<p>I’m going to be a freshman class of 2017 next year at Brown, and I had a question about the Curricular Advising Program (CAP). Basically, it allows you to select a course where the professor will also be your advisor. </p>
<p>I’m planning on concentrating in CS, and so CSCI 0170 with Amy Greenwald looked pretty good. Also, the previous question about CSCI 0150/0160 vs 0170/0180 was very helpful.</p>
<p>But where I’m a little stuck, is:</p>
<p>1) it seems a little dangerous to select an advisor like this without knowing anything about the person (in this case Greenwald). Maybe the administrators at Brown would know someone better, based on my Academic interests questionnaire? Although it was quite brief.</p>
<p>2) How is Amy Greenwald as a professor (or advisor, if anyone has any experience)?</p>
<p>Generally, freshman advisors won’t feature very prominently in your academic life at Brown, unless you want them to. Their primary purpose is to guide you in course selection during your first year. They will mostly leave the final decision up to you, unless you are veering way off course.</p>
<p>The point is that whoever ends up as your freshman advisor won’t matter much in the long run. CAP allows for a professor who is actually teaching one of your courses to advise you, which some find fosters a more natural relationship. The vast majority of freshmen who are not in CAP courses gets (more or less) randomly assigned someone from their intended concentration department. So if we are talking about “risk”, this seems to be “riskier” on balance. </p>
<p>If it doesn’t work out, you can always look for someone else to advise you sophomore year.</p>
<p>Yeah, you will get a concentration advisor once you declare that. If you are thinking of CS and would take this course even if it weren’t CAP then you should totally do it.</p>
<p>I didn’t do CAP. Met with my freshman advisor once. He actually gave good advice but then I just didn’t need him and ended up only meeting with my concentration advisor 2 or 3 times. I got most of my advice from older students anyway.</p>