Students and administrators have once again turned their attention to the much maligned pre-major advising system. Perennial complaints about the lack of mentorship opportunities and available resources have spurred DSG Vice President for Academic Affairs Kaveh Danesh, a junior, to prioritize an advising overhaul.
We believe that the current system is underutilized and should do more to assist in the transition to university academics. We support efforts to improve it. However, it’s also necessary to examine the nature of student complaints—and ensure that the right people are mobilized in providing the opportunities students desire.
Narrowly defined, the pre-major academic adviser should communicate Duke’s academic requirements to new students. Advisers should discuss potential areas of academic interest, outline academic paths and ensure students understand Duke’s registration process and requirements.
Matching students with advisers based on interests could provoke stronger connections and more meaningful interactions between advisers and advisees. However, the pre-major adviser should primarily be a generalist. Duke is a liberal arts university, and freshmen shouldn’t feel pressure to commit to a discipline. Advisers need dexterity and broad-based knowledge for students who explore and change their academic interests frequently.
Still, student complaints have validity. For students undecided about their academic goals, lack of mentorship makes it difficult to gather the information necessary to make informed, confident decisions.
Student complaints also reflect the broader difficulty of transitioning to academic life at Duke. In general, freshmen don’t know what to expect from their adviser or how to navigate their academic journeys. Things upperclassmen take for granted—asking professors about research, approaching faculty for recommendations, understanding classroom expectations—can seem incomprehensible at first.
Pre-major advisers have a role to fulfill—as established sources of general knowledge and facilitators. But to address these complaints, the pre-major system needs help from a more active peer advising network that has enhanced connections with academic departments.
Frankly, when it comes to navigating the academic scene, students make the best advisers. Upperclassmen best understand the academic development freshmen will experience and can provide information about translating abstract passions into tangible academic paths.
Duke’s Peer Advising Network is clearly underutilized. While some onus is on students to seek advising, PAN should be more proactive in connecting freshmen with upperclassmen who are willing to share their perspectives. The program—which currently has 19 student advisers—should grow to meet demand. And, although students should initiate advising, established reference points like first-year advisory counselors and resident assistants could help spread awareness of the program.
Pre-major advising should enhance relationships with academic departments. Professors and advisers could ask recently declared students if they’d share their experiences with undecided freshmen and sophomores. Learning what motivated another student’s decision and exposing students to a variety of perspectives would provide undeclared students a more complete understanding of Duke’s academic landscape.
Pre-major advising is a necessary component in facilitating the transition to university life. While reform is necessary, students and administrators should also look to other sources to provide the more holistic mentorship experience some freshmen desire.
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