How's the academic advising at Princeton?

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

<p>Please share with me any positive or negative accounts you may have of academic advising at Princeton University. I’m trying to learn more about the institution. Thanks for your time.</p>

2

<p>Son had very positive experience with his freshman adviser. Always 1 on 1 and easily accesible. He helped him in course selection and even summer research internship position at the University.</p>

3

<p>Well, I know that BSE advising is done by the engineering faculty, whereas AB advising is done by residential advisers. So there exists the potential for the advising in BSE to be different than for AB people.</p>

<p>So…is there a difference?</p>

4

<p>D had a terrible frosh advisor, but was allowed to change. Once you have declared your major you have an excellent advisor in your department. However, the overall advising system is very good. You have not only your academic advisor but the whole staff of deans in your residential college, who are extremely helpful and supportive; if you run into any sort of problem – getting into a particular course, having a difficulty with a prof, etc – they will sit down with you and talk and even go to bat for you. The professors are eager to meet with students during their office hours and to stay in touch via email. The departments all bring their dog and pony shows into the residential colleges to talk to you about what majoring is like, and there are many structured and unstructured opportunities to get advice from other students.</p>

5

<p>Advisors are like a box of chocolates. Never know what you’re going to get. My advice? Don’t listen to your advisor. Listen to the students, especially the older ones.</p>

6

<p>It’s Princeton, it has got to be good. It doesn’t get #1 rank for nothing!</p>

7

<p>Princeton shares the rank with Harvard, and Harvard’s advising isn’t that great, so you can’t automatically assume that Princeton’s advising is great, either.</p>

8

<p>I’d definitely say your best bet would be to talk to students who have taken the classes you’re interested in. the advising program is good, but the actual advisers can be hit or miss. but they do let you change advisors, and departmental advisors are generally a lot better, as has been pointed out.</p>