Advising 101 for Students

Academic Advising 101 - Goals & Roles

What is the goal of advising? Faculty advisors serve two main goals: (1) to ensure that the student graduates on time, with all institutional requirements satisfied, and (2) to ensure that the student's undergraduate academic and professional experiences prepare them as rigorously and as successfully as possible for future career paths and/or graduate degree programs. Faculty may serve as academic advisors (sometimes just until the student declares their major), major advisors, minor advisors, or some mix of the three. An advisor for an on-campus major or minor can do double-duty as academic advisor role.

What do Academic Advisors Do? Academic advisors typically help students learn to navigate academic semester and 4-year planning, navigate the course registration process, make progress towards a choice of major while completing general education requirements and completing introductory course requisites for their prospective major(s) or minor(s). Academic advisors should also help students plan fulfilling summer activities between semesters, whether those take the form of a job, internship, research experience, or additional coursework, AND they should prompt students to think about how and when to request letters of recommendation. Advisors are not counselors, but they can sometimes coach students on how to better manage time, navigate challenges, or find support on campus.

What do Major/Minor Advisors Do? Once a student is set on their choice of academic study, Major/Minor advisors are meant to help the student navigate major requirements, plan when to take intro, upper division, and/or elective major courses, and weigh the pros or cons of different courses and skill-building against their interests, 4-year plan, and future goals. Major advisors may help students learn how, where, and when to search for research experiences, internships, conferences, or graduate programs, and may also be able to direct the student on how to learn more about career paths (and sometimes salary ranges?) within their field of study.

Own your choices. The advisor is just that - they give advice. They do not make choices for students. Their role is to ensure that student is aware of trade-offs, and/or can find all of the information needed to make informed decisions themselves. Thus, the savvy student will seek advise from many professors, employers, family*, and other folks - not just their official advisor! Shy students should make it a Thing to reach out every couple of weeks to someone new, just to ask them questions about their field, their job, their research, or their future courses. e.g., How did you become a professor? How did you get into Geology? What kind of careers can I do with a B.A. (vs. B.S., M.S., Ph.D., etc.)? Is anyone teaching GIS next semester? You may be surprised at how willing folks are to help you - once you ask.

Note: Humans are not robots. Life is not fair. Your advisor isn't perfect. We all make mistakes and have "off" days. Decisions about courses, majors, careers should involve candid evaluation of all aspects of YOU - your interests, feelings, weaknesses, strengths, motivations and one-off challenges (illnesses, concussions, family tragedies - sadly these happen every year).  When life "happens", it may be critical to share personal challenges with your advisor so that they can help you find appropriate support, help you triage coursework and deadlines with your professors, or share anecdotes about how they've found ways to balance career, relationships, cost of living challenges, and more. If you don't have a comfortable, strong professional relationship with your advisor - try to find another!

*Family. A supportive family is a powerful thing - a family that helps each other become the best possible versions of themselves, that celebrates differences and supports individual passions, and looks out for one another with regular contact. Family should NOT tell you what major to complete, what career to pursue, nor what sport to play. But - finances, emotions, family culture - these are things, and family pressures can be tricky to navigate. VERY tricky. Absent disclosures of sexual assault, self-harm or self-harm intent, or criminal activity, advising meetings are confidential. If you hate the sight of blood and just want to dance but are being pressured into a medical school path by family who are paying your tuition, you may wish to mention that to your advisor, and also line up a counselor or group of confidants to help navigate that all-too-common challenge.

How to prepare for an advising meeting

Every advisor and student are different, as are the reasons for each advising meeting. 

Pre-registration meetings. At the bare minimum, students of the 5Cs MUST meet with an academic or major advisor at least once per semester, typically within 1-2 weeks in advance of course registration. This "registration meeting" is required to ensure that the student is on campus, doing well as a whole person, and on track to complete their major and general education requirements. The advisor is typically required to meet with the student before clearing/approving the student for registration. 

Other meetings. Every advisor is different, but do NOT feel like you should only meet with your advisor once a semester. Be proactive and get in touch with them whenever questions or concerns arise. Make sure to note your advisor's office hours somewhere in your calendar, and reach out in person or by email with any questions you have as those questions arise during the semester.  If your advisor uses calendly or scheduling programs, make sure you know how to book an appointment with them. If your advisor only has open office hours and teaches large classes, either come prepared to work/read while waiting, or reach out via email for a one-on-one set appointment. 

The busiest weeks for faculty are 1-2 (start of term) and weeks 10-11 (midterms + pre-registration advising).

General Advising Tips

A college education is greater than the sum of its parts - you're not just here to take courses. At the core, a good education provides students with lifelong skills across reading, writing, critical thinking, time management, effective studying, socialization, and methods of techincal analysis, expression, or exploration. Learning - learning ANYTHING - will enrich your life. It is a privelege to be able to learn - to afford the time and energy needed to READ, to STUDY, and to try new things first hand. And even in college, you simply can't do everything. The goal of any student reading this should be to balance out your time in courses by challenging yourself, with kindness and compassion. 

A hard note about grades/assessment: Courses are supposed to challenge you. A challenging course and effective instructor at a rigorous institution should grade you on your learning, your ability to concretely, and without a doubt, demonstrate full, detailed, understanding, and/or on your growth. They will NOT (should not, at least) grade you on EFFORT, nor based on how you FEEL about your learning. That is not to say that effort can't or won't be a factor in your evaluation at all, nor that you should not invest maximum effort in your learning! Nor does it mean your instructors do not care about you! The point is that learning is not about the HOURS you put in, but far more about how you USE those hours, and on your ability to learn from and adapt to constructive criticism with an open mind. Recognize that in some courses, you will have to work harder than your peers to earn the same grade, and vice versa. Your success in class, and what you take out of it, is largely up to YOU, although your instructors should be supportive and provide ample resources to facilitate deep learning, and they should use a range of metrics or pedagogy with which to evaluate learning. 

Outside of the classroom, "grading" is almost always competitive, pass/fail, and almost no one is evaluated based on effort. While a strong community will support its members, make clear that we all make mistakes, and offer second chances when possible, sometimes things don't work that way. If the rocket explodes, the mission fails (no matter how hard the engineers worked), and the government may choose another more successful company to launch its satellites. If the paper doesn't pass peer review, the study will not get published, regardless of how hard the scientist worked, or feels they worked, on the project. If a business can't make deadlines, or manufactures a product that breaks to often - they fail. If we can't understand, quantify, and mitigate climate change, we all fail. 

Manage your time. Get your sleep, eat well, and don't try to do everything. You're only in College for four years.

Tackle your coursework first, your work obligations second (if feasible), and then prioritze everything else as needed. 

In an ideal world, course registration would be quick and straightforward. The student chooses four classes that work well together in terms of workload, schedule, and content, the student registers for the courses, and that's it. In practice, preferred courses may fill before the student is able to register, requiring an alternate course time, or an alternate course altogether. The student may have to request instructor permission to add the course, and may register for a different, second-choice course in the meantime.

Environmental Science Major Advice

The EA-science track is flexible, but has many moving parts, and requirements differ at each Claremont College. In general, your major should be tailored towards your career plan and interests. On the one hand, a research career typically means a Master's or Doctoral degree in an Environmental or related discipline. On the other, a student NOT interested in scientific research may instead plan a career in education or business or law or policy or data analytics, for which requirements differ greatly. Each student must choose their own mix of Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, or (less commonly) Physics. Students interested primarily in ecology or animals should closely study the (Organismal) Biology major. Students primarily interested in Earth Science should equally consider the Geology major at Pomona College. Because of their similarities and course overlap, it is generally not possible to combine or double major in Biology and Environmental Science, nor in Environmental Science and Geology (scroll down and read Competing Majors, below). Students interested in the atmosphere, meteorology, oceanography, or chemical pollution may wish to instead pursue degrees in Physics or Chemistry, taking a few "EA-science" courses alongside the major as time permits. See below - Competing Majors*

On the STEM track (research oriented careers):

*Competing Majors for EA-Science 

EA-science vs. (Organismal) Biology. There is often (not always, but often) no appreciable difference/impact on career/grad school paths between Environmental Science, Biology, or Organismal Biology as a choice of major, provided you complete the required math/chem/Bio requisites. The main difference between the majors are (i) the requirements of EA30L, EA10, and (at Pitzer) EA86, plus (for all students) a supporting course in the EA-science major vs. (ii) the requirement of both BIOL 43 and CHEM 15L for the biology majors. In addition, (iii) the upper division biology major requirements are slightly less flexible as they must be selected from within a few specific course groups, and Calc II may be required instead of recommended. Completing BIOL44L and/or GEOL 20 PO/EA55L KS early on might help with your decision between the Biology and EA majors, or an Organismal Biology major with an EA-non science track minor. 

EA-science vs. Geology. There may be only minor impact on career/grad school paths between Environmental Science and Geology as a choice of major, provided you complete the courses in Earth History and Evolution, Mineralogy, and Stratigraphy/Sedimentology AND are planning on an environmental program. It is relatively easy to jump from a Geology B.S. to an Environmental Science grad program (you may need more biology though). On the flip side, most graduate programs in geology require prospective applicants to have completed Structural Geology, Petrology, a field mapping course, and additional electives from among GIS, Geomorphology, Volcanology, Hydrology, Geophysics, etc. If you are interested in the Earth Sciences, take GEOL 020 PO or EA55L KS early on, and meet with an advisor ASAP, to inform your decision.

Chemistry & Physics. For some students, Chemistry or Physics may be a better choice of major than EA-science. For instance, someone working on the spread and degradation of an oil spill will need to have Organic Chemistry under their belt, while a student working on air pollution might need advanced chemistry to understand atmospheric aphotochemical reactions. A Physics major may be a better route for grad school preparation if a student interested in Paleoclimate or Energy Systems needs advanced physics and mathematics to model fluid flow in the ocean or atmosphere, or to understand the physical properties of a photovoltaic system. Again - take intro classes early and meet with faculty in each disipline if you're on the fence between majors. Except for the additional time, which is significant and can make a double major or minor impossible, there is no harm career or grad-school wise in a STEM student taking all of intro biology, chemistry, physics, and geology. Quite the opposite.

EA-Science vs. Policy, Education, Media Studies, Data Science, and more. A degree in Environmental science can be excellent preparation even for a career that technically falls outside the sciences, but you may need to supplement with additional courses (rhetoric, math, computer science), accreditations/exams (LSAT?), or skillsets (GIS, language, programming, accounting....). Career paths are not always linear, and there are many viable paths from EA-science towards film production, business/marketing, law, government, education, and municipal planning/civil engineering. 

B.S. vs. the B.A. - Does it Matter? TLDR: Most of the time, NO. Most small liberal arts colleges only offer a B.A. degree, and their graduates have high success in both post-graduate research as well as professional career paths. There is NOT any (dis)advantage between one degree or the other in most fields (the exception is Engineering, but...then see Harvey Mudd College!). The main distinction is that a student earning a B.A. must ensure that their transcript NOT ONLY satisfies their degree requirements, but that it ALSO satisfies the graduate school admission requirements and graduate course prerequisites in their field of study. For instance, O-chem is not required of our EA-science major, but it can still be an important class to take for grad school! Just because a course is not required by a 5C major does not mean you shouldn't take it, nor that you won't have to take it later. Meet with an advisor to discuss this early on. In some cases, B.A. students who plan well may have a wider range of skillsets than a B.S. competitor (for instance, if they: speak or are proficient in a foreign language; are used to public speaking; have the technical skills and talent to illustrate the science being studied in digital graphics or video form; have developed cultural sensitivity through classes, campus work, or study abroad (this is important across the board, but especially for fieldwork or museum work); etc. 

As examples (non-exclusive) of possible benefits of the B.A. vs. B.S. in science (beyond the countless other life-enriching benefits of a iberal arts curriculum): 

Again - meet with your faculty and study career paths early on.

Letters of Recommendation - tips

Welcome to the world. That job you want? You need two letters of recommendation. That grad school program? Three letters of recommendation. Surviving in society takes a village, and science is built on human relationships. Your application is primarily evaluated based on YOU - your cover letter, your transcript, c.v., etc., but the letters are an important check for any concerns (red flags) prospective employers or supervisors may need to know before taking you into the field in the middle of nowhere, or trusting you with their sensitive $500k laser. Here are some important tips about asking folks to serve as a reference for you. 

Ask references who know you well. For most STEM-related fields, a faculty member who has taught you in both the classroom and laboratory, or one who has taught you and supervised your research are ideal. These folks can offer first-hand anecdotes of what it is like to work with you. Less ideal are faculty who only taught you in a large lecture course, or someone who has only served as your advisor (note: some programs specifically request advisor letters so...there's that). When in doubt, choose a mix of references who can attest to different aspects of your skills and potential. 

Give them time. Ask at least 3 weeks ahead of time, and follow up in person as needed to explain the position, your motivation for applying, and why you chose them as a reference. 

Give them details. It is helpful to provide one clearly titled email or document that lists out the posts you're applying to, why you're applying to each, the deadlines by which letters must be received, and the manner in which the letter should be submitted (emailed? uploaded via application? or will the program simpy reach out by phone if they consider you?). You may choose to provide your reference with a transcript or personal statement if they ask. 

Ask about their policies. Some references are only willing to support one student for a given program/job at a time. That may entail a first-come, first-served kind of situation, or it may lead to a more competitive situation for prestigious fellowships (Watson, Fullbright) or specific job positions.  Other references may write multiple letters for the same opportunity, but set limits (I will generally not serve as a reference for more than two students for the same program). Most references expect you to waive your right to read their letter - but if you have concerns about that, ask.

Only apply if you actually want the position. It is one thing to apply to three REUs thinking you may not get into any - it is ok to turn down an REU if you are accepted into more than one. But, routinely turning down offers after applying can damage your reputation and that of your references (the world is small and people talk). Some faculty may limit the maximum number of letters they're willing to write for any one student in a given year in part for this reason - a reference's opinion will carry less weight if they routinely spam every program in the nation in support of every student out there. A good reference will carefully review the program with you in mind before writing a letter - again, give them time to do this. 

Follow-up. Depending on your reference, it may be helpful to send them a gentle reminder of deadlines 1 week ahead of time, 3 days ahead of time, and the day before. Absent minded professors are a thing. Be proactive. I try to let my students know immediately once I've submitted their letters.

Take rejection in stride. If a reference with whom you have had only positive interactions turns you down, it can be for good reasons - they may know the program or director and know you'll be miserable, they may know that you're not the right fit for the program or vice versa, or they may simply be swamped and know they won't have time to write a good letter, etc. Never annoy your waiter, and never annoy your references. : ) Related to this:

Reflect on your performance. Your prospective letter writer may have worked with hundreds of students, and will have seen it all. Did you show your prospective letter-writer your best work and best traits? If so, great! But if any of the following apply, your chances of a glowing letter will diminish, e.g., if you: consistently arrived late to class, often left labs early, missed deadlines/asked for extensions, or, perhaps worst of all: expressed that you simply wanted to get a grade and/or did not care about the work/task/instrument beyond that grade. In research, did you demonstrate independence and initiative? Did you show curiosity? These traits can outweigh grades for letter writers and prospective employers alike. FYI.

Extracurricular Homework!

If you've read this far, you deserve an award, or you may just need more to do with your time. Whichever the case may be, below is a list of extracurricular homework you could tackle alongside your courses at the 5Cs (Grading is Pass/A+). These may be helpful if a semester is particularly dry, if a break-up hits you hard, or if you just need a break from the weekly grind. Each of these is meant to be forward thinking or perspective widening "you" time, and some may not work for you at all. Here goes: