Sophomore-Year College Advising Form

Who: all first-year students without a declared major

Why: so that both you and your college adviser confirm your advising plans and you are connected to an academic adviser for your sophomore year

When: between March 27 - May 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Where: look in your email inbox during the week of March 25 for a message from  forms@yale.edu with the subject heading, “Invitation to Sophomore-Year College Adviser Form.” It contains your individualized link to your Sophomore-Year College Adviser form. You’ll also receive a weekly reminder email with your personalized link in your inbox.

Notes:

  • First-years with a declared major do not need to submit a Sophomore-Year College Advising form
    • When a student declares a major, the DUS of that major automatically and  immediately becomes the student’s academic adviser and replaces their former college adviser
  • Students who declare a major after receiving this email will continue to receive weekly reminders to submit this form (i.e., the form isn’t smart enough to know that that a student declared a major after the form was issued). To eliminate receiving weekly reminders email ycwebdept@yale.edu.

See also:

Each spring, first-year students are asked to use the Sophomore-Year College Adviser form

  • to confirm that you will remain with your current  adviser (i.e., your “college adviser,” selected for you by your residential college dean) in your sophomore year
  • to select a faculty member as your college (academic) adviser for your sophomore year

Choosing a sophomore-year adviser

First-year students are encouraged to choose a faculty member as their college adviser for the sophomore year, and when a student changes from one adviser to another, the new adviser must be a faculty member.

Many students choose their new adviser from among the instructors of courses they took during their first year or from the faculty members in a department that interests them (perhaps as their potential major). Others select a director of undergraduate studies (DUS) or designated departmental representative. Such faculty members are especially valuable as advisers, particularly for STEM majors and for students who have identified a major. Most faculty members are happy to advise students during their sophomore year.

However, some students develop strong advising relationships with their initial college advisers and choose to continue that relationship into the sophomore year by opting to remain with their initial adviser.

It is important to indicate a college adviser for your sophomore year with whom you feel comfortable discussing your course selections, your goals for your education and beyond, and your Yale career in general.

Students may change advisers at most once per term (unless they obtain permission of their residential college dean).

It is expected that sophomores declare their major by the end of the year, or earlier for STEM majors. See also Declaring a Major.

Do first-years with a declared major need to submit the Sophomore-Year College Advising form? No, after you select a major, the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) in that major, or the DUS’s designee, automatically becomes your academic adviser. Thus, first-years with a major do not need to submit a Sophomore-Year College Advising form.

How the electronic form works

Click on the Sophomore-Year College Advising Form link you received in your inbox with the Subject heading “Invitation to Sophomore-Year College Advising Form.” The sender is “forms@yale.edu.” After CASing in with your NetID, you’ll see prefills for some of your basic information.

►Students who have already declared a major will encounter a “stop sign,” indicating that they do not need to submit a S-YCA Form.

Complete the form and write a message in the text box (1) to request that your current adviser continue to advise you in your sophomore year or (2) to ask a faculty member to become your college adviser for your sophomore year.

►Students who plan to switch to a new college adviser are encouraged, as a courtesy, to email their current college adviser with a notification and a thank-you.

Click “Submit Form” to proceed with your request. You will receive an email  when a decision regarding your request has been finalized.
  • If the person you indicate accepts your request, no further action is required 
  • If the person you indicate declines your request, you will be advised to select another college adviser and to submit a new form (advisers most commonly decline because of upcoming leaves of absence or new duties).
Visit the “My Forms” link in the NextGen Dynamic Forms application to view the status of your request(s).
 

Please also keep in mind that your residential college dean is available to counsel you about selecting a college adviser or about next steps.

Sample language to use in the text box of your sophomore-year college adviser request

  • I enjoyed our advising relationship this year and kindly request that you continue to advise me next year. Are you available? 
  • I was a student in your ___ course and kindly request that you consider becoming my college adviser for my sophomore year. Are you available?
  • I am a potential ___ major, and kindly request that you consider becoming my college adviser for my sophomore year. Are you available?

For technical assistance

For technical assistance with the college advising request form, please contact ycwebdept@yale.edu

For questions about advising in the sophomore year, please contact your residential college dean (students) or email advising@yale.edu (students and advisers).