Walk-In Advising at the UHP!

Liz Sutton was once just a little girl with a dream, hoping to one day advise Honors students when they were available, and without an appointment. Today, that dream is finally a reality. She never thought the day would come, the day when a student could visit the Townhouse on Foggy Bottom after hours, from 5-7pm, walk right in and talk to her or a member of the SPA. Questions will be answered! Conversations will be had! And issues will be resolved in a timely manner!
Help make Liz’s lifelong goal more than just a pipe dream. Join hands with the UHP and say, on Wednesday nights, from 5-7pm, yes, we can.
Can’t wait to see you there, all hyped up on UHP patriotism and caffeine.
If you need an appointment during regular daytime hours, make sure to make an appointment.

These colors don’t run.

Well, I Do Declare [Ask the Sherpa]

Sherpa, the Sherpa

A student intones:

Dear Sherpa,
I know what I want to major in, and how I want to spend the rest of my days, doing philosophy and only philosophy. But I’m scared to declare my major, and become a real person. What if I change my mind? Does this mean I have to start working on my thesis right now? I’m only a sophomore…why do I feel like I’m donning my cap and gown already?
Sincerely,
Dare to Declare

Continue reading “Well, I Do Declare [Ask the Sherpa]”

Choose Your Own Adventure: The 4-Year Plan

You’re the Star! 879 Thrilling Endings! Will you double major in Political Science and Spanish? Or will you study abroad for a year and minor in Jazz Studies? As you navigate through GW’s course selection and options for majors and minors, remember that your 4-year plan is entirely dependent on what you want. Which direction will you choose? Whether you want to graduate in three years, study abroad twice, take on five different minors or give the premed requirements a shot, turn to none other than your SPA. 
In addition to completing a 4-year plan (or two, or three…) already, Student Peer Advisors have experience crafting their 4-year plans into living documents that detail their academic goals. If you need any help organizing or brainstorming for your own plan, don’t hesitate to contact the SPA paired with your Origins class or email the SPA account at uhpspa@gwu.edu.
In the meantime, check out this example from UHPer Jenny Hamilton. If excel isn’t your style, try color-coding. UHPers love color-coding. If all else fails, show up to your 4-year plan advising appointment with an interpretive dance. I’m sure Liz would love that.
Four Year PlanFour Year Plan Continued

Note: I am not responsible for any interpretive dance choreography. Consider this a lesson in skepticism.

Off on the Road to NACADA

Liz, Catherine, and Jared will be out of the office on Oct. 4th & 5th, because we’ll be in Nashville, TN, sharing our wisdom at the national conference of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).
You might remember that we went off last year to present “Intelligent Internetting: or How I Learned to Stop Excessive Emailing and Love the Blog” at the regional conference in Annapolis, MD.

REGIONALS
WE TOTALLY WON REGIONALS

Turns out that the audience liked it so much, they voted us “Best in Region.”  Not unlike typical dog shows, that means we got invited back for an encore presentation at the national convention.  Or as any GLEE fan would put it:  OMG WE WON REGIONALS YOU GUYS OMG!
We’re happy to talk about our online appointment scheduler, IMs with advisors, snazzy NewsFlash!online formssocial media communities, an active (and often entertaining) blog, and more.  We’re especially happy to share our working philosophy of not spamming students with a constant barrage of emails.
At these conferences, we’re always reminded how lucky we are to get to work with such great students.  #HonorsProblems are the best kind, and a big part of the reason our jobs are so much fun is the fantastic student body we get to work with.

What is RSS and How Do I Get It?

You may have heard about “subscribing” to so-called “RSS” feeds. RSS stands for Rich Site Summary (not Radioactive Swimming Squirrels) and is a way of getting content from web sites that update frequently. Subscribing to an RSS feed allows you to access the newest content from different blogs in a condensed format. Many web browsers such as Firefox and Chrome have an RSS subscription built into their Bookmarks features. You can also get a RSS feed reader for the platform of your choice – be it web browser, desktop, or smart phone!
In order to stay on top of the latest UHP Blog posts and news, you should subscribe to our RSS feed – as well as our other social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. It’s not like radioactive swimming squirrels will come and get you…

#honorsproblems? Follow us @theUHP! #thingsyoushoulddo

Unlike these birds, if you understand these words, you must be a savvy internet user familiar with the ways of “The Twitter”!

The University Honors Program has a twitter handle too! Get your Honors Program updates in 140 characters or less – and occasionally as Haikus!

Don’t believe me? Just follow us and find out. We’re not your Grandma’s twitter!

@theUHP is a great way to stay connected with the Honors Program and get up-to-the-minute information from the UHP!