Despite complaints that the College's advising system leaves students afloat without an adviser between freshman year and the declaration of their major during the spring of sophomore year, administrators say they currently have no concrete plans to overhaul the system.
But they are looking to make small changes in the advising resources available to students after freshman year, according to Dean of Upperclass Students Dan Nelson.
Nelson said the College is working on a way to make advising more accessible to upperclass students, so that all students know where to go for advice.
"There is a point in every term where students have to wait two to three weeks for an appointment with a dean," Nelson said. "We are training a small group of upperclass students to act as peer advisors who may provide quicker answers to questions when deans are booked up."
Nelson said this service will be made accessible to students by Winter term.
For upperclass students, advising options shift sophomore year from a freshmen adviser who is in charge of five or six freshmen to the deans responsible for an entire class.
"Every class has a dean responsible for academic and personal advising and these deans are pretty much booked all day long from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with student visits, most of which are for academic advising," Nelson said.
Nelson said the advising program "works well for some and not so well for others."
Some students think the advising process needs major changes.
"I was disappointed with how it went," said Jennifer DeTrani '94, a philosophy major. "You feel like you're out there on your own."
But Jordan Friedman '94 said the present advising system just requires student initiative. "They're not going to come looking for you, you have to go to them on your own, " Friedman said.
Nelson said it is up to Dartmouth students to take advantage of the many resources available to them.
"We want to encourage students to take responsibility for their own education and academic progress," Nelson said. "We're generalists in that if a student has a specific question we are really anxious to get that student connected with a faculty member in that department."
During the freshman year, advising is more structured.
Student are assigned to a faculty member based on their indicated area of interest. Students are required to meet with these faculty advisors prior to selecting courses during Fall term.
One of the main roles of freshman advisers is "to help students develop cohesive , balanced course selections during their first year," said Assistant Dean of Freshmen Anthony Tillman.
"Students may also benefit by utilizing the expertise of these faculty," Tillman said.
Dean of Students Lee Pelton said his office will soon evaluate the effectiveness of the freshman advising program.
"As we contemplate the year ahead one of the things we will do will be to review the general experiences first-year students have at Dartmouth," Pelton said. "Such a review would be incomplete without discussing the advising program."
Some freshman advisers consult with students after freshman year.
"I still have contact with several of the freshmen, especially in my academic area, " said Biology Professor David Peart.
In the final stage of the advising process, students may seek advice from a faculty member within their prospective major department.
