May 9, 2001
Dear Member of the Hopkins Class of 2005:
Congratulations on your admission into Johns Hopkins University. Your family must be very proud of you, just as you are eager to begin a new stage in life. The next four years can be the most extraordinary of your life, as you strengthen your skills, deepen your convictions and broaden your mind. Life in college is fleeting and precious, so we want you to make the most of it.
The Office of Academic Advising (OAA) will serve as your intellectual guide to Hopkins, helping you explore your options and succeed academically. Our academic advisers understand the special challenges of entering college. Our institution-wide perspective will be useful as you search for an academic niche that is satisfying and inspiring. We're accessible; you can walk in to see us or make an appointment any weekday from 8:30 to 4:30 at our new offices on the 3rd floor of Garland Hall. While freshmen in Arts and Sciences do not get faculty advisers until the end of their first year, you are encouraged to meet with a faculty "Open Adviser" in any discipline to discuss course offerings and majors. Departments will be hosting open houses during Orientation, which will give you a chance to meet faculty, tour facilities and consider your options.
To help us meet your needs, you must complete and immediately return to us the enclosed questionnaires, including the Freshman Advising Profile, no later than June 1. When we receive them, we will send you the Freshman Academic Guidebook and a pre-registration form. The Guidebook outlines course offerings, provides information on majors, and offers thoughts on careers and other opportunities. Use the Guidebook to choose your first semester's course schedule, then complete the registration form and return it to us. We will review it and then forward it to the Registrar. You can always add or drop courses when you get here, but it's good to reserve a spot early. Please call us (410-516-8216) or e-mail us (advising@jhu.edu) when you're making your choices. We want to help, but you need to ask us.
Let me offer an initial piece of advice: do not rush to take all your requirements right away. Give each course and each discipline the time and attention they deserve. Just as important, leave plenty of room for experimentation and serendipity. They are essential to a great college experience.
We hope you will begin your time at Hopkins thrilled by the possibilities and the promise of intellectual adventure. Until next time, take care. (Remember to return those questionnaires now. You can't pre-register without sending them back to us!)
With best wishes,
John B. Bader, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean
We will be sending you a packet of advising materials early in May. Please complete these forms and return them to the Office of Academic Advising as quickly as possible. You will need to send a passport size photograph that can be attached to your advising profile.
We will also be sending you a Freshman Academic Guidebook around June 1 after we have received your completed advising forms and your photo. The guidebook will describe each of the majors at Johns Hopkins and the courses that you should take for each major in the first two years. Even if you are decided about your major, we encourage you to look at the dozens of choices in the guidebook and choose courses that will introduce you to several majors of interest to you. Many (most?) students will change their major at least once in their undergraduate years.
Who Can You Talk To?
The academic advisors will be available all summer to help answer your questions, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The office number is 410 516-8216.
The advisors can also be reached by email: sanders@jhu.edu, breckag@jhu.edu, and aranow_r@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
Last modified: May1, 2001