My latest advising statement (#1331)

Topics/tags: Grinnell, things I needed to write anyway

Late last week, we had our department’s annual How to declare a CS major session. As I described in an earlier musing, Grinnell’s CS department handles advising differently than many other departments. To help ensure equity of access to advisers, we ask all second-year CS majors to provide us with a ranked list of potential advisers early in the fourth semester and then run some software to provide a semi-optimal matching. To help students choose advisors, we each give a short statement about our approaches to advising in an open curriculum. (Read that prior musing for more details.)

The changes in Grinnell’s spring schedule [1] means that some things have moved up a bit. Last year, we held the session in mid-February. I can’t recall why, but I wasn’t able to attend. Hence I wrote s musing with a similar title in which I prepared the statement to send to majors. This year, we held it at the end of January. And this year, I was able to attend.

Because I enjoy revisiting things, I decided that I’d write a new statement this year. I wrote it without looking at the prior statements.

Hi. I’m Sam Rebelsky [2]. I’m the senior active member of the department. Those of you who’ve had a class from me know that I’m opinionated, snarky, and disorganized. I hope you also feel that I’m kind, knowledgeable, and funny [3]. Well, maybe not that last thing. You will see many of those characteristics in my advising. I will push you to articulate a model of the liberal arts and explain how your choice of courses fits into that model. I’ll forget things unless you remind me. I may even forget that you’re my advisee [4]. But I’ll care about you, I’ll advocate for you, and I know a lot about how the College operates (or used to operate). History suggests that I’m intrusive enough that I’ll probably register you for classes if you don’t do so yourself.

I should also let you know that I’m scheduled to be on sabbatical next year. But my sabbitical will be here, so I’ll be around.

I ended up saying a lot more, but I don’t rememember much of it. I forget a lot these days. Perhaps I always have. I recall that colleagues talked about personal interests (sportsball and such), so I may have mentioned my interests in whatever it is I do. I almost certainly forgot to mention that I write for fun [5].

What did I say last year? Let’s see …

It is my responsibility as your CS advisor to help you craft a liberal education that includes a computer science major. In the ideal, that means that we will work together to ensure that you can articulate the goals and components of a liberal arts education (preferably beyond one from column A and one from column B), that you select courses that will help you achieve those goals, and that you can explain how your collection of curricular and extracurricular work makes you liberally educated. We will also work together to design an education that makes you a computer scientist. In practice, I will also help you deal with the red tape and complex systems at the College and advise you on how to navigate the limited resources in the CS major at Grinnell. At times, you will find that I am a hands off advisor; if you don’t ask for help, I won’t offer it. At other times, particularly when registration deadlines near, you may find that I am a helicopter advisor.

In preparation for writing your essay and meeting with me, you should revisit the College Catalog’s statement on Liberal Education and read William Cronon’s Only Connect … The Goals of a Liberal Education https://www.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Cronon_Only_Connect.pdf.

I expect that before declaring a CS major you will enter your four-year plan on SelfService (aka Academic Planning). I also expect that your declaration essay will reflect a coherent notion of a liberal education and suggest how that four-year plan helps achieve such an education. In the past, many of my advisees found that they had to rewrite that essay a few times. I am happy to work with you on these components of your declaration.

I require that you send me a PDF copy of your major declaration before you turn it in to the Registrar’s office [2,3].

I should also mention that I am among the least organized people you will ever meet. One look at my office or lab should tell you that.

Damn! That’s much better. I should have looked at it. Or, better yet, I should follow the lead of my colleagues, and create an advising page. Hmmmm …

Done! I now have my own advising page.

Postscript:

In reading the Major Declaration form, I found the following.

The Grinnell College curriculum gives each student responsibility for planning an individual course of study in the liberal arts. The Grinnell College Comprehensive Plan is an important document that explains the special design of the program. [6]

I must admit that I have no idea what The Grinnell College Comprehensive Plan is or even where you find it. I guess I’ll have to look. Or ask. Or both.

[1] We now have spring break between weeks seven and eight, rather than weeks eight and nine.

[2] At some point, I stopped insisting on Samuel A. Rebelsky.

[3] To be honest, no one who is honest says I’m funny. Maybe funny looking.

[4] I know that I’ve had something like that in some past statement.

[5] At least that’s one reason I write. I also write to learn.

[6] Grinnell College Major Declaration Form. Found online at https://grinco.sharepoint.com/sites/Registrars_Office/Students/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FRegistrars%5FOffice%2FStudents%2FMajors%20and%20Concentrations%2FMajor%20Declaration%20or%20Change%20of%20Major%20Form%2D2021%2D%20Accessible%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FRegistrars%5FOffice%2FStudents%2FMajors%20and%20Concentrations. [7]

[7] Isn’t that a wonderfully informative URL?

Version 1.0 of 2025-02-03.