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.

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 2007 will be assigned two academic advisors. The first is a faculty or academic staff advisor and the second is a professional (full-time) advisor from the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research (UAR).

  • Faculty / Staff 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.
  • UAR Advisors. Your UAR advisor is a full-time academic professional whose office is either in Sweet Hall or in your residence (Florence Moore, Stern, or Wilbur Halls). If the latter, your advisor is your Academic Director. Student athletes may also seek advice from the UAR Academic Director in the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center.

    UAR advisors are available to all Stanford undergraduates at every stage of their academic careers, providing assistance with routine and complex matters. UAR advisors know about the curriculum, academic standing, research opportunities, fellowships and scholarships, professional school requirements, academic rules and regulations and preparation for graduate school.

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Advising Sophomore Year

As sophomores, you remain assigned to your freshman advisor(s). However, some students who enrolled in a Freshman Seminar might have an opportunity to choose their seminar professor as their formal academic advisor as a sophomore.  

Each year, a number of faculty are able to take on the role of “sophomore mentor.” Students living in residence on the Lower Row have the benefit of a faculty Dean close at hand. Professor Elizabeth Bernhardt, the Director of the Stanford Language Center, lives nearby and is available as an advisor and mentor to students on the Row.

Sophomores on the Row can also seek advice from the UAR Academic Director for Sophomores, Susan Zare, whose office is in Sweet Hall.

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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.

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Residential Advising

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 can assist you in registering for courses on Axess. He or she can help you understand academic deadlines and provide important supplemental information from the student perspective.

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.

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