is a faculty or academic staff advisor and the second is a professional (full-time) advisor in each freshman residence who is the Academic Director for that residence.
- Academic Advisor. An attempt is made to match your academic interests with the scholarly interests of one of the advisors associated with your residence. In some cases your advisor may represent a field that is not particularly close to your interests. This might be true if your interests changed since you completed your Approaching Stanford forms.
Be assured that he or she is aware of University requirements and significant educational issues and knows whom to refer you when necessary. Faculty / staff advisors can assist you in selecting courses, choosing a major, deciding among equally compelling options and preparing for graduate or professional studies.
- Academic Director. Your Academic Director is a full-time academic professional whose office is either in Sweet Hall or in your residence. Student athletes may also seek advice from the UAR Academic Director in the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center.
Academic Directors are available to all Stanford undergraduates at every stage of their academic careers, providing assistance with routine and complex matters. Academic Directors provide information about curriculum, academic standing, research opportunities, fellowships and scholarships, professional school requirements, academic rules and regulations, petitions, and preparation for graduate and professional school.
In 2008-2009, there are Academic Directors in Branner, Freshman Sophomore College (FroSoCo), Toyon, Roble, the Row, Lagunita, Wilbur, and Stern. A list of Academic Directors, their office location, and their contact information can be found here.
- UAR Advisors. Professional advisors are centrally located in Sweet Hall and include specialists in preparation for the health professions (for example, pre-medical advising), law school, and teaching. As with the Academic Directors, these advisors provide information about all undergraduate requirements and considerations, including petitions, as well as the resources and opportunities that Stanford offers you. In addition to appointments, they hold walk-in hours every afternoon, when you can have quick questions answered. You can make an appointment with a UAR advisor by using the appointment webform or calling 723-2426.
Advising Sophomore Year
In the sophomore year, UAR continues to connect you with multiple advisors, each of whom is interested in discussing your interests and goals. Seeking out multiple perspectives is particularly helpful when thinking through the choices that ultimately lead to major declaration.
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Academic Advisor: Your primary advisor continues to be the faculty or academic staff advisor assigned to you during your first year at Stanford. When you first arrived to Stanford, UAR attempted to match you with a faculty or staff advisor whose intellectual interests matched your own. Since that time, your interest in a discipline may have strengthened, or it may have diverged considerably. Your faculty/staff advisor continues to be available to discuss the development of your intellectual interests and can help you identify supplementary sources of information.
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Academic Director: As well, we encourage you to seek out the Academic Director in your residence. They can provide information about the curriculum, major declaration processes, academic rules and regulations, research, fellowships and scholarships, academic standing, petitions, and preparation for graduate and professional school. In 2008-2009, there are Academic Directors in Branner, Freshman Sophomore College (FroSoCo), Toyon, Roble, the Row, Lagunita, Wilbur, and Stern. A list of Academic Directors, their office location, and their contact information can be found here.
Sophomores who live in a residence not served by an Academic Director may contact the Associate Director of Sophomore Advising, Elizabeth Fox (eafox@stanford.edu) for a referral to someone who can meet with you to discuss your interests and answer your questions. -
UAR Advisors: UAR Advisors are centrally located in Sweet Hall. These advisors include specialists in preparation for the health professions (for example, pre-medical advising), law school, and teaching. As with the Academic Directors, these advisors provide information about all undergraduate requirements and considerations, including petitions, as well as the resources and opportunities that Stanford offers you. In addition to appointments, they hold walk-in hours every afternoon, when you can have quick questions answered. You can make an appointment with a UAR advisor by using the appointment webform or calling 723-2426.
Advising After Declaring a Major
Once you declare a major you will choose (or have assigned to you) an academic advisor in your chosen field. Declared Majors may seek additional advising as well.
- Honors Advising. If you pursue Honors, you will also work with an Honors Thesis Advisor who may or may not be your departmental academic advisor.
- Faculty Research Advisors. Throughout your time as an undergraduate, you will have a variety of opportunities to be involved with research. In all cases, your research will be supervised by a faculty member.
Students who apply for a Student Research grant through the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research will be required to have a faculty advisor. Students may have to seek them out to request their guidance.
For more information about working with faculty advisors and mentors, see Working with Faculty.
Residential Advising
In addition to Academic Directors, Resident Fellows and College Directors have a unique relationship with students in their houses and can serve as valuable resources for a wide range of issues. At some time, you will inevitably seek the advice of your peers.
When you are a freshman, your faculty / staff academic advisor is paired with a Peer Mentor who will assist you in contacting your academic advisor to set up your first appointment during New Student Orientation. Your Peer Mentor may also contact you throughout the year to organize subsequent appointments and/or events with your academic advisor.
In some residences, one member of the residential staff will be designated as the go-to person for guidance about courses, deadlines and academic regulations. Keep in mind that every student you consult will have a unique point of view and will advise you from a particular frame of reference. It’s ideal to consider the advice as one additional source of information among many.