Advising Services

• For CS majors, the CS faculty advisor is the primary resource. For difficult problems, you may also want to meet with one of the undergraduate office staff in 303 Upson Hall.
• What can you expect from your advisor?
• If you do not have a CS faculty advisor, then you can get your CS-related questions answered by the Director or Assistant Director during orientation, pre-registration, and pre-affiliation periods.
• All advisors in CS have support staff, who may be able to help you find them. List of support staff for each faculty.
• The Association for Computer Science Undergraduates holds general meetings that address many advising issues. They also run a mentorship program.
• For more difficult problems, you may want to get a tutor or also consult with a college-level advisor.

The Advisor

You are expected to keep your faculty advisor informed about your successes and difficulties at all times. If your advisor is in CS, then the normal pattern of semester interaction is as follows:

• Usually by email, the advisor gives each advisee his/her personal identification number (PIN), thereby permitting the student to pre-register and to add and drop courses. The advisee informs the advisor of all such transactions by email or in an office meeting.
• The advisee and advisor meet at their mutual convenience at least once each term to discuss courses and the overall academic plan.

Note: If you have any questions about your advisor assignment or would like to discuss switching advisors, please feel free to come see us in Upson 303.

Orientation

Information about entry level CS courses is given during the Academic Briefing sessions in Engineering. Special one-hour overviews of the CS major are also part of the orientation programs in Arts & Sciences and Engineering.

Pre-registration

Several open advising sessions are held during each preregistration period. This gives the opportunity for students without CS advisors to ask the Director and undergraduate peer advisors questions about CS courses and career paths. Check the calendar for details.

Pre-affiliation

Open information sessions about the CS Major are given by the Director once each semester. The fall session is most appropriate for Engineering students, who affiliate after three semesters; the spring session is most appropriate for students in Arts & Sciences, who affiliate after four semesters. Check the calendar for details, or contact the Undergraduate Office in 303 Upson, phone 255 6833, email ugrad@cs.cornell.edu.

ACSU General Meetings

The Association of Computer Science Undergraduates (ACSU) is an organization of students interested in computer science at Cornell. Its purpose is to help students to develop academically and professionally in a friendly social environment. The ACSU assists students by offering information about job opportunities, corporations, and graduate studies, and by promoting student/faculty interaction. The ACSU is open to any person who has a basic interest in the field. CS majors are encouraged to join. ACSU membership provides an excellent opportunity to have fun with your peers in CS while promoting the professional career.

The ACSU Mentorship Program

The Mentorship Program matches advanced CS majors and alumni with students who need advising or assistance regarding the major. Upperclassmen participating in the program are matched with students needing advice in the area of their specialty. In addition, participants may be asked to perform other tasks that take advantage of their experiences, such as making presentations during field information sessions or being present during pre-registration to advise underclassmen about course selection.

Tutors

Tutoring services are provided by Engineering Advising in 167 Olin Hall (257-7414) and the Center for Learning and Teaching in 420 Computing and Communications Center (255-6310). Many CS course have undergraduate staff tutors or consultants; check the course webpage for details.

College-Level Advising

Engineering Advising (170 Olin Hall) and Arts and Sciences Advising (55 Goldwin Smith) are staffed with highly skilled individuals who can help you with a wide range of problems.

Arts and Sciences Advising Web Site

Engineering Advising Web Page

For more information email us at ugrad@cs.cornell.edu