COLUMN: Major Trouble

From Charlotte Druckman's "Putting It Bluntly," Fall '95 From Charlotte Druckman's "Putting It Bluntly," Fall '95Advanced Registration for next fall has just ended, and even though students will probably change their courses when they come back toFrom Charlotte Druckman's "Putting It Bluntly," Fall '95Advanced Registration for next fall has just ended, and even though students will probably change their courses when they come back toschool in September, by calling PARIS in April we have the comfort of knowing that we are enrolled in something. For second semester sophomores in the School of Arts and Sciences, the period right before registration began was quite trying because we are strongly urged to declare our majors before signing up for classes. This is no easy task. What should be a painless experience has become an agonizing one since the University creates difficulty for students in the College attempting to choose a major. Peer Advisors come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of interest in their advisees. I remember having to register for classes at the beginning of the July before my freshman year without a word from my peer advisor. In August, once it was too late, I finally received a letter from her explaining that she had been on a boat in the Caribbean studying Environmental Science. She was sorry it had taken her so long to get in touch with her advisees, but if we needed any help selecting classes, she encouraged us to ask her. Thanks a lot, hon! You missed registration by a month and I've already been through hell. When she signed up for the position she should not have forgotten to mention that she would be away all summer. My peer advisor is probably an extreme case of an irresponsible person, but many people find their advisors just as ineffective. Let's say you have a question about English at Penn and your advisor is a science fanatic. Or, what happens when your peer advisor is a genius who challenged herself with upper level classes in her freshman year and cannot relate to your need to take on a lighter load? The opposite scenario is just as likely. Your advisor may be an expert on gut courses that hold no interest for you. But, never fear: Along with the peer advisor, you are given a faculty advisor. Unfortunately, these older, more experienced leaders can be just as clueless as those who are only a year older than you. Your faculty advisor is responsible for at least 30 other freshmen, and may be a professor in a field that is completely foreign to you. One advisor was the head of residential living in the Quad while another was the chairperson of the Political Science Department. How much can they do when you tell them you are having trouble deciding between Japanese and Design of the Environment? Basically, these advisors are only responsible for meeting with you to sign a slip okaying your classes so that you can register for Spring. So, where can you turn when you plan your schedule? The hearsay of friends can be helpful, especially when you want to find shortcuts. But, one woman's easy A in one class, can be another man's F. What about the Undergraduate Course Guide? Aside from the fact that it always seems to be missing the ratings of the classes you want to take and that your teacher is never listed, this book can make life a little easier and steer you towards the best professors at the University. However, it can be a bit depressing to learn that the teachers of the courses you have to take to complete the General Requirement or satisfy your major have received 1.70s. One begins to wonder why the school would continue to offer classes about which people have consistently said horrible things. Once you have declared your major, things start to pick up. You are allowed to choose your own advisor from the department in which you wish to concentrate. While this is something to look forward to, it seems counterproductive that during the time in which you need the most help, when you are trying to find a major, you receive the least amount of advice. Once you are an econ major and then decide that you took a wrong turn, it is often too late to start from scratch and embark on a new course of study. Students in the Wharton School are provided with a strong advisory system all the way through their undergraduate experience, and in the Nursing School, students' hands are held as they make significant decisions about their futures. But, the majority of undergraduates at the University are enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences. Why are we stumbling around in the dark? We are shuffled to places like the temporary College Office which is in a remote building behind Mellon Bank where people we have never met sign paperwork so that we can visit someone else who performs a similar function. You can call and make private appointments with these people. But what separates them from the peer advisors and faculty members who were supposed to clear up our confusion long ago? After all of the frustration and angst caused by this bureaucratic system covered in futile red tape, a student might find herself in need of a different kind of counselling.