Advising?

<p>How helpful and individualized do Case students find the advisors and/or the advising system at Case? Do you get guidance in planning the classes you need or are you stumbling around, fending for yourself? How about registration? Are classes full? Any problem getting into your classes? Do you stay with the same advisor for all four years? Case seems fairly generous with AP credits, too -- any advice there? Take the credit or take the course?</p>

<p>My son has had no problem with his advisors and they have been great. The one thing I really love that maybe/maybe not unique is that on his e-mail site it shows a degree progress report which shows you what you have taken, how it applies, and what other classes you need to take. You bring this with you when you meet with your advisor(s). There is also a list of his semester grades, his current GPA, etc. It is wonderful! Registration is a fairly simple process. The nice thing is that when the kids go for summer orientation they get to register for classes. The only thing to keep in mind is that unlike a huge school with classes at all hours - Case's classes are mainly during the day. My son has had little problems with schedule conflicts but they seem to work themselves out the next time around. That doesn't seem to be a problem. My son has had the same advisors and I think as long as you stay with the major you selected that is how it works out.</p>

<p>Would agree w/mominseach for most part. My S found freshman advising lacking, as his advisor was not an engineering prof, but his Sages teacher/advisor. However, he connected on his own w/his future advisor in his major and has been very pleased with the process since then. He sounds like he actually has good communication and relationship with his advisor. </p>

<p>FYI, random advisors are assigned for the initial enrollment in the summer. It helps if student has looked at course catalog in advance and has an idea of what they want to take, etc before orientation and class enrollment.</p>

<p>S went into Case w/41 hours of AP credit. He has not taken any classes he received specific AP credit for, but jumped into his engineering classes freshman year. He has wiped out all electives w/his AP credit, but plans to take more classes in his major and other areas of interest, thus getting two minors plus his major in the standard 4 years.</p>

<p>Only gripe about AP credit is that Case does not acknowledge the advanced standing. You are a freshman your first year at Case, a sophomore your second, etc. My S is a second semester soph now, but has enough hours to be a senior on paper. At most schools, that would allow you an advantage when enrolling for upcoming semesters. Not so at Case.</p>

<p>Case doesn't cap AP credit? Nice. XD That gives me way more wiggle room for double-majoring...</p>

<p>Although not the most likeable professor in my department, my advisor has actually turned out to be very good for me. He insists on meeting with me face-to-face (some profs will sign off on a schedule via email) to work out what classes I need to take to stay on track. I came in with a decent amount of AP credit (nothing like 41 credits though...wow) and have been about a year ahead, but sometimes things just don't fit. My advisor has been a great resource to help me decide what order to take things in and what I could afford to take early or later. </p>

<p>Freshman year advisors are SAGES teachers, and students are assigned advisors in their major once they have declared. Most departments have a clear plan of what courses students should take each semester to remain on track, make sure to find one of these after declaring a major! The Degree Progress Reports are also a great resource for making sure to stay on track. Students that come into advising appointments with a list of classes they are interested in taking tend to get more out of their advisors. </p>

<p>As far as registration goes, I really haven't had much troubles. Most professors are willing to issue over-rides unless there is a real reason why they can't let you into the class (i.e. not enough seats in a computer lab, not enough lab benches, or 20 students already registered for a class in a room that comfortably seats 10). Take advantage of over-rides for getting into gym classes that tend to fill up early (this is a little-known secret)!</p>

<p>I have only had one real issue with scheduling, and that was with a senior level class in my specialty sequence conflicting with a junior level major-required course. It hasn't been a big deal, I'll take it next year with the rest of my class.</p>

<p>I would definitely say to take the AP credits that you can. It is good to have open spaces to fill with interesting classes rather than retaking (typically) freshman level courses. The only exception to this would be for lab courses in your desired major. (i.e. I would retake chem lab if I was coming in with AP Chem credit and was planning declare a Chem major.) There are some things that they expect everyone to learn in the basic lab courses that are hard to pick up on in later labs.</p>

<p>The Mom--the advantage to not being a "senior" on paper is they won't kick you out for having too many credits. This happens at some colleges--you have to be careful not to complete the degree requirements too soon if you have umpteen AP credits, or you will be forced into graduation. I know it sounds crazy, but it's real, and not a scenario you want if you want to double major or even take a few more courses in your major!</p>