The Center for Student Success is excited to launch the First Year Advising Program in the 2025 – 2026 Academic Year. Within this program, students in the below majors (in addition to the Undeclared General and Pathway Program students) will be assigned a professional advisor during their first year at The College of New Jersey. Upon successful completion of their first year, students will then be advised by a faculty advisor (within their area of study) throughout the duration of their undergraduate career.
| Major | Advisor | Major Check Sheet | Suggested 4 Year
Sequence |
| Accounting | Coming soon!
|
Accounting Check Sheet | Accounting Sequence |
| Criminology | Coming soon!
|
Criminology Check Sheet | Criminology Sequence |
| Finance | Coming soon!
|
Finance Check Sheet | Finance Sequence |
| Management | See PAWS Student Center
(Temporary advisors: Gina Marano, Kinsey Hallinger, or Tracy Staeudle; Stay tuned for new advisor!) |
Management Check Sheet – General Track | Management Sequence – General Track |
| Marketing | (Temporary advisor: Mary Lehr;
Stay tuned for new advisor!) |
Marketing Check Sheet | Marketing Sequence |
Your First Year of College
The first year of college offers an exciting time for self awareness, major/career exploration, and getting acclimated to your academic home at The College of New Jersey. You’re likely going to be faced with unique challenges and opportunities as you begin to pave the way for yourself, both personally and professionally. To help you begin your college journey, you’ll be assigned a professional advisor. They will help you navigate your first year, as you learn more about yourself, your interests, degree requirements, campus resources, etc. Think of your advisor as your GPS, and you’re the driver. They’re there to support you, but ultimately you’re responsible/accountable for your college journey. They’re here to help you make the most of it!
Our First Year Advising Syllabus provides resources and framework to get you started on your journey! Be sure to review this, and follow up with your advisor to make sure you understand its contents. Throughout the year, we’ll be following your progress (either informally or through a more formal assessment). This will help inform us about your needs and how we can improve upon what we do to support you.
Advising Appointments
Students must meet with their advisor at least 2 times during their fall semester. Your advisor will reach out to you at the beginning of the semester (soon after the Add/Drop period ends) to welcome you to campus and provide instructions on how to schedule a meeting with them. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule their advising appointments!
- Advising holds: All students in the CSS First Year Advising program will have an advising/registration hold placed on their account in both the fall and spring semesters. All students must meet with their academic advisor (listed on your Student Center in PAWS) to have this hold released. An actual appointment must take place to have this hold released (an email exchange will not replace an appointment).
Fall Semester Advising
- Advising Meeting 1: Intro/welcome meeting (September 8th – October 10th)
- Overview of Major/College Core Requirements
- Academic Requirements Report in PAWS
- Be sure to ask any general questions. If your advisor is unsure of the answer, they’ll be sure to point you in the right direction.
- Overview of Major/College Core Requirements
- Advising Meeting 2: Registration Prep (October 13th – November 12th)
- Academic progress check-in
- Preparing for registration
- Course search
- Building/validating shopping cart
- PAWS Pro Training
- To ensure students become acclimated to PAWS, all students must complete PAWS Pro Training. PAWS Pro Training will be offered October 13th through the end of the semester. More details will be shared as we get closer to October!
Spring Semester Advising
- Advising Meetings: Students will be required to meet with their advisor at least one time in the spring semester, though we strongly encourage two meetings. You will need to meet with your advisor prior to the registration window in April.
- Self-Reflection: Students will be required to complete an online reflection between March 16th through the end of the semester. In your reflection, you’ll write about your college journey so far: what you’ve learned about yourself, your interests, and your goals as you finish your first year. Your reflection will be shared with your new faculty advisor, and upon graduation, the Center for Student Success will send it to you. Additional details/instructions will be shared in the spring semester.
Academic Advising Beyond Your First Year
Upon successful completion of your first year, you’ll then move on to a faculty advisor within your major department. By this time, you’ll be well equipped with the advising tools, knowledge of campus resources, and a year of self discovery and reflection under your belt. Your advising conversations will begin to evolve into more in depth conversations about potential career paths/graduate school exploration and how to maximize the rest of your undergraduate career. Your first year advisors will still be rooting for you every step of the way, but you’ll now be working with your faculty advisor for more specific major/career mentoring.