Quincy House Sophomore Advising FAQ | Advising Programs Office Web Site
1. What is Sophomore Advising, exactly?
Sophomore Advising is a Harvard College program which introduces students to their House environment and provides critical support on the pending question of concentration choice. Sophomores select a concentration during fall term.
2. Who are the Advisers?
In Quincy House, every Resident Tutor is also a Sophomore Adviser. Though Tutors are identified with a specific academic discipline, all Sophomore Advising is technically “pre-concentration” advising. Your adviser is trained to advise on a wide range of potential concentration choices.
3. How are Advisers assigned?
All incoming Quincy sophomores completed detailed questionnaires this spring, as did new and returning Resident Tutors. A variety of factors were used to match students with tutors: potential concentration interests, extra-curricular activities, geographic affiliation/hometown, and qualitative student feedback on previous experience in Harvard courses. Every student’s questionnaire was carefully scrutinized and compared with those of multiple tutors before assignment was made. No student was assigned randomly.
4. How often will my Sophomore Adviser have contact with me?
Formally, each student will meet with his or her adviser six times during the academic year – three times in the fall and three times in the spring. Of course, Quincy sophomores are bound to see their advisers all the time – in the Dining Hall, at the Grille, in the Courtyard, and up in the Facult Dean's Residence. In other words, you should not be surprised to see your adviser frequently outside of your formal interactions.
5. When will our formal meetings take place?
Meetings with your adviser will fall during some mutually-agreeable time and date during a specified period of time. In the fall, two meetings will take place in the first two weeks of school as you shop classes and prepare your study card, and another will take place in late October as you prepare to declare your concentration.
6. What are the other dates I should mark on my academic calendar?
Monday, August 16 - Check-in deadline for the fall term
Thursday, August 26 - Course Enrollment Deadline
Wednesday, September 1 - First day of fall classes
Thursday, November 18 – Concentration Declarations due
7. Who signs off on my Crimson Cart during the Fall semester?
Your Sophomore Adviser does. By contrast, in the Spring semester, the Concentration Advisor in your new concentration will have this role.
8. What about the bigger task – concentration choice?
By the third meeting with your adviser, you should have a good idea what you wish to declare as your concentration. The first task is getting a Concentration Adviser in your intended field to sign your form. The second task is obtaining the signature of your Sophomore Adviser. Completed and signed plans of study are due on Thursday, November 18. We’ll remind you of this as the time gets closer.
9. How do I submit a Plan of Study?
Plan of Study forms are online at my.harvard. Navigate to Student Home and click on the Create Plan button. Complete instructions are here:
https://about.my.harvard.edu/College_plan_study
10. Do meetings with my adviser constitute the whole of sophomore-related programming at Quincy?
No. In September, Quincy’s Faculty Deans (Eric Beerbohm and Leslie Duhaylongsod) will host a Sophomore Cookout on the rooftop Terrace (weather permitting). Your adviser will be in touch about arrival times, as students will arrive in small groups. Later that month, Quincy will host a special reception and dinner for sophomores; the former will take place in the JCR and the latter in the Dining Hall. Attendance at both events is an important part of integrating into the House community, and highly recommended for sophomores. In addition, Course, Career and Advising Night (date and time TBD) lets students solicit advice from Resident and Non-Resident tutors about their curricular and extra-curricular plans. Did we mention that pizza is served at this event?
11. What if I’m not happy with my adviser? Can I switch to another adviser?
Absent documented extenuating circumstances, your formal Sophomore Adviser will remain the same for the duration of the academic year. Of course, you are free to consult informally with other members of the Quincy tutorial staff, especially as your academic and extra-curricular interests evolve. If you are having a problem with regard to the Sophomore Advising program, please contact Laura Hawkins, the Resident Dean.