EECS Faculty Advising FAQ for Students

Answers

What are the key dates and actions I need to be aware of?

• Monday 4/8– Wednesday 4/10 @ 9:59 am PT: Returning students who had a faculty advisor the previous semester log into the Faculty Advising web app and can choose to opt-out, or to keep or change their Faculty Advisor.
• Wednesday 4/10 @ 10:00 am PT: Incoming students and students who opted to change their faculty advisor select an advisor from the list of available advisors on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Monday 4/15 – Friday 4/26: Attend your Faculty Advising session/appointment with your questions.
• Beginning Monday 4/22: Sign up for classes during your Phase I enrollment appointment in Cal Central.

What does the faculty advising online web app do?

1. CalNet authentication. When you navigate to the Advising web app url, you will be prompted to log in using CalNet authentication.
2. Student and faculty interface. The web app provides both a faculty and student interface and allows faculty to self-report advising areas.
3. Faculty advising preference and information. The web app allows a student to view a faculty’s advising preference (either group or individual advising), group advising meeting information or individual appointment instructions, a faculty’s divisional designation (EE or CS) and their sub area.
4. Students choose their own adviser. The department no longer assigns faculty advisers. Students are provided a list of available faculty and you are allowed to select your own faculty adviser.  Faculty advisers will have a predetermined number of advising slots, and these slots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are advised to select faculty with advising sessions that work with their schedule and their enrollment appointment time.

Why are some faculty members missing from the available adviser list?

Appointments with advisers will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Particular faculty members may not appear on your list of available advisers for one of the following reasons:

• They no longer have available advising spots.
• They are not advising this semester.
• They are not advising students with your designation. Some faculty only advise honor students or joint-majors.

How do I select an adviser?

1. Select a faculty adviser whose area and sub-area align with your interests.
2. It is your responsibility to make sure you can attend the adviser’s meeting time if they have opted for group advising. Do not select an adviser whose group advising is at a time you are unable to attend. After your advising session feel free to speak with any faculty member regarding course work and professional or future plans.
3. Still unsure whom to select? The following resources can help to familiarize you with EECS faculty.
   • EECS Faculty Directory
   • HKN Course survey data on the HKN website
4. You should identify two or three faculty you’d like to have as your advisor, in case your first or second preference is unavailable.

What if I cannot find an adviser whose area aligns with my interests?

Ideally every student will be able to select a faculty adviser who at minimum shares their general area of interest (EE, CS or EECS). However, student interests and the popularity of particular areas are continually fluctuating. Depending on when you login to the web application, you may not be able to find a perfect match. We hope this will be a rare occurrence but should you find yourself in this situation select a faculty member whose advising time works best for you to ensure you are able to get your adviser code.

Students who find it necessary to select a faculty adviser outside of their area of interest are encouraged to attend the office hours of another faculty member after the faculty advising period has ended.

Do graduating seniors need to do anything different?

Graduating students are welcome to participate, but not required. CS graduating students should contact CS Major Advisors to confirm they are on track for completing their degree. EECS students should meet with their ESS College Advisor.

Is faculty advising mandatory?

Students are not required to attend Faculty Advising. However, you must access the web app and opt out when you receive an email notification that the web app has opened. This will allow us to accommodate all students.

What if I miss my faculty advising session?

Students who miss their advising session or fail to sign up for a faculty adviser should visit your faculty adviser’s office hours or the office hours of another faculty in your area of interest. Ask the faculty to review your schedule.  Please Note: As always, students with course-related questions will have priority.

What is Group Advising?

Group advising consists of your faculty adviser and other advisees. Students will be of various class standings and interests. Sessions are typically 1 hour in length. At minimum most faculty advisers will cover the following:

• Introductions
• General course announcements
• Q&A, discussion of EECS courses

What is Individual Advising?

Individual faculty advising follows a one-on-one meeting format. Individual appointments can be tailored to the individual needs and questions of a particular student, but lack the benefits of group advising (such as listening to other students’ advice about classes). If you select faculty offering individual advising, you can view their instructions for making advising appointments at the ACG student advising portal.

How does group advising compare to individual advising?

Advantages of Group Advising

• More time with faculty adviser
• Sharing of EECS class experiences (good & bad)

Disadvantages of Group Advising

• More time-consuming (for students)
• Doesn’t provide individual student attention
• [These are both obviated when a student requests an individual faculty advising appointment!]

How do I prepare for my advising session?

• Look up your enrollment appointment window on Cal Central
• Select a faculty adviser by visiting the ACG student advising portal
• Consider which courses you want to take
• Review the Courses webpages and any listed enrollment procedures and priorities.
• Use the Degree Worksheet to review your progress toward degree requirements.
• Complete your Schedule Form
• Print out your unofficial transcript
• Generate a list of questions (if any)
• Request an individual appointment if needed

Examples of policy questions faculty are not expected to answer:

How many technical electives do I have to take?

What semester do I have to complete my Reading and Comprehension requirement?

Examples of questions appropriate for faculty advising:

What are good classes for soft engineering?

What Math classes are important for AI?

What course enrollment information should I review during the advising period?

• Schedule of Classes: It is important to look at the online schedule of classes because course information will inevitably change. Familiarize yourself with this resource.
• Courses webpages and listed enrollment procedures and priorities.
• Enrollment appointment window: please sign up for classes at your scheduled appointment time. If you wait, you are losing priority.

What to Bring to Faculty Advising

• Questions!  Bring questions to ask to your Faculty Adviser. These can be related to course selection, graduate school, and industry. Faculty members are not expected to answer questions about department policies, petitions, or degree requirements.

• You can use the following Degree Worksheets to help you see what requirements you have left. Play an active role in monitoring your degree completion.
  • EECS Degree Worksheet
  • CS Degree Worksheet

Beginning the academic year 2017-2018, no paperwork needs to be signed by your faculty advisor, or submitted to staff advisors

Contact

Faculty Advising is managed by the Center for Student Affairs in 205 Cory Hall.
Email questions or concerns to faculty-advising@eecs.berkeley.edu