Academic Advising

Students with a declared major are assigned a faculty member from their major department, and undeclared students are assigned a faculty member from our undeclared advising team.

Students can find the name of their academic advisor by following the instructions below:

• Log on to the portal: https://myanselm.anselm.edu
• Go to "Students"
• Go to "Degree Planning"
• Go to "View all Details"

Advisors can offer more than a signature on a class pre-registration schedule. They are knowledgeable about institutional requirements and are aware of the educational support services available to you. An advisor can help you in your intellectual development and in your academic planning.

There are times when you need to see your advisor and other instances when you are encouraged to seek counsel from your advisor.

When you must see your advisor:

• Add/Drop (if applicable)
  • Fall: early September
  • Spring: early January
• Pre-registration
  • Fall: early November
  • Spring: after spring break
• Withdrawals (if applicable)
  • Fall: refer to academic calendar (withdrawal with a "W")
  • Fall: refer to academic calendar (withdrawal with a "W" or "WF")
  • Spring: refer to academic calendar (withdrawal with a "W")
  • Spring refer to academic calendar (withdrawal with a "W" or "WF")

When you are encouraged to seek counsel from your advisor:

• First week of the fall semester
• First week of the spring semester
• Mid-semester deficiencies (if applicable): mid-October (fall), early March (spring)
• Are experiencing academic difficulties
• Have been placed on academic warning or probation (See Saint Anselm College Catalog, pp. 30-31)
• Have questions about academic policies or procedures
• Want to discuss choosing a major

You must declare a major no later than the spring pre-registration period in the second semester of your sophomore year. This deadline ensures that you will continue to make progress toward graduation.

The Process: Students Declaring or Changing a Major

• Change of Major forms (which also serve as major declaration forms) are available in the Office of Academic Advisement or the Office of the Registrar.
• Declaring or Changing to a major: Students should schedule an appointment with the appropriate departmental chairperson for signature approval.
• Declaring or Changing to the Undeclared major: Students should see the director of academic advisement who will meet with them and assign a new advisor. (Freshmen or sophomore students may decide to change from a departmental major to an undeclared major for one or two semesters while investigating other choices.)
• It is the student's responsibility to turn the form in to the Registrar's Office and to distribute copies to the appropriate offices indicated on the form.

What an undeclared freshman's schedule looks like:

What an undeclared sophomore's schedule looks like: 

Note: Undeclared sophomores must declare a major before the spring pre-registration period.

Prof. Bede Bidlack, Theology
222 Bradley House, 2nd Floor

Prof. Erik Cleven, Politics
3002 NHIOP

Ann-Maria Contarino, English
Academic Resource Center, Roger and Francine Jean Student Center, Top Floor

Prof. Kevin Doran, Sociology and Social Work
5 Bradley House, Ground Floor

Prof. Nicole Eyet, Chemistry
2113 Goulet Science Center, 2nd Floor

Stephanie Fernandez, Assistant Dean for Sophmores and Academic Success
Roger and Francine Jean Student Center, Top Floor

Prof. Elizabeth Greguske, Biology
2322 Goulet Science Center, 2nd Floor

Prof. Nicole Gugliucci, Physics
3200 Goulet Science Center, 3rd Floor

Prof. Anne Holthoefer, Politics
3003 NHIOP

Benjamin Horton, Assistant Dean for First-Year Students and Academic Support Services
Roger and Francine Jean Student Center, Top Floor

Prof. Matthew Hurley, Chemistry
1104 Goulet Science Center, Lower Level

Karlea Joiner, Assistant Dean of Students
Alumni Hall, 1st Floor North

Prof. Thomas Larson, Philosophy
303 Bradley House, 3rd Floor

Prof. Sean Parr, Fine Arts
101 Alumni Hall, Ground Level South Hall

Prof. Gilberto Ruiz, Theology
223 Bradley House, 2nd Floor

Prof. Stephen Shea, Mathematics
208 Bradley House, 2nd Floor

Prof. Patricia Sullivan, Theology
228 Bradley House, 2nd Floor

Kenneth Walker, Director of the Academic Resource Center
Academic Resource Center, Roger and Francine Jean Student Center, Top Floor

Myth 1

Your major determines your career

While it is true that some fields-e.g., nursing, engineering, accounting-demand a specific undergraduate degree, many liberal arts graduates work in fields unrelated to their major. You do not have to be a business major to work in business when you graduate, or an English major to work in journalism, or a politics major to work in government.

Liberal arts graduates enter a variety of occupations regardless of their majors. But a word of caution: although your specific major may not be critical to obtaining meaningful post-graduate employment, demonstrable skills are. You can develop employable skills during your four undergraduate years through academic course work, volunteer experiences, internships, summer employment, and in numerous other ways.

Myth 2

All you can do with an English/history/language major is teach

Although you may believe that a field like English, history, philosophy, or the languages limits your career options, hard evidence suggests that this is not the case. In a recent semester, English and history majors were preparing for their careers by doing internships in law offices, government agencies, newspapers, local television studios, advertising agencies, public relations firms, magazines, and in local schools. Other students were preparing for law school, medical school, and other graduate work.

If you still haven't selected a major and you are unsure of the career prospects associated with a given major, you are encouraged to sit down with your department chair or someone from Career Services to discuss what other Saint Anselm graduates are doing with their degrees.

Myth 3

I'll love every class in my major

It is a rare student who loves every class in his or her chosen major. Don't be discouraged too early from continuing in a major if an introductory class isn't the best class you have ever had. Review the requirements and upper-level courses in a major and talk to professors in the major about your interests. You might find that a little patience pays off.