Introduction

Every entering student at Tufts is assigned a faculty or professional staff member as a pre-major academic adviser, as well as a pair of Orientation Leaders who work with your academic adviser. We link our pre-major advising to a set of five programs – four of which are based on a class that you take during your first semester. After Memorial Day, you will be able to read course descriptions and select your advising option in the new student online resource Connection2016.

Regardless of which option is chosen, students will become part of a small community.

Five Advising Options:

1. Curricular Advising Program (CAP) - Enroll in a traditional class taught by your advisor.
   If you are placed in the CAP program, you will be registered for the class you choose and your advisor will be the teacher of that course. You will see your advisor every time you go to class. In turn, your adviser will get to know you – your work, your study habits, your test performance, and your writing skills.  Some CAP classes are just you and your advising group; in some, you will be in class with upper-class students as well.
    
2. Faculty Seminar - Take a special class taught by your advisor.
   A Faculty Seminar is a class that takes an in-depth look at an academic issue of special interest. Seminar members discuss readings, share ideas, lead group discussions, write papers, and comment on one another’s work. You will get to know the other students and your advisor as you meet weekly and move more deeply into the subject matter. All of the students in Faculty Seminars are in your advising group.
    
3. Explorations - Participate in a course taught by two upper-class students. Meet with your advisor outside of class.
   Each Explorations class involves an interactive, participatory inquiry into a specific topic that is led by two upper-level students. Small-group projects, debates, simulations, and lots of discussion will make your Explorations a special introduction to the college experience. Your will broaden your horizons, have your assumptions about the world challenged, and develop a new set of critical thinking skills. 
    
4. Perspectives - Participate in a course about the study of movies taught by two upper-class students. Meet with your advisor outside of class.
   Take a student-taught seminar on the study of movies and join with other first-year students who share your passion for film. In Perspectives you will receive advising, support, and a sense of community within the framework of a seminar taught by two upper-level peer leaders. You’ll stretch yourself and start to think about the world of movies in ways you never have before. 
    
5. Host Advising - Meet with your academic adviser, as needed, during the semester.
   You can do this by making appointments, dropping in during office hours, or using e-mail.