Navigating Your Academic Journey: A Guide to Queens College Academic Advising Services

Queens College offers a comprehensive suite of academic advising services designed to support students from their first year through graduation. Recognizing that academic success is a collaborative effort, the college emphasizes the partnership between students and advisors. These services aim to guide students in course selection, degree planning, and accessing valuable resources, ensuring a fulfilling and successful academic experience.

Comprehensive Academic Advising Services

The academic advising system at Queens College is structured to provide targeted support based on a student's academic level and major. This ensures that students receive guidance tailored to their specific needs and goals.

Initial Advising: The Royal Advisor

First-year students are paired with a "Royal Advisor" who provides initial guidance and support. This advisor assists students in navigating the college environment, understanding academic requirements, and exploring potential majors. The Royal Advisor remains a key point of contact until the spring of the sophomore year, providing a consistent source of support during the crucial transition into college life.

Upper-Level Advising: Faculty Expertise

As students progress into their upper-level years, they transition to faculty advisors within their specific major. These faculty advisors offer specialized guidance related to the chosen field of study, including course selection, research opportunities, and career paths. Their in-depth knowledge of the discipline provides students with valuable insights and mentorship.

Advising for Post-Traditional/Adult Students

Recognizing the unique needs of adult learners, Queens College offers a collaborative advising model for post-traditional students. These students receive guidance from both a full-time, professional advisor in the Center for Student Success and faculty advisors in their program of study. This dual approach ensures that adult students receive comprehensive support, addressing both their academic and personal needs.

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Accessing Advising Services

Queens College utilizes QC Navigate, a centralized platform for scheduling appointments with advisors. To make the most of this system, students should consider the following steps:

Identify Your Needs: Determine the specific area for which you need advising, such as academic planning, career guidance, or financial aid resources.
Schedule an Appointment: Use QC Navigate to schedule an appointment, specifying the type of appointment and the reason for your visit.
Location Preference: Indicate your preferred location for the appointment.
Advisor Preference: If you have a specific advisor in mind, select their name. Otherwise, leave the selection blank to be assigned an available advisor.
Select Date and Time: Choose a date, and the available time options will be displayed.

Navigating Academic Requirements

The Center for Academic Advising serves as a crucial link between the college and the student body. It ensures that academic requirements, policies, and procedures are clear, consistent, and accessible to all students. The Center provides centralized and integrated academic advising to undergraduate students, helping them understand and navigate degree requirements to successfully complete their baccalaureate degrees. If students are unable to find an available “academic planning” appointment, they should check Navigate routinely as more appointments may become available.

Psychology Advising

For students interested in declaring Psychology as their major or minor, specific advising resources are available within the Psychology Department. Advising sessions can assist with course selection, degree planning, and referrals to relevant resources. The Psychology Department also offers advising on a range of topics, including:

Identifying interests and career paths
Getting involved in extracurricular and enrichment activities
Planning for graduate school

Options for Psychology Advising

In-person peer advising: Available in Room D308 of the Science Building.
In-person faculty advising: Available with Dr. Brumbaugh in Room D304 of the Science Building.
Remote advising: Available with Dr. Brumbaugh.

Additional Resources and Support

Queens College provides a variety of additional resources to support students' academic success and well-being.

Faculty Advisor Hub

The Provost’s Office offers the Faculty Advisor Hub, a valuable resource for faculty advisors. This hub provides updates, advising insights, and technology tips to enhance the advising experience for both advisors and students.

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Department Advisor Info Session

Queens College hosts Department Advisor Info Sessions to provide faculty advisors with the latest information and best practices in advising. Representatives from the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership (CETLL), the Academic Advising Center, and the Registrar’s Office are present to provide updates and answer questions. IT representatives are also available to assist with systems access related to advising platforms like Navigate and DegreeWorks. An example of this is Department Advisor Info Session on Thursday, October 10th, 12:15-1:30 PM in DH-122, the Q-side in the Dining Hall.

Counseling Services

Counseling Services at Queens College is dedicated to enhancing students’ academic, intellectual, personal, and social growth. The mission is to enhance students’ academic, intellectual, personal, and social growth. Licensed psychologists, certified social workers, licensed professional counselors, and counseling interns supervised by professional staff offer individual counseling, groups, and referrals to appropriate college or community resources. Special attention is given to students’ health and well-being, with the aim of alleviating the effects of painful experiences, enhancing self-understanding and understanding of others, and fostering students’ pursuit of their goals.

Counseling Services has partnered with ProtoCall Services to provide after-hours support for Queens College students experiencing an urgent situation. Protocall is a hotline staffed by licensed clinicians to provide crisis intervention and referral services whenever we are closed, including 24 hours on the weekends and holidays. Students can call Counseling Services at 718-997-5420 to access these services.

Transfer Explorer (T-Rex)

Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) is the source for the most up-to-date information about how CUNY colleges transfer and apply credit for both CUNY and non-CUNY courses, as well as for other learning experiences, like exams and certifications.

The Role of Academic Advisors

Academic advisors play a crucial role in understanding a student’s academic, personal, and career goals and identifying areas where they might need additional support. They help students navigate the complexities of college life, make informed decisions about their academic paths, and connect with resources that can support their success.

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