What's your Plan?
- Student-Advisor Meeting (SAM): Annual, required meeting with your Academic Advisor (typically in the Spring semester)
- 4-Year Plan of Study: A 'living' document that helps you organize and plan your remaining years at Rensselaer so you are able to take full advantage of each semester, graduate on time, and not miss any requirements. This includes your HASS requirements!
How are they connected?
As a second semester first-year student, you are required to submit a thoughtful draft of your 4-Year Plan during your SAM to your SoE Hub Advisor. This is all part of your preparation and transition to work with your faculty advisor in your sophomore year.
Our consistent goal is to support you in becoming an independent and confident student who is aware of their academic responsibilities and requirements. This is another step you don't want to miss in building awareness of all you can take advantage of at Rensselaer!
Let's dive in:
- Part 1) Student-Advisor Meeting: how to prepare and the requirements
- Part 2) Your 4-Year Plan of Study: why, how, and major-specific Excel templates
- Part 3) HASS Requirements: worksheets, and declaring your PW on SIS
Part One:
Required
Student-Advisor Meeting
- How to prepare for your first SAM Meeting?
- What are the requirements of SAM?
- What happens if you do not meet your SAM Requirement?
- When can you Schedule your SAM?
Let's begin!
How to Prepare for Your First SAM?
It is important to understand that this first SAM is where we help you prepare for all future SAM meetings with your faculty advisor. With your SoE Hub Advisor, you will want to accomplish the following:
- Book your SAM Meeting EARLY: go.oncehub.com/SoEHub
- Prepare the required materials (more below)
- Prepare your questions: future semesters, research, co-op, Arch, Study Abroad, working with your faculty advisor, etc.
Try your best to read and understand all of your major's curriculum requirements! You will need to do this once you transition to your Faculty Advisor, as they will expect you to have full ownership of your 4-Year Plan. Your SoE Hub Advisor will provide feedback during your SAM to help build on your understanding.
What are the Requirements of SAM?
In your SAM Meeting, you must bring the following:
What happens if you do not meet your SAM Requirement?
A Registration Hold
Until you connect with your Academic Advisor, and they approve of your curriculum planning, you will have a Registration Hold. This is called a SAM Hold. Your Academic Advisor is the only member of campus who can and should remove your SAM Hold.
Why? As stated in the video, the objective of the SAM is to ensure that each student has time to meet with their Academic Advisor to review curriculum requirements. Your advisor is also equipped to cover the unique requirements of your specific major. Additionally, you have a personal relationship with your assigned advisor. This allows them to best advise you and provide feedback on the courses that you need to take, and when you should take them.
If you are an athlete or part of ROTC, plan ahead if you intend to take advantage of priority registration. Book a meeting with your Hub Advisor in February, and have all required materials prepared.
What * nightmares * do Hub Advisors find annually?
- The use of another cohort's requirements (if you have Googled your curriculum requirements, you are looking at the wrong information). Do not follow any plan that does not say 'Class of 2026,' or 'AY 2022-2023.'
- Graduation requirements that were missing from developed 4-Year Plans
- Misunderstanding HASS requirements (which will delay graduation)
To summarize, take full advantage of your SAM meeting to avoid silly mistakes and delay your graduation. We are here to help put you on the right track. You need to take ownership, understand the responsibility, and be organized to make it work. This is the beginning of a partnership between you and your advisors. Your first SAM is the perfect place to start!
When can you Schedule your SAM?
Now! Today! Seriously!
Choose a day/time within February and March and add that appointment to your personal calendar to stay organized. It will be very hard to schedule or reschedule the closer we get to registration! You may remember how busy your SoE Hub Advisor was last semester in the weeks before registration...
Please note! Some SoE Hub Advisors will offer alternatives to a one-on-one meeting for this spring's SAM --- pay attention to your email!
Now - how do you create your 4-Year Plan...?
Part Two:
Your 4-Year Plan or Study
Why make a 4-Year Plan of Study?
- Your 4-year plan is an effective tool in planning your path to graduation. When do you want to graduate?
- It allows you to see what you have completed, what courses you still need to take, and various course options for different elective requirements in your major.
- It is the chance to plan toward your bigger goals, such as internships, co-ops, research, study abroad, etc.
- By getting the basics laid out early on, you set yourself up to use your future faculty advisor meetings for more detailed discussions!
How do I get started?
First, watch this video!
Second, download the Class of 2026 spreadsheet that has all of the major templates and several dual templates for your cohort. When you click the button below, an Excel Workbook will automatically download. You will find it in your "Downloads" folder if you do not see it pop up at the bottom of your browser.
SAVE IT IN A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. You will need to access this document at least once a semester, if not more based on your goals and plans.
The SoE Hub will be hosting several 4-Year Plan Workshops through the Spring Semester! Keep an eye on your inbox for all available dates. The first confirmed date will be January 18th, from 10 am to 11 am.
Part Three:
HASS Requirements
HASS Requirements for your SAM Meeting:
- Thoughtfully filled out HASS Worksheet
- Screenshot of your HASS Pathway declared on SIS
To summarize!!!
And that's it!
The School of Engineering First-Year Advising Hub
3306 Ansell Lounge, Jonsson Engineering Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute