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The advising system consists of a host of different resources and people
that students will access at different points during their academic careers.
The system is decentralized by design. The enormous range of available
opportunities means that no single person has mastery of all the possible paths
or options. Thus, students won't have a single advisor throughout their entire
time at Dartmouth, though at any given time they may rely on the advice of an
individual person (faculty member, administrator, peer advisor) to a greater or
lesser extent. As a student moves through Dartmouth, the nature of the advice a
student needs changes dramatically, and with these changes so do the
appropriate advice-networks. Academic advising works best when a student
appreciates his or her own role in understanding the questions they have and
taking the initiative to seek the advice they need.
- Cecilia Gaposchkin, Ph.D., Asst. Dean of the Faculty for Pre-Major
Advising
Upperclass Deans Office
Deans support and advise students on all issues that may impact academic
success – balancing social activity, illness, inability to complete a course,
relations with faculty, etc. They also help students navigate Dartmouth
academic policies and procedures. Ultimately, the role of the Upperclass
Deans in the academic development of students is to help them to function
independently – to be able to locate resources, to access information and to
act in their own interests.
Additional academic advising resources are listed below:
Academic
Skills Center
The Academic Skills Center helps students improve their ability to do well
academically through 1) learning strategies (memory improvement, reading,
note-taking, exam preparation, stress management) and 2) pre-major academic
advising (D-plan, course selection). Individual tutors and study groups
are also available.
Career
Services
The Career Services Office supports and assists students in considering and
preparing for their postgraduate careers. Students are provided with
important resources in career exploration, internship opportunities, job search
strategies and writing resumes.
Career Services staff also offers valuable direction in preparing for and
applying to graduate and professional schools: Graduate
School (general advice), Allopathic
Medical School (MD), Architecture
Programs, Business
School, Health
Professions Schools, Law
School, Psychology
Programs.
First-Year Deans
Office
The first-year class has its own class deans who are available to offer
advice and assistance on academic matters throughout the first year. The deans
have a broad knowledge of the curriculum and can help in selecting courses and
majors.
Office of
Pluralism & Leadership
OPAL works with individual students as well as student
communities and organizations to facilitate academic, personal, social, &
cultural development and success. OPAL offers advice on effectively
accessing academic resources, services and opportunities across campus.
Office of
Pre-Major Advising & Research
Pre-Major Advising
The Pre-major adviser facilitates productive advising relationships between
faculty and students in their first and second years who have not yet declared
a major. Students and faculty are provided with valuable resources concerning
courses, major requirements, and D-plan preparation, as well as links to other
helpful sites.
Undergraduate Research
The Office of Undergraduate Research oversees programs that provide
opportunities for students to engage in research with a Dartmouth College
faculty mentor. Students acquire first hand experience in an academic field of
research while developing important skills such as critical thinking,
information gathering and processing, and effective communication.
Scholarship Advising Office
The Scholarship Advising Office supports and assists students applying for
national fellowships and scholarships for postgraduate study abroad and
research, projects and graduate school.
As students begin to define their academic and intellectual
interests, departmental advisers in their intended major assume greater
responsibility for academic advising.
Questions at this stage are often about finishing the requirements of the
major, engaging in research, whether or not to do a thesis, how to integrate
non-major courses in their study, and so forth. Each Department has its own
particular system for advising majors.
Peer Advising
DOSCs
Deans Office Student Consultants (DOSCs), trained by the Deans office,
offer academic advising in the residential clusters. They are prepared to
answer questions regarding major courses and curriculum requirements, D-plan
strategies, internship and research opportunities, off-campus programs, time
management skills, reading comprehension and study strategies.
PAL
Peer Academic Link makes available upperclass students willing to be
contacted about their major experiences. PALs are an excellent way to get a
student's perspective on what your years in a particular major could be
like.
UGAs
Undergraduate Advisors offer advice through the Office of Residential
Life. They are able to assist students in identifying appropriate
academic resources and contacts.
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