<p>Can someone explain what exactly this is? I thought this had something to do with my counselor, but apparently they want me to choose some classes. Please help, the due date is in two days</p>
<p>There are 5 Advising Options.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Curricular Advising Program (CAP)- Enroll in a traditional class taught by your advisor. I personally think this is a good option because you will get credit (and a grade) for this class and the professor (also your adviser) will get to know you and your writing.</p></li>
<li><p>Faculty Seminar- Take a special class taught by your advisor. I believe these classes are pass/fail.</p></li>
<li><p>Explorations- Participate in a course taught by two upper-class students and attended by your advisor.</p></li>
<li><p>Perspectives- Participate in a course about the study of movies taught by two upper-class students. This seemed quite popular on the facebook boards.</p></li>
<li><p>Host Advising- Meet with your academic adviser, as needed, during the semester. This means that you are not taking a class taught by your adviser.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>How to choose: Some people look at the classes or topics that interest them; others look at the professors. I personally gave more weight to the professor and used <a href="http://tufts.jumboaccess.com/courses.php%5B/url%5D">http://tufts.jumboaccess.com/courses.php</a>.</p>
<p>Yeah here's the thing about advising - I didn't realize that the class I was signing up for would be one of my actual classes for my first semester. So if you're actually really interested in the class - like let's say you were going to take this class anyway once you got to Tufts - go for it. Or if you are responsive to the idea of taking an all-freshman class where you get to know each other pretty well - go for it. One of the first things you do when you get to campus is meet with your advising group, and since they're the people you meet first (or maybe, the ones you meet right after your roommate(s)), you can end up going out with them, looking for parties, trying to find your way around campus, figure out which building is which, etc. It gives you friends in other dorms...and some groups set up advising get-togethers, like little social functions. I still talk to a bunch of the kids from my advising class and we get all mock-nostalgic about how far back we go. I'm actually very good friends with a few of them, even living with one off-campus next year :). (now that I think about it, there are quite a few people from within my advising group who are already living together, or going abroad together, etc.) My good friend Josh from advising and I are currently entertaining the idea of teaching an advising class when we're seniors, and being able to tell our freshmen that we met each other on our first day, playing stupid icebreakers, and ended up excellent friends who live together.</p>
<p>From that perspective, it's a good way to meet RANDOM people, who may be interested in the subject matter of the class. You'll meet people on your hall, and people in your classes, and people in your activities. The advising class was just filled with totally random people from random dorms. I lived downhill, and my advising group allowed me some of my first uphill friends that I really kept in touch with. When I showed up for a class second semester, it was nice to see a familiar face from advising that I could grab lunch with afterwards.</p>
<p>But anyway, you can always drop the class if you don't like it. Your advisor will still be your advisor, your Orientation Leaders will still be your Orientation Leaders, but you'll just not be in the class anymore and can take something else.</p>
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Yeah here's the thing about advising - I didn't realize that the class I was signing up for would be one of my actual classes for my first semester. So if you're actually really interested in the class - like let's say you were going to take this class anyway once you got to Tufts - go for it. Or if you are responsive to the idea of taking an all-freshman class where you get to know each other pretty well - go for it.
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<p>I made this same mistake, too! Definitely pick a class you're interested in! You can always drop it if you don't like it, but then I feel you miss out on getting to know your fellow advisees and even your advisor to an extent.</p>
<p>Yeah, I did CAP, loved the class, and have, in my opinion, the best adviser/person ever in the humanities/social sciences at Tufts. :)</p>
<p>Yeah you really lucked out with your famous prof who takes you to lunch at fancy hotels, lol. But I did a Perspectives class, which was taught by two seniors, and the advisor was from a department that I wouldn't be utilizing (French). She was nice, but over the course of my two years at Tufts I forged relationships with other professors who eventually became my major advisors or gave me jobs. You can still have a good relationship with your advisor, even if they were not assigned to you from your first day here.</p>
<p>Actually, talking about all this makes me wish I was an Orientation Leader again this year. If anyone needs help picking out classes, I am a scheduling goddess. No seriously. LOL. I did the schedules of half my friends and at least four freshmen on my hall this year ;-)</p>