Advising Juniors
As students enter the junior year, they benefit from faculty advice on pursuing opportunities to connect on-campus studies with internship opportunities, collaborative research, study abroad, senior capstone projects, and other academic and cocurricular experiences. Talk to your advisees about their goals for engaging the major and for getting to know other faculty in the department or program. Some students will want to know how best to approach seminars and other advanced academic work.
Keeping Abreast of Graduation Requirements
- All students and faculty advisors have access to Degree Audits online. Your advisee
should bring you a copy during the pre-registration period so you can review it carefully
together.
- Registration for senior year (in spring of the junior year) is critical in terms of
a student’s being able to graduate in May of the senior year. Once classes begin in
the fall, it can be too late in many cases for seniors to catch up on requirements
or correct errors. You and your advisee should review the Degree Audit carefully at
this juncture. Special care is needed in the case of multiple majors and/or minors
as the double-counting of courses can be problematic. If either of you is confused
about any aspect of the audit, consult with the Office of Academic Advising or the
Registrar’s Office. The ultimate responsibility for completing all requirements toward
the degree rests with the student, but your vigilance and reminders are helpful.
- The following requirement must be met by the end of the junior year: QR2.
- By the end of the junior year, the student must achieve and then maintain a cumulative
average of 2.000 in his or her major. Students who do not meet this requirement will
be up for academic review by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS).
- The maturity level requirement requires successful completion of at least 24 hours
of 300-level credit. At least 12 credit hours of 300-level coursework must be taken
in the senior year, and at least 6 of these 12 credit hours must be completed in the
major. Students with double majors are expected to complete at least 6 credit hours
at the 300 level in each major during their senior year. Courses earning maturity
credit must be taken at Skidmore or as part of an approved study-away program. Students
taking courses at other institutions during the summer or while on personal or medical
leave may earn up to eight maturity-level credits by appealing to the Committee on
Academic Standing (CAS).
- Continue meeting requirements for the major.
Study Abroad/Study Away
Nearly 60% of Skidmore students study abroad/away, most often during the Junior year. Students studying abroad or away should be sure to complete all paperwork before departure (for example, they should seek the chair’s approval for transfer of courses toward the major) and to check upon their return that an official transcript has arrived from the abroad/away program. Juniors returning in the spring from a fall-term leave will want to discuss their new cultural and academic experiences and should be encouraged to apply their new U.S. or international perspectives to various courses and cocurricular opportunities, as appropriate.
Career Development Center
The Career Development Center is an excellent campus resource for learning about potential careers, internship opportunities, resume preparation, and graduate school. More information specific to class year can be found on page 30.
National Merit Fellowship Applications
High-achieving students should be encouraged to speak with the Office of Academic Advising about graduate fellowship opportunities. Applications are complex and require a serious time commitment. The Office of Academic Advising supports students seeking merit fellowship by offering a credit-bearing writing seminar that involves focused guidance, peer critique, and faculty review panels. Students seeking institutional endorsement of their application must enroll in or audit the course. For more information on specific fellowships and scholarships, please see the Office of Academic Advising "Merit Fellowships, Scholarships, and Grants" page.
Graduate School and Testing
Your advisee may be looking for guidance about graduate schools, graduate exam preparation (GRE, LSAT, MCAT), and graduate fellowships. Direct students to faculty and alumni in your department as appropriate and encourage them to visit the Career Development Center.
Re-evaluating Goals
This is another ideal point in time for you and your advisee to reconsider the goals
he or she set at an earlier stage of the college experience. Have these goals changed,
and if so why? Is there a discernable pattern to the individual courses the student
has taken over the years, and is the student continuing to make intellectual connections
while planning his or her schedule? Does your advisee have a view of his or her life
beyond Skidmore, and how does the degree plan relate to this picture?