Advising

Pre-Major Advising

Before Students Arrive on Campus
in the Fall of their First Year

New Students Website As soon as you are admitted to Vanderbilt, you can access information and materials at the new student webpage located at: www.vanderbilt.edu/cas/registrar/newstudents. Here, you will find information about the specific requirements for registering for your first year of study, and describe the Arts and Science undergraduate curriculum, AXLE. Important dates for advising and registration are highlighted, and detailed instructions for fall registration are published. For your convenience, most of the hard copy registration materials that will be mailed to you prior to your arrival on campus are accessible as PDFs through this site. Also available here are links to the schedule of courses, a campus map, and the online catalog of Vanderbilt University.

Summer Academic Orientation is comprised of six two-day sessions in June before the start of the student's first year. Typically, two-thirds of Vanderbilt's entering class attends. The program is intended to introduce students to academic programs and University services. Small-group meetings of parents and students with faculty advisers are scheduled, providing opportunities for general questions about the University, its academic programs, and campus life. Students also meet individually with their advisers during Summer Academic Orientation to plan their fall schedules and register for courses.

Telephone Advising assists those students who are unable to attend Summer Academic Orientation on campus. This advising is available for four weeks at the end of July and beginning of August. Toll-free telephone lines support this form of pre major advising.

When Students Arrive on Campus
in the Fall of their First Year

Entering first year students are assigned pre-major advisers, all regular members of the faculty of the College of Arts and Science. These first advisers counsel students during approximately their first three and one-half semesters on campus, or until students choose majors. Students are encouraged to see these advisors at any time but must see them at least three times after their initial meetings with them during Orientation: during registration for the fall and spring semesters of the first year and for fall semester of the second year.