Advisors

Clarkson University » Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering » Student Handbook

Guidance in selecting from the smorgasbord of career paths and course offerings is always available from your family, your roommate, your professors, and most importantly, from your faculty advisor. Your advisor will be your primary link with the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, particularly in your freshman year when you take relatively few engineering courses. Each chemical engineering major has been assigned an advisor on an alphabetical basis. All advisors are faculty members of the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department have offices in the CAMP building. Try to get to know your advisor early and well.

You may wish to change your advisor, perhaps because you have developed career interests which overlap those of another member of the ChBE faculty, or for other reasons. To make a change, go to the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department Office, CAMP 220 or make an appointment to see either the Executive Officer or Chair. Changing an advisor is not difficult, however, the department would like to be aware of any potential conflicts or problems that may have occurred.

Advisor - Student Relationship
Visit your advisor more frequently than once a semester so that he or she will become familiar with you, and you with your advisor. This will make the advising process easier and more productive. For example, your advisor will be able to write more effective employment or scholarship recommendations for you if he/she knows you well. Advisors want to help, but it is important to note that they also have many other things to do. Like you, their time is restricted. So, call ahead for an appointment. That way they are not caught off guard and can be prepared for the meeting with you.

Advisor's Responsibility
The advisor is there to help you; help may include career advice, or help in choosing courses. All advisors meet with their advisees during course selection week. Your advisor will have a sign-up sheet posted outside of his/her office door prior to course selection week so that you can make an appointment. The advisor prepares for these meetings by knowing the curriculum well. That means knowing substitute courses, course options available, and the best courses for a certain area of interest. Finally, the advisor must know you, the student. Knowing your goals and interests will help him/her to suggest courses that suit you. After discussing your curriculum, the advisor will sign your course selection form.

Your course schedule can be changed through completion of a Drop/Add form. Your advisor needs to sign this form. It may be obtained from the Student Administrative Services (SAS) Center, located in the Cubley-Reynolds annex, or in the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, located in 220 CAMP.

Student's Responsibility
The student, not the advisor, is responsible for meeting Clarkson's graduation requirements. Therefore, begin now to plan your Clarkson career. Then you can go into the course selection meeting with your choices for classes pre-selected. Try to see your advisor early in the semester, as was mentioned above. That way many details and problems can be ironed out before the hectic course selection period. Course selection for the fall term is held in February and for the spring term in late September. Consult the Chemical Engineering curriculum. All courses offered by the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department are posted at course selection time.

Planning ahead is often of particular importance to transfer students. Within the two and sometimes fewer years that transfer students need to complete degree requirements, a carefully planned sequence of courses is often necessary in order to take the prerequisite courses needed for more advanced courses of particular interest.