First-Year Advising
| Advising Themes/Issues | Advising Recommendations |
| Learn about college resources and support | Encourage students to use campus resources and ask for help if needed |
| Learn registration and class scheduling | Encourage students to plan initial class schedule before advising meetings and have some backup classes |
| Understand major and degree requirements | Encourage students to utilize bulletin and read the major and degree requirements
Talk to faculty to know more about the major fields of study |
| Understand academic policies and procedures | Encourage students to utilize bulletin and read all the academic policies and procedures if needed |
| Exploration & Campus Engagement | Encourage students to participate in campus activities and organizations to explore different interests and potentials
Encourage students to explore different classes if interested |
| Wellness & Work-Life Balance | Use open-ended questions to know if students have any health, mental issues that should be concerned |
Second-Year Advising
| Advising Themes/Issues | Advising Recommendations |
| Choosing a major | Appreciative advising: asking positive, open-ended questions when helping students consider goals, passions, and interests
Personal research opportunities to explore areas of study |
| Study abroad | Advisors should be ready to help students discuss their courses and study abroad plan at Duke in conjunction with major requirements
Advisors should be knowledgeable about the basic procedures of reviewing third-party study abroad programs Advisors should be able to discuss with students the benefits of study abroad outside of the classroom, including building competencies in cross-cultural communication and foreign language development (if applicable) |
| Skills development (writing, quantitative analysis, foreign language, critical analysis, research) | Advisors should encourage students to continue to build and strengthen their academic skills and to utilize resources on campus. This is especially important given the pervasive myth that seeking help is a sign of weakness. |
| Co-curricular opportunities | Advisors should encourage students to pursue co-curricular opportunities of interest to build leadership skills
Advisors should be able to help students understand the link between co-curricular opportunities and career skills. |
| “Sophomore slump” | Advisors should be aware of the ‘sophomore slump’ phenomenon and be on the lookout for signs of lowered motivation and spirit.
Students who experience ‘sophomore slump’ may see a decline in academic performance and feel a sense of uncertainty, self-doubt, and anxiety. |