Holistic advising is essential for all students, but has increased importance for BAFA students. Our integrated advising model aims to help you explore new disciplines and areas of study, create your own specialized degree pathways, and discover passions that will shape your future endeavors.
Advisors have extensive knowledge of campus resources and will show you how to navigate university systems and procedures. They also act as a liaison between you and other university staff and will acquaint you with procedures for communicating with faculty and other academic leadership when policy questions arise. We consider ourselves your partners and collaborators; we cannot do things for you, but we can do things with you.
BAFA advisors are positioned within the advising teams at Lang, Parsons, and CoPA, as they will advise you for both of your degrees. You will not have separate advisors for Lang, JCM, or Parsons, but be assigned one advisor from the BAFA team. Student Success work and Academic Advising begins the moment you select your classes for the first semester and continues through graduation.
As a BA/BFA community, we collectively agree to the following responsibilities. We will assume you have read and understand this page when communicating with you.
Provide general mentorship and support to students in the areas of academic advising, goal-setting, academic achievement, and personal/social well-being.
Interpret and answer questions regarding requirements for student’s academic programs, including first year, majors, minor, and general education.
Identify and connect students to university resources and refer them to additional support services when needed or asked, including financial aid, student accounts, and other essential functions at the University.
Act as support in a process of identifying student strengths, talents, and academic and professional interests
Respond to emails within 2-3 business days
Explain and help troubleshoot software functions students will need to access, including use of Starfish, interpreting the Degreeworks degree audit, course catalog, and more
Describe the registration process and assist in planning appropriate class schedules
Assist students in developing meaningful and realistic educational plans, including relevant experiential learning and co-curricular activities
Discuss strategies for success in college, including time management, study tips, and signing up for tutoring at the University Learning Center
Interpret and provide rationale for institutional policies, procedures, and requirements including adding, dropping, and withdrawing from courses
Make referrals and follow up on important flags in Starfish regarding attendance, grades, and other student needs
Provide career ideation resources and encourage thought work through research and volunteer opportunities, and connect students to Career Services.
Take lead on inquiries about all academic and career interests and goals, and ask questions when you aren’t sure what to do
Understand the requirements for their chosen majors and minors, including courses, application procedures, and departmental policies and ask questions to ensure understanding.
Learn to read, interpret, and use software, including Starfish and Degreeworks. Take the lead on asking questions about your Degreeworks page and understand how to use it to track degree progress.
Seek academic help when needed and request referrals to campus resources
Become knowledgeable about institutional policies, procedures, and requirements, and ask your advisor when you have questions; read the BA/BFA Bridge and consult it when questions arise.
Check New School email at least three times daily and respond to emails from your advisor within 2-3 business days
Build relationships with Academic Advisor, as well as faculty and fellow students in and outside the classroom
Meet with Academic Advisor frequently, including at least one meeting per semester to discuss registration and course selection; ideally meet for a longer, non-registration conversation once every semester.
Follow through on referrals and flags made through Starfish and in person to connect with Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and other offices to resolve issues or concerns that are best addressed by those offices
Practice good habits, including time management, academic planning, goal setting, sleep hygiene, and well being. Seek assistance when necessary to practice these habits, and follow through on recommendations made by their Academic Advisor
Accept responsibility for decisions, take accountability, and be excited about your academic journey.
Remember to always use your New School email account (for your privacy!) If you’re asking specific questions, include your New School ID number (“N number”) and all course numbers and specific questions.
Tip: Set up an e-mail signature! Name, pronouns, N#, major(s)
Additionally, certain documents will only be accessible when logged in to your TNS Google Account
Please do not send your advisor any emails that contain private medical or financial documents.
Please allow time for your advisor to respond to emails. A good rule of thumb is we will respond within 2-3 business days (that means not including weekends). Our office hours are generally Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm. We do our best to respond to email as quickly as possible, but please know we recieve a lot of emails and also manage office hours and other meetings throughout the day.
We will answer all emails in the order we receive them! However, we are not infallible. Feel free to follow up if it’s been 3+ business days. You do not need to send a follow-up unless 3 business days have passed.
If your advisor reaches out to you, please utilize the same rule and reply within 2-3 business days.
We know… TNS sends a lot of emails – when you see the email is from BA/BFA Advising or your advisor directly, thank you in advance for opening the email and reading it. We will assume you have read our emails as well as this page in its entirety when communicating with you.