It is important to carefully prepare for your advisement appointment with your advisor. He or she cannot adequately help you if you do not properly prepare. Please review the below prerequisites prior to your visit. 

Student Responsibilities

• Prepare for advising session
  • Have a list of courses you plan to take
  • Have a copy of your degree plan
  • Have a copy of your degree requirements for your minor
  • Review the Undergraduate Bulletin
• Schedule and attend academic advising appointment
  • Follow links to appointment scheduling
  • Login using your Blackboard username and ID
  • If you can't make your scheduled appointment, reschedule in a timely manner
• Visit your school/college website often for information on academic dates, policies and procedures
• Accept responsibility for your decisions and actions. Seek assistance and ask questions when needed. 

Please note that all transfer students, despite their status in the former school, are placed in lower division advisement for at least one semester.

As a new psychology major, you will be placed in Lower Division.

There are three prerequisites which must be completed during the first thirty hours as a declared psychology major:

1. Psyc 101 (Introduced to Psychology),
2. Psyc 226 (Research Methods)
3. Achievement of at least a 2.25 cumulative USC grade point average.

Once these three prerequisites are completed, you will be moved into the Upper Division.

While in Lower Division, you will be assigned to the Undergraduate Student Services Office (specifically the Undergraduate Coordinator) for group advising. This is the procedure:

1. Receive advisement reminder by email, blackboard or PSYC Listserv.
2. Sign up on-line for one of the sessions convenient to your schedule.
3. Review your handbook, look at the available courses on the web or the master schedule,  take time to plan courses and write down questions.
4. Attend session for which you signed up.
5. Bring a copy of the degree plan and a list of courses you want to take.

GROUP ADVISING SESSION: During the group advising, you will participate in a large group session and small group session.

The large group session will cover information which all majors need to know and provides an opportunity to ask questions. You will then divide into a small group led by a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor already has your records and will discuss your course needs with you at that time.

SARS Calendar – On-line advising appointment sign up

 

After successful completion of the lower division perquisites requirements within your first thirty hours in the major, you will be moved into Upper Division and assigned to an individual faculty advisor. 

Prior to the advisement period, you will receive an email reminding you to sign up for an appointment session. 

• You will need to go to the SARS Calendar and sign up for an appointment

Your advisor will have your records and the necessary forms. The key to a successful appointment is being prepared. It is very important to SIGN UP EARLY and KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT. Rescheduling is up to the advisor and usually only occurs in the case of verifiable emergencies. The Undergraduate Office doesn't advise during this period. 

Procedure:

1. Receive advisement reminder by email, Blackboard or PSYC Listserv.
2. Sign up on-line for one of the sessions convenient to your schedule.
3. Review your handbook, look at the available courses on the web or the master schedule, take time to plan courses and write down questions.
4. Arrive on time for your advisement appointment. Bring a copy of the degree plan, and list of specific courses you plan to take. If you have a minor or a double major, bring those requirements with you to your advisement appointment.

After your advisement appointment, you will return your folder to the Undergraduate Office in 208 Barnwell, complete an advisor evaluation, and turn in the pink copy of your signed advisement form. 

Minor and Cognates

Please note to your students that they must have a minor or cognate to graduate. If they are pursuing a double major, a minor or cognate is not necessary. If they are pursuing a double degree, the student will need to choose a minor or cognate to graduate. 

The different between a double major and double degree follows:

• It is a double major if the students' other course of study is a major within the College of Arts and Sciences, such as English.
• A double degree is when a student takes a second major outside of the College of Arts and Sciences, such as Business.

Students must earn a "C" or better for a class to count towards a minor or cognate. Note that pre-med, pre-law and pre-pharmacy cannot be minors. They can qualify as cognates but classes must be taken at the appropriate level.

Notes on Cognates

Please note to your students who choose the cognate option that most areas of study require them to take courses at the 300-level. 

• For example, if a student wants to pursue an "education cognate," all their courses should start at the 300-level and higher.
• There are exceptions to this rule such as philosophy cognates which can begin at the 200-level. The exceptions can be found in the student handbook.

Minor Bulletin

• Encourage your students to choose a minor as soon as possible. Some minors require classes which are only offered in certain semesters or require prerequisites. The current minor bulletin can be found on the Undergraduate Bulletin.

 

Senior Checks

Students are advised to get a senior check done for them the semester before the semester they plan to graduate (so if they are graduating in May of any given year, they should do their senior check in the previous fall semester).

This way, the undergraduate office in combination with the Dean's office can catch any errors in the student's file or warn them of classes they need to finish in order to graduate.

Waiting until the semester of graduation poses a risk of not being able to sign up for a class that might be needed for graduation.