There are various advising relationships within the Compass Curriculum which includes a MAP Advisor, a Major Advisor, a Student Success Advisor, and a Career Advisor.
While advisors will have discrete responsibilities for student advising, they will operate as a team by: sharing information through academic records like DegreeWorks, participating in MAP Days to support the cohorts, supporting students in the first semester in conversation with the FYE instructor, and advising students consistently about student responsibilities in relation to the MAP.
Mentored Academic Pathway (MAP) Advisor
Students will be matched with a Mentored Academic Pathway (MAP) Advisor immediately upon arrival to Wheaton. The MAP Advisor, ordinarily a faculty member, will serve as the consistent four-year advisor for a student. Students will engage with their MAP Advisor to purposefully plan their Wheaton academic career, especially with respect to identifying and leveraging the value of a liberal arts degree.
MAP advisors will:
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Help students to navigate the Compass Curriculum and recognize the value of the liberal arts
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Meet with students individually at least once a semester
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Read, respond to, and engage in conversations about MAP questions
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Participate in MAP Day
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Organize group meetings with the MAP cohort (at least once per semester on MAP day)
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Designate MAPs as complete to Registrar
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Advise student regarding course selection prior to major declaration and discuss course selection outside of the major in years 3&4
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Ensure students are aware of honors and scholars programs, including Global Honors, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Eliza Wheaton Scholars program (and the connection between Eliza Wheaton and Latin Honors)
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Advise student on options for completing Sophomore Experience
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Confirm with Registrar that student has completed Sophomore Experience
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Receive WISE warnings; respond prior to major declaration
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Orient students to using DegreeWorks and tracking completion of programs
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Support petitions for dropping courses past deadline prior to major declaration
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Refer students to appropriate academic resources, as needed
Student Success Advisors (SSAs)
Students, through their cohort, will be paired with a Student Success Advisor from the Filene Center. The Student Success Advisor will participate in MAP Days programming and will be available to students and cohorts throughout the 4 years.
The SSA will:
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Support students and the MAP Advisor in navigating academic policies and processes
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Serve as a resource for and referral agent to various opportunities and services throughout campus
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Perform degree audits with students
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Work with students who need more support and guidance
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Perform Eliza Wheaton and Latin Honors audit and graduation clearance in the second semester of the junior year
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Receive WISE warnings and follow up with students on concerns
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Work with students on academic probation or on the Care Team list
Major advisor
Upon declaring a major, students will be matched with an advisor within the major or, at the discretion of the department, a contact person if the department utilizes a team advising approach
The major advisor, or the department, will:
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Ensure that student completes requirements for the major
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Advise around internships, post graduation planning options, and careers related to the major and interests
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Ensure that students are aware of Career Services, including Career Communities and Handshake.
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Receive and respond to WISE warnings
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Support petitions for late adds/drops
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Coordinate with MAP advisor on issues or questions of concern
Career Advisor
Students are able to work with any of the professional and peer career advisors (CPA) in the Filene Center.They can schedule an appointment with a professional advisor through the career management platform Handshake or drop in to speak with a CPA without an appointment. Career advisors are available to students throughout their four years at Wheaton and as alumni.
For Students the Career Advisor will:
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Be a resource for career-related conversations including: majors, funding, internships, part-time, summer employment, post-graduation planning (jobs, fellowships, graduate school) and as career considerations emerge in MAPs responses, etc.
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Connect students with campus resources and alumni that will help them explore career interests
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Maintain notes about student career services appointments, conversations, funding, and some experiences for the full MAP team and the Registrar to access.
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Assist with MAP Day programming
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Provide general career and major-specific career resources and training to MAPs team advisors.
Pre-professional advisors
In addition to advisors assigned by the college, Wheaton students interested in a range of professional fields may also consult faculty with expertise in those professions. Students may seek pre-professional advice in the fields of medicine and health, education, law, business, communications, theology, engineering, and art.
Peer Academic Mentors & Peer Coaches
Peer Academic Mentors assist new students throughout orientation and their first year at Wheaton. They provide peer perspectives on academic issues and responsibilities, guide students in their preliminary course selections in preparation for meetings with their faculty advisors, and connect students to the Wheaton community. Peer coaches are also available to help students with study skills and offer reading, time management, note-taking and test-taking strategies.
The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services
The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services is an integrated hub for personal advising, professional mentorship and career success. Staff inspire and empower students and alumni to develop a comprehensive approach to planning for and achieving success both at Wheaton and in an increasingly more global world. In partnership with academic and career advisors, students will explore their strengths and curiosities and be connected with relevant resources and experiential opportunities. In building an institutional culture of inclusive and holistic advising, staff collaborate with and consult faculty and staff mentors in a manner that helps them to serve the current academic planning and future post-graduate needs of students.
As one center, both Academic Advising and Career Services offer workshops throughout the year on such topics as self-exploration, academic planning, navigating opportunities for study abroad, undergraduate research and postgraduate study, résumé writing, researching, interviewing, and job-search techniques and strategies. Students can develop and refine their pathways that include academic pursuits or career and professional skills through frequent workshop attendance and use of the Center’s resources.
Experiential Learning
Learning from experience provides Wheaton students with the opportunity to preview potential career paths, experience “real world” connections to their course work, choose their academic majors and minors with greater discernment, and learn more about their emerging interests, strengths and values. Whether undertaken during summers, winter breaks or incorporated into the academic year, internships, jobs, practicums, and co-curricular activities enable students to experience and learn from and about the world beyond Wheaton. Students partner with faculty and staff to explore opportunities in a wide variety of organizations, including museums, banks, hospitals, national media outlets, social service organizations, government agencies, and investment companies. Through this advising partnership, students learn to reflect upon and connect their interests and values to future career and educational choices.
By developing a relationship with their academic and career advising teams early, and continuing to meet with them often, students can integrate experiences with their academic interests, and build a portfolio of skills and relevant activities to successfully pursue graduate school, national fellowships, and competitive employment opportunities. This synthesis of knowledge and skills from both inside, and outside the classroom is the essence of the Wheaton Edge.
The Wheaton Edge
The Wheaton Edge combines the guarantee of funding for experiential learning with the high-quality educational program for which the college is known, including:
- personalized support for each student from professors and staff to set goals, plan a course of study and explore interests on campus and beyond.
- a rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education through our Connection and Compass curriculums that provides numerous opportunities to link the liberal arts to the wider world,
- a residential campus experience directed by students, offering myriad opportunities to shape the Wheaton experience and develop leadership skills.
The Wheaton Edge formalizes the college’s long-standing commitment to providing an outstanding liberal arts education that includes real-world experience. Students will become eligible for summer funding by working with Career Services over the course of several semesters, culminating in the sophomore or junior year. The Center’s program for internship preparation is designed to ensure that students are prepared to make the most of their funded experience. The college has more than 25 years of experience in actively helping students explore their interests through internships, research projects, service work and other experiential learning opportunities. It’s an integral part of the program that enables our students to follow their passion and achieve success after graduation.
Year-round Funding Opportunities
With the support of foundations, alumni and college funds, Career Services administers several funding opportunities which award stipends from $2000 to $5000 to students who secure summer internships, service experiences, and/ or structured independent research in the United States and abroad. Small financial stipends are awarded for winter-break experiences, conference attendance, and to defray the cost of commuting to an off-campus opportunity during the school year.
Balfour/Community/Trustee Scholars
Some students are designated Merit Scholars in the Wheaton Admissions process and have a summer stipend designated for use during the summer immediately following their sophomore or junior year. Career Services collaborates with these students to explore summer opportunities and/or faculty-led trips which can be supported with the stipend. This stipend may also be used to support an academic abroad program which has a significant internship component.
Off-campus Jobs
Career Services collects local and regional off-campus job postings for summer and term-time employment. Our staff partners with students to explore part-time and/or seasonal summer job options. Students can attend thematic workshops offered throughout the academic year pertaining to part-time and summer job search strategies.
Tutoring
Wheaton supplements in-class learning by providing faculty Writing Associates and peer tutors in writing and many other subjects, available both in person and remotely.
Faculty Writing Associates, who teach writing courses within the English Department, are available by appointment to help all students with both academic and co-curricular writing, at any stage and in any subject. Often they support students engaged in larger projects such as Honors Theses and semester-long independent research.
Peer writing tutors, who work in the Scholars Lab of Wallace Library, come from a variety of majors and have successfully completed Introduction to Tutoring Writing (EDU 220). They are available on a drop-in basis to help students with writing projects in any discipline, at any stage of the process. They also support students who are creating digital compositions.
Peer subject tutors offer drop-in peer support in Kollett Hall for a wide variety of subjects. These tutors participate in multiple focused Tutor Development workshops every semester. They can support students working through assignments, reinforce challenging concepts, and offer alternative perspectives on material. The tutors’ goals are to model successful approaches to inquiry and learning, and to support students as they learn to ask and answer productive questions.
All peer tutors are recommended by faculty and continue their professional development throughout their tutoring career at Wheaton
Students interested in learning more about tutoring at Wheaton, either as tutors or tutees, will find up-to-date information and schedules at https://wheatoncollege.edu/academics/filene-center-for-academic-advising-and-career-services/tutoring/.
Accessibility Services
The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services also provides services for Wheaton students with disabilities. Professional staff in Accessibility Services is available to discuss accommodations and services that are available to students with documented disabilities. For more information, see the Accessibility Services page on the college website.
Marshall Center for Intercultural Learning
The Marshall Center staff provide support and services designed to positively impact the success and retention of students of color. We also work to engage the broader campus in learning around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).
The Marshall Center aims to affirm each student’s unique identities, to build a community that draws from them and to cultivate leaders who will introduce to the world the value of human diversity. Each and every member of the Wheaton community has a role and responsibility in this process.
The Center’s offerings include an Early Arrival Program, running the campus Intergroup Dialogue program, mentoring and coaching with individual students and clubs, as well as sponsoring cultural and heritage month programs.
All programs of the Marshall Center are an extension of the college’s commitment to DEIB as an educational asset.
Center for Global Education
The Center for Global Education (CGE) serves as a hub of resources for students, faculty and staff who wish to engage with the world. We offer opportunities for students of all majors and interests to study and intern in some of the most unique locations around the world. The Center is also a place our international students can come for that additional bit of support as they adjust to their home away from home. Additionally, the Center supports faculty as they develop academic experiences that help students encounter, negotiate and understand global issues in relation to their own lives.
Students interested in study abroad opportunities may consult one of the advisors in the Center for Global Education. Both peer and professional advisors are available to assist Wheaton students as they explore global learning opportunities.
The Center offers a wide range of study abroad programs, the result of numerous connections and partnerships with overseas institutions. These programs are located in countries as diverse as Australia, South Africa, Argentina, China, Denmark, Bhutan, Japan and Madagascar. As extensions of Wheaton’s curriculum, these opportunities enrich the academic experience of students and provide unique cross-cultural insights. Generally, students participate in study abroad during their junior year, but sophomores (second semester) and seniors (first semester) can also receive consideration in relation to their plan of study and preparation. Most forms of financial aid and merit scholarships may be used on Wheaton study abroad programs. The Center provides services to Wheaton’s growing and important population of international students, visiting scholars and language assistants. It works closely with the Worldfest Committee and other student groups to bring cross-cultural programming to campus. The Center is committed to institutionalizing global education values on campus— one of the significant ways in which Wheaton is transforming itself to make its educational experience relevant for the 21st century. For further information, visit the Center for Global Education (5 Howard Street) or visit our website to learn more about our Global and Intercultural offerings.
Wallace Library
The Madeleine Clark Wallace Library, housed in an historic building at the heart of campus, serves as the intellectual hub of the college. The library is staffed by librarians, technologists, professional staff, and more than 50 student workers, and is open over 100 hours per week during the academic year. The library is also home to the Marion B. Gebbie Archives and Special Collections, the IT help desk, writing tutors, and faculty writing associates.
The library connects students, faculty, and staff to ideas and information, creating an environment for self-exploration and learning. The instruction program reaches more than 150 classes each year, ensuring students develop critical research and technology skills. Specialized instruction in the Archives exposes students to research using primary source materials.
The library’s collections contain more than 300,000 ebooks, 250,000 print books, 50,000 ejournals, 100,000 streaming videos, and 75 research databases. Access to databases and electronic resources are available anywhere on campus, as well as off campus. The textbook reserve program ensures that almost all required textbooks are available for students to borrow. Wallace Library provides access to materials beyond Wheaton through participation in the Higher Education Library and Information Network (HELIN) Consortium and interlibrary loan.
The library provides public computing, printing, wireless access, and listening/viewing facilities for multimedia materials. The library’s public computers offer productivity software, specialized academic software, and assistive technology applications. Collaborative workrooms, group study spaces, individual carrels, study tables and comfortable seating arrangements are located throughout the building.
The library partners with IT to provide access to discipline-specific hardware and software in computer labs across campus, including specialized resources for graphic design, film, photography, foreign languages, psychology, physics, astronomy, biology, statistical analysis, and geographical information systems (GIS).
Office of the Registrar
The Office of the Registrar handles all matters pertaining to course registration and academic records, including transcripts and letters certifying enrollment at the college. The schedule of classes, catalog and course selection process, through which students can complete their registration (as well as many forms and publications), are available online through the Office of the Registrar. Declarations of majors and minors are filed in this office by the established deadlines. Students can also find answers to many of their academic, registration, and graduation questions at the information desk in the Office of the Registrar.
Wheaton College Early Education Center
The Wheaton College Early Education Center (formerly know as: Elisabeth Amen Nursery School at Wheaton College) is the laboratory school for the Psychology Department. Students from Developmental Psychology are required to perform observation at the nursery school as a part of the course requirements. In the Developmental Lab course, upperclass psychology majors conduct research on various topics. In addition, seniors from the Psychology Department, as well as other departments such as Anthropology and Sociology conduct research as a part of their senior thesis.
The Elisabeth Amen Nursery School has been a site for child study and research since its beginning in 1931. The primary functions of the laboratory school are to demonstrate good nursery school practices, provide a sound educational setting for preschool children and serve as an active center for child study and research. Thus, in addition to providing a supportive atmosphere for preschoolers, the nursery school offers a wide range of experiences to college students in the fields of psychology, education, family studies and related areas. The children in this laboratory school benefit from expert guidance by teachers and college professors actively working in the fields of child development and early childhood education; college students gain hands-on experience in both teaching and research.
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