Every undergraduate in Columbia College and Columbia engineering is assigned an adviser in the Center for Student Advising who serves as a source of knowledge and support starting the summer before matriculation and continuing through graduation.  

CSA advisers have diverse educational and professional backgrounds that complement the varied interests, goals, and backgrounds of our student population. The CSA works closely with offices across the Columbia campus to create a seamless advising experience for students as they grow intellectually, socially, and professionally at Columbia. Your CSA adviser is a point of contact for a variety of issues and questions including the following:

• General academic questions, concerns, or difficulties
• Registration questions and problems
• Choosing a major
• Connecting with faculty
• Changes in academic program, in consultation with faculty advisers
• Receiving transfer, AP/IB/GCE, or summer course credit
• Premed and prelaw requirements and other academic opportunities
• Understanding University policies and petitioning for exceptions to academic policy
• Planning to study abroad
• Progress toward and completion of requirements for the degree
• Personal problems and concerns
• Leaves of absence
• Referrals to other resources on campus
• Future life plans

The Advising Partnership

Productive advising is built on a true partnership in which the student and the adviser work together.  The spirit of an ideal advising partnership is one of mutual engagement, responsiveness, and dedication.  Regular advising conversations, the fundamental building blocks of the partnership, enable an adviser to serve as a resource of knowledge and a source of referrals - so that students may plan and prepare, in the broadest sense, over the course of their years at Columbia.

To make this partnership a success:

Students should:

• Actively engage in the advising relationship
• Respond to adviser outreach and be forthcoming about perceived obstacles to success
• Proactively research and plan ways to reach academic goals and be open to sharing these goals with their advisers
• Be open to researching the answers to questions with advisers in order to learn ways to find information on their own
• Act upon referrals to other sources of information and advice
• Let advisers know when they have not been able to find information and advice they need

Advisers should:

• Be knowledgeable, responsive, and supportive
• Reach out to advisees, especially when an advisee seems to be struggling
• Inquire about students' short- and long-term goals and ask students to consider studying abroad, fellowships, scholarships, internships, research opportunities, etc.
• Research the answers to questions with students as a way to show students how and where to find information on their own
• Refer students to other sources of advice and information and connect advisees with appropriate faculty members and departments
• Follow up with students on important matters in a timely way