Honors Program Advising

Advising Through the Years: Connected-Supported-Successful

The goal of honors advising is to assist students in transitioning into a successful college experience, help students become connected to resources and opportunities inside and outside of the classroom, and to be a consistent source of support during the undergraduate experience. Honors Advisors connect with students to empower them to make the most of their time at Northeastern University. In Honors, we advise students in ways that will assist them in having a rich and well-rounded undergraduate experience.

First Year Advising:

The goal of Honors First Year Advising is to assist students in the transition from being talented high school students to becoming successful Northeastern students. Honors Advisors are available to offer academic support and guidance targeted to the First Year Experience.

There are four main areas of advising embedded in the First Year Experience within Honors. These include summer orientation advising, fall and spring semester advising, and satellite advising. Students are also encouraged to meet with an Honors Advisor at other points in their first year and may make appointments at any time to discuss a range of concerns.

• Summer Orientation Advising

The first interaction students have with advising in the Honors Program is during Summer Orientation. This is a chance for students to review courses available in the Honors Program and begin to consider how these courses fit into their curriculum.

• Fall Advising

During the fall, students are required to meet with an Honors Advisor. At fall advising, students will discuss adjustment to college life. In addition, advising assists students in developing goals for their first year of college and strategies for making the most out of the Honors and undergraduate experience at Northeastern.

• Spring Advising

In the spring semester students meet again with an Honors Advisor as a follow up to the discussion that was started in the fall. Progress with academic and personal goals will be discussed. The student and advisor will begin to frame upper-class opportunities including Honors Interdisciplinary Seminars, undergraduate research, global opportunities and competitive fellowships and scholarships.

Students that have experienced academic difficulty in the fall are required to meet with an academic advisor to discuss campus resources early in their second semester on campus.

• Satellite Advising

The Honors Program has Satellite Advising that takes place weekly at International Village, the home of all Honors First-Year students. This Satellite Advising allows students the convenience of meeting with an advisor right where they live.

Upper-Class Advising:

The goal of Honors Upper-Class Advising is to offer support and guidance focused on providing unique and challenging academic opportunities. In addition to more traditional advising goals, upper-class advising possesses several additional components which focus on research opportunities including thesis and/or project work, targeted leadership development, and the exploration of competitive scholarships and fellowship options. Seniors also meet with an advisor at the end of their time in the program to assess their undergraduate accomplishments and discuss long-term goals after graduation.

• Academic Advising

Honors Advisors can assist in envisioning academic opportunities both within a student’s major and links to other academic opportunities across the university. Advisors can regularly suggest faculty and courses that may connect with emerging academic interests. In addition, advisors will review options in the Interdisciplinary Seminar Series in order to assist students in their selection of this upper-class Honors requirement.

• Leadership Advising

Upper-class students can join in a number of leadership opportunities in the Honors Program including serving as Honors Mentors, Honors Ambassadors, or leaders in initiatives such as the Honors Outreach Project. Students may also discuss other leadership activities available on campus.  

• Early Research and Junior/ Senior Project Advising

Honors Advisors are available to discuss different ways to access undergraduate research opportunities by reaching out to appropriate faculty and potential funding resources.  Advanced work in your major is completed by undertaking a Junior/Senior Honors Project.  This project allows upper-class students the opportunity to carve out a research initiative under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students may meet with an advisor at any point in their undergraduate experience to discuss the Honors Project. Advisors are available to help develop project ideas, review project proposals, assist in finding faculty mentorship, discuss grant and funding resources and offer support and guidance in preparing to present at our annual Honors Evening.

• Fellowships / Scholarships Advising

The Honors Program acts as a clearinghouse for national scholarships and fellowships including the Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater and Fulbright.  We invite students to meet with us to discuss some of these options.  Advisors can help to guide students through the application process of these competitive awards.  In addition, the Honors Program offers a series of grants ranging from Early Research Grants through to such opportunities as Partners in the Park and Honors Senior Fellows funding.

• Senior Advising

Prior to commencement all graduating students in the Honors Program are invited to meet with an Honors Advisor. At this meeting, the advisor will review the student’s undergraduate experience in the Honors Program and discuss post-graduation plans. Some of the post-graduation options discussed include employment, competitive fellowships and graduate or professional school.