Advising and Registration
In this section:
The Advising Center in the School of Arts and Sciences supports you in identifying and pursuing academic, career, and life goals through comprehensive, one-on-one advising from the time you arrive as a freshman or transfer student until you declare your major. The Advising Center is located in 201 Thackeray Hall. For more information about Arts and Sciences Advising, please call 412-624-6444 or visit the Advising Center Web page.
Working with Your Academic Advisor
Each Arts and Sciences student is paired with a professional advisor with whom s/he will partner until declaring a major. Your advisor's main job is to help you plan your academic program according to your interests and talents and to assist you in selecting courses. Your advisor will suggest various paths and options to help you clarify goals, select courses, understand your student rights and responsibilities, and make your academic career a success. Advisors are useful sources of assistance and information, so look to your advisor for guidance and use her/him as a sounding board for ideas. Take advantage of the full range of assistance your advisor can provide. We're here to help!
You can optimize your advising experience by preparing for your appointments with questions and ideas. We do not expect new students to know everything the first time they come in—your advisor is prepared to guide you through the course selection process so that your transition is smooth, and so you will choose classes that best suit your interests and needs. As you advance in your academic career, you will learn the ropes and can take a more hands-on approach to shaping your education.
Some Answers to Basic Questions About Advising
How does the Advising system work?
Advisors are trained professionals who are knowledgeable regarding all areas of the University, especially the Arts and Sciences majors, minors, certificates, and programs. In one-on-one appointments, your advisor will help you select and register for classes that fulfill general education and basic skills requirements and ensure academic progress toward declaring a major and graduating. The Advising Center strives to ensure that you have the same advisor from the time you begin school until the time you select a major or transfer to another Pitt undergraduate program, so that you have a reliable person who knows you and your needs and can assist you in the best way possible. After you declare a major, your major's department will assign you an advisor in that department. This person is called your "departmental advisor."
How do I prepare for meeting my advisor?
The best way to prepare for your one-on-one meetings with your advisor is to think about who you are and what you want from your college career. Come prepared to discuss your interests, plans, and questions. Browse the Arts and Sciences Course Descriptions to become familiar with courses of interest, and select and write down ten or twelve courses that sound stimulating. After you have been a student for a term or two, your advisor will expect you to come to registration appointments equipped with informed choices of courses, a completed schedule planner, and alternative courses in mind.
How often will I see my advisor?
After you register for your first term, you will see your academic advisor at least twice each term by appointment, for about 45 minutes each time: once early in the term to review your progress and then later to select and enroll in your next term's classes.
The first of these two meetings is scheduled at "group sessions" held the third week of September and January. At group sessions, students receive important information to assist them in major and career choices, along with reminders and information about important academic dates and deadlines, current and upcoming opportunities such as job fairs, marketplaces, special internships, and unique community service, and study abroad opportunities.
The School of Arts and Sciences publicizes the dates and times of the group sessions, but it will be your responsibility to find out when those meetings are and to arrange your appointment times with your advisor each term. Please call the Advising Center at 412-624-6444 to make additional appointments any time you like. Many students talk with their advisors about plans they are contemplating.