Advising Meeting & Spring 2027 Plan

Due: October 30 by 11:59 PM ET · 6% of course grade

1 Purpose

Your Degree Map is a long-range plan. This assignment turns the next piece of it into action before registration opens: you will talk with an advisor about your plan, draft your Spring 2027 schedule, and pick one enrichment opportunity to start working toward.

Timing matters here. The Spring 2027 class schedule posts October 14, time tickets post October 29, and Phase I registration opens November 2. We talk about advising in class on October 23.

2 What to Submit

Submit a single PDF named Lastname-Firstname-Spring-Plan.pdf with three parts:

  1. Advising meeting. The name and role of the person you met with (your academic advisor or a School of Physics faculty member), the date, and a short paragraph on what you discussed and what, if anything, you changed as a result.
  2. Draft Spring 2027 schedule. The courses you plan to register for, with credit hours, checked against your Degree Map. For any course likely to fill, list a backup section or course.
  3. One enrichment opportunity. Choose one: undergraduate research, study abroad, a minor or certificate, a co-op, or an internship. In one paragraph, explain why you chose it and name the first concrete step you will take, with a date.

Upload the PDF directly to this Canvas assignment by the deadline.

3 Expectations

Schedule the meeting early. Advisors are busiest right before registration. Request your meeting by email well before the deadline, using a clear subject line, a proper greeting, and your full name and major. See the textbook guidance on communicating through email.

Come prepared. Bring your Degree Map and a list of questions. A meeting in which you ask specific questions is far more useful than one where the advisor has to guess what you need.

Make the schedule realistic. Check prerequisites, meeting-time conflicts, and your total credit load. The schedule should match what your Degree Map says for Spring 2027, or explain why it changed.

Make the next step concrete. “Look into research” is not a step. “Email two faculty members in condensed matter physics about their groups by November 13” is.

4 Submission Checklist

  • I met with an advisor or faculty member and recorded who, when, and what we discussed.
  • My Spring 2027 schedule is checked against my Degree Map and includes backups.
  • I chose one enrichment opportunity and named a dated first step.
  • I have reviewed the document for clarity, formatting, spelling, and grammar.
  • I have submitted my work as a PDF named Lastname-Firstname-Spring-Plan.pdf.

5 Helpful Resources