Academic Advising
Bowdoin faculty advisors support students as they select courses, engage in the liberal arts, complete their degree requirements, and navigate college life. Incoming students work with an assigned pre-major advisor during their first two years. After declaring a major early in the fourth semester, a student is advised by a faculty member in their major department or program.
Academic advising at Bowdoin is best defined as a mutual partnership between students and their faculty advisors, designed to support and enhance academic decision making. The primary goals of a successful advising partnership should be to:
- promote engagement with a liberal education,
- provide opportunities for structured discussions about, and reflection upon, students’ academic goals and curricular choices
- foster connections beyond this partnership that include other students, faculty, and staff,
- foster a sense of belonging and inclusion for every Bowdoin student. (Fundamentals of Advising, Recording Committee, 2020)