Your Faculty Advisor
Sounds good. How do I get one?
When you declare the psychology major, the assistant chair for advisement, Dr. Emily Barkley-Levenson, will assign you to a faculty advisor. If you have already declared the major but do not know who your faculty advisor is, please email Ms.Carmela Salvatore.
How can my advisor help me?
Your advisor can introduce you to the mysteries of the DAR (Degree Audit Report). Although this document is meant to be self-explanatory, experience shows that to be only partly true. Your advisor can decipher its mystical codes.
Your advisor can help you select courses. Many useful courses, both within and outside of psychology, are not technically "required" for graduation. However, they might be useful later on. As an example, many graduate programs in psychology require that students have taken the History of Psychology course before they enroll in an MA, PsyD, or PhD program.
Your advisor can help you avoid mistakes. There are rules that you may not have noticed in the Bulletin.
Your advisor can help defend you if you do make an error. If you find yourself in a bind, and you've seen your advisor regularly, exceptions may sometimes be made or alternative routes taken. If you find yourself in a bind and you have never seen your advisor, you may have fewer options available.
You can complete a degree in psychology by following the rules set forth in the Bulletin. However, if you want to go further (to graduate school), you need a broad range of courses, research and volunteer experience, help in writing your resume the way people in psychology expect to see it, etc. Your advisor knows more than your peers about these matters because your advisor has been there. When your advisor doesn't have advice or the answer, they can suggest a colleague who has relevant information.
What should I do before seeing my advisor?
Always bring your DAR (Degree Audit Report) when you visit your advisor's office hours. The DAR provides the easiest way for your advisor to be brought up to speed on what you have already taken and what courses will fulfill your psychology, college, and University requirements. This is particularly important for transfer students and dual majors.
You should email your advisor in advance, as certain times of the semester tend to be hectic.
Bring paper and a pen to take notes. (Yes, many people don't, and then forget what the advisor said.)
Bring questions.
Make an Appointment
To set up an appointment with Dr. Emily Barkley-Levenson, the Psychology Department’s assistant chair for advisement, please visit https://hofstrapsychadvising.10to8.com (choose an appointment option, i.e., declare major, quick question, larger advising issue, standard advising issue).
If you enter your cell phone, you’ll get a text confirmation and text reminders. You will also receive email notifications. Once you get a notification, the appointment is confirmed. If you need to reschedule or cancel after you have made an appointment, follow the link in the confirmation email.