First-Year Advising

This information pertains to first-semester course selection and pre-major advising, and can be beneficial in subsequent semesters as well, until you have selected a major and a major advisor.

Preparing for Your First Advisor Meeting

Your first one-on-one meeting with your advisor takes place over Zoom before you arrive in Vermont. During this meeting, you can expect to begin discussing questions such as the following:

• Why are you headed to college? Why did you choose Middlebury? What are your particular hopes and expectations? What are the expectations you will encounter in college?
• What do you know about a Liberal Arts education and what it can mean for you?
• What are the courses you have in mind to take in your first semester? Why those courses? How much of a balance are you striking across the curriculum? Do you have questions about those courses, academic disciplinary areas, or the curriculum in general?
• What have you learned from placement tests, surveys, and consults that will shape your course ideas?

The more you know about practical matters when you meet with your advisor, the more time you will have for such important topics. Before you meet with your advisor, you can prepare by reviewing ALL the information in Section II of the FYS Registration Booklet. There you will learn the following:

• What kinds of classes are appropriate for students in their first year.
• The degree requirements for Middlebury College.
• The evolving policies around using pre-college testing credits (AP, IB, et.) towards course choices and course placements.
• The basic guidelines for pursuing a Health Professions track or studying abroad, though making hard commitments about those paths is not necessary at this early stage.