Advising

Academic Advising

The Boston University Undergraduate Academic Advising Mission Statement states that academic advising is integral to the teaching mission of the University and engages students in a collaborative process to explore academic and co-curricular opportunities as part of a plan to realize academic, career and life goals.

The UDC is a primary source of academic advising and support to Questrom undergraduates. Students can meet with any of our seven professional academic advisors on a broad range of academic issues including:

course planning
degree requirements
concentration choices
concerns about academic performance
study abroad options
adjustment and personal issues
and any other issues students have

Advisors also visit the SM131 courses to meet with students and answer questions throughout the year.

Drop-in Advising

Throughout the academic year, advisors are available to assist students on a drop-in basis, Monday – Friday from 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm (1pm – 3pm only on Wednesdays).

During the summer, advisors are available for drop-ins Monday – Friday from 10 – 11am and 2 – 3pm (2 – 3pm ONLY on Wednesdays and 10 – 11am ONLY on Fridays).

Drop-in advising is appropriate for quick questions and other issues requiring 15 minutes or less. For more in-depth discussions (including long term planning), please schedule an appointment via Handshake, by calling 617-353-2650 or visiting the UDC, 595 Commonwealth Avenue (Suite 104). Appointments are typically 30 minutes long.

Who is my academic advisor?

Your academic advisor can be ANY academic advisor in the UDC. To get things started we assign you an advisor by alpha split, and Honors Program students are assigned to Liz Katz.

It is important to know that all of our advisors are generalists and can advise on all academic options. However, students usually want content-based advice, so we recommend that you meet with advisors based on your academic choices and areas of advisor specialty. For example:

Yanille Baez is the primary advisor for the Academic Success Program
Lindsey Itzkowitz is the primary advisor for study abroad
Robyn Johnson is the primary advisor for freshmen whose primary school is Questrom
Liz Katz is the primary advisor for the Honors Program
Sarah Mesnik is the primary advisor for Dual Degree Program students
Cameron Smith is the primary advisor for external transfers, and transfer of credit
Sally E. Ward is the primary advisor for intra-university and CGS transfers, student-athletes, and scholarships
Meg Kenney is the primary advisor for student organizations

To see who your assigned advisor is now, check the student link, and click on “Academic Advising.” Again, this assignment system is purely for convenience, ease, and clarification. If you prefer to meet or continue with a particular academic advisor outside the initial alpha-split assignment, the choice is yours!

Faculty Advising

The faculty advisor program enables students to connect with a number of instructors during their time at Questrom. It provides an opportunity for students to:

Establish your first “professional” relationships
Get advice regarding your Questrom concentration selection
Identify your research interests, and possible research team work
Get help with your questions about course content
Learn more about the functional areas of management
Establish possible mentoring relationships
Identify possible informational interview contacts
Identify and secure references for internships, jobs, or graduate school

Faculty advisors are NOT expected to provide overall academic advising, course selection outside the concentration, personal counseling, or in-depth career counseling.

Faculty advisors can be any member of the Questrom faculty, and we recommend that you build a rapport with three or more faculty members. In order to help you meet instructors, we recommend the following designated faculty members and guidelines:

Freshmen and new External Transfer students: your SM131 discussion professor
Sophomores: your SM131 discussion professor from last year OR if discussion professor is not available, any professor from the teaching team your previous year OR any of the professors encountered in your second semester freshman or sophomore year courses (FE101, SM151, SM 221, LA 245, OB 221, AC 221, AC 222, SM 222, IS223).
Juniors: first semester – any previous Questrom faculty advisor or any professor on your Cross Functional Core teaching team; second semester – your concentration liaison or any combination of the previous semesters’ faculty advisors.
Seniors: Any faculty advisor or concentration liaison from your previous years.

Career Advising

We have three designated undergraduate advisors whose approach is student centered, career focused, and market driven. Career Advisors partner with you so that you are self-aware and market-ready as you take on your career path, offering a variety of services to support you in your internship and job searches.

Some of the services offered include:

Job strategy development, interview preparation and salary negotiation advice
Resume critique
Mock interviews
Briefings on company culture, recruiting history, and interview tips
Industry-themed career exploration events
Job and internship postings, information sessions and interview schedules
Calendar of monthly on-campus career-related activities
Career management courses specifically tailored to undergraduate students
Customized events developed in partnership with student clubs and groups

Career Drop-in Advising

Throughout the academic year, advisors are available to assist students on a drop-in basis, Monday – Friday from 10am – 4pm.

Services provided during career drop-ins:

Resume Critiques
Cover letter Review
LinkedIn Profile Review
Interview Prep
Career Fair Prep
Basic ‘Handshake’ System Questions

For all other inquires, please make an appointment with an advisor via Handshake.

Peer Mentoring / Counseling

We are very lucky to support multiple student-initiated mentoring, tutoring, and advising services. We highly recommend that you take advantage of these services to get the most out of your experience at Questrom and BU.

Career Skill Coaches – Want the student perspective on career exploration? Our Career Skills Coaches are here to help you with resume critiques, cover letter writing and editing and interview prep tips! All of our CSC’s have successfully completed an internship and have first-hand experience in the application and interview process. Stop by the Feld any time Tuesday-Friday from 11am-5pm and get your questions answered by our knowledgeable team!
Teaching Assistants – some of your best peer advisors are you freshman, SM131, and sophomore year TA’s – talk to them: they are well-informed and can provide you with great insight that will contribute to your academic success.
LOCK Honorary Service Society Tutoring – it’s FREE! Do you know that 75 LOCK Tutors offer free tutoring nights for all freshman, sophomore, and cross functional core (FE323, MK323, OM323, QM323, and SM333) courses in Questrom? Every Monday and Wednesday night during the semester from 6:00-8:00 pm in Questrom 240. This is drop-by program (arrive before 7:30 pm please) where tutors can really help you succeed!