Academic Advising can sometimes be an intimidating and confusing part of college, but it doesn’t need to be! With the right information, academic advising can be one of the most helpful aspects of your college career. Below some frequently asked questions are answered from a student’s perspective.

Should I contact the school department chair for questions about minors/majors?

Within your major, there are program advisors. For the School of Communication, Andrea Weber, Travis Bartosh, and Arleen Bejarono can all be contacted with questions about your academic career at Chapman. Taking advantage of these resources is extremely helpful as they are able to help you personalize your academic career within the School of Communication.

For your minor, you are able to contact academic advising located in Beckman Hall, or you can reach out to someone within the school of your minor.

Can I take interterm at a community college and transfer credits? Can it only be at Chapman?

No. Interterm is a program that is exclusive to Chapman University. The price of interterm is included in your tuition. Otherwise, classes can be taken during summer at a community college.

How do I find internships?

Internships can be found through various platforms, although academic advising isn’t usually one of these. Someone from the School of Communication faculty might be able to guide you in a certain direction to find or connect you with an internship, but this is ultimately on the student. Internships are posted through Handshake, which is connected to Chapman’s Career and Professional Development Center. Otherwise, some other good platforms are Linkedin, Indeed.com, and individual company websites.

How do we know what classes will be offered as future interterm classes?

Some classes are offered every interterm, while some are only offered during select interterm sessions. An academic advisor would be able to help you decide what classes you should plan on taking during interterm based on past years.

What happens when you meet with an advisor?

An advisor will ask you to come prepared with a printed version of your program evaluation which they will go into depth discussing with you. In a typical advising meeting, you will review each of the requirements to graduate regarding General Education, Major, and Minor fulfillments. Other questions can be asked and discussed based on an individual’s need.

How often should I visit my advisor?

It depends on the student, but it could be as much as once per semester to as little as once a year. Depending on how much guidance you think you need, the advisors are there to help. Whether it be checking out some classes for the next semester with you, or making sure you’re graduating on time, your Chapman coursework will be backed up by their advice.

What can I do now to prepare for my career?

Internships are always a great way to figure out what you’re interested in and what you might not like. In my personal internship experience, I was able to discover company cultures that I loved and some that I didn’t like. All of this prepared me when searching for my first job and has helped the transition in working full time.

What happens if I miss my registration date?

If you miss your registration date, you can still register. Depending on your classes, some of them might be waitlisted. In this case, it is always helpful to reach out to the professors to see the availability of the waitlist and see what you can do to enroll in the class.

What is double counting credits?

Sometimes, certain courses can count for general education credit and major/minor credit. This can only be applied a few times but will help in the long run giving you one less requirement to fill.

Can I have both a cluster and a minor?

No. You can have a double minor if you want to take on both minors. Otherwise, you can take the classes from a cluster and have that experience, it just won’t show up on your program evaluation as your cluster.

How do I register for a summer internship?

To register a summer internship you have to apply through the Career Development Center. You also need to register for the ‘course’ and pay for the number of credits completed through the business office.

What’s the difference between an academic advisor and your program advisor?

An academic advisor is someone who works in the Beckman office. They oversee the advising of the entire School of Communication.

A program advisor is a professor within the School of Communication who can also help you to review your program evaluation. Your program advisor might be able to personalize your session a bit more since they are actively teaching within the school.

Who do I talk to about studying abroad?

The Center for Global Education can discuss studying abroad with you. You can also review your study abroad plans with a program advisor.

How do I figure out if transfer credits counted towards anything for my current program evaluation?

Academic advisors can help you to do this. They will go over your transfer courses and see if anything will apply.

Can you take SCC/COM 295 with upper-division coursework, or does it have to be done before taking higher-level classes?

You must take COM (for COM majors) or SCC 100 (for SCC majors) and receive a B- or above prior to taking COM/SCC 295 (either major can take COM or SCC 295). You are permitted to take 300 level courses while enrolled in 295. You must complete 295 with a C or better in order to enroll in 400 level courses.

How do you enroll in a class?

Enrollment for classes takes place on my.chapman.edu site where you login with your Chapman credentials.

How do you declare a minor or major?

A form for change of major and minor are located through the registrar’s website. After filling out the appropriate information and drop it off at the registrar’s office.