All new students in the College of Letters & Science (L&S) are assigned to an advising service or an advisor in a specialized program (e.g., Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), L&S Honors Program, Pre-Business).  Advisor assignments are based on what is known about students' academic plans when they attend one of the Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) sessions. 

• Some students are assigned an advisor based on their participation in a specific program (e.g., Center for Academic Excellence). 
  
• Most students are assigned to an advising service (Academic Advising Services and Cross-College Advising Service).
  
• Some students may declare their major and are assigned a department advisor. 

L&S undergraduate students are usually assigned to advising services that focus on assisting L&S undergraduate students in achieving their academic goals.   Students who have already decided on their L&S major at SOAR are assigned an academic advisor in L&S Academic Advising Services which is a part of L&S Academic Advising Services until they are able to declare their major(s).  Students who are still considering several options in L&S and/or considering a major outside of L&S will be assigned an academic advisor in Cross-College Advising Service (CCAS).  The advisor assigned at SOAR will likely remain a student's primary academic advisor until the student declares a major.

Academic advising for students who have chosen an L&S major and have not yet declared is provided by peer advisors, permanent staff, and volunteers from academic departments.  Advisors are assigned based upon a student's intended major.  All advisors are responsible primarily to provide general academic advice, with particular emphasis on the BA/BS degree requirements and in preparation for students to declare their major.  Advisors are also expected to provide advice in their areas of expertise.   Undergraduate students are expected to reach out to their undergraduate academic advisors on a regular basis to make sure they are staying on track to graduate in a timely manner.

Contact one of the following resources with further questions: 

L&S Academic Advising Services: (608) 262-5858, advisingaas@ls.wisc.edu
L&S Student Academic Affairs: (608) 262-0617, lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu