First-Year Student Advising Program

The First-Year Student Advising Program (FYSAP) is comprised of peer advisors, faculty advisors, a staff coordinator, and student employees. The program is overseen by a FYSAP core team, which includes the director and associate directors of the Counseling and Advising Center, the chair of the Professional Music Department, the academic advising coordinator and the first-year advising coordinator. There is also a FYSAP Advisory Board composed of staff and faculty. The program's home can be found in the Counseling and Advising Center.

As a team we are here to assist entering students and help them succeed academically and socially while they transition to Berklee. Each entering student, whether a freshman or transfer student, is assigned a peer advisor and a faculty advisor.

Who are peer advisors?

• Upper-semester Berklee students in good academic and social standing
• Supervised, responsible, and trained mentors able to assist, guide, and refer
• First contacts for various academic and social questions or issues
• A diverse group of respectful, thoughtful, and knowledgeable student leaders

Who are faculty advisors?

• A diverse group of full-time faculty members who volunteer for the role
• Trained, responsible, talented, and knowledgeable leaders, mentors, and educators
• Valuable contacts, usually sought out by an advisee after consulting with a peer advisor

How does the program work?

• Peer advisors email their entering student advisees at their Berklee email accounts before orientation to welcome them and answer any questions students may have before coming to Berklee.
• During orientation entering students are scheduled to meet with their assigned peer advisor. Their first interaction is a group meeting with other advisees who are also assigned to the peer advisor. This group is called a peer advising group, and can be an entering student's first chance to network and make social connections at Berklee. At that meeting the peer advisor will arrange an individual meeting with each advisee to get better acquainted and answer more specific questions.
• Each peer advisor will introduce their advisees to their faculty advisor during the third week of classes. The peer and faculty advisor work together throughout the semester to help guide their group of advisees. Each peer and faculty advisor pairing is responsible for assisting 10-15 entering students.
• Throughout their first semester, entering students can contact their peer advisor via email with any questions. Some peer advisors choose to give out their phone numbers as well. Entering students can also contact their faculty advisor via email if they feel their peer advisor cannot answer their question fully, or if the need is specific to the faculty advisor.
• Each peer advisor will arrange various group events throughout the semester; some are social events, while other events assist advisees with schedule and academic planning.
• Advisees can request an individual meeting with their peer advisor or faculty advisor throughout their first semester as needed.

Why is FYSAP important?

Studies have shown that entering student success weighs heavily upon establishing friendships and important connections to students, faculty, and staff during the first few weeks of enrollment. At Berklee we care very much about each student's adjustment to the college and want to assist in making the Berklee environment feel comfortable, safe, and manageable.

In a survey done in spring 2007, 94% of entering students reported they felt some degree of anxiety before arriving at Berklee. The program enables an entering student to feel connected to one specific continuing student mentor, and alleviate those anxieties. In the same survey, 91% of entering students reported they found their peer advisor to be helpful.

Parent Information

The FYSAP team is happy to answer questions regarding the program and how we can help each student succeed. However, we ask that parents respect the confidentiality of the advisor-advisee relationship and not contact their student's peer advisor or faculty advisor directly.

Questions?

For further questions about the First Year Student Advising Program, please contact Beth Woodcome, first-year advising coordinator, Counseling and Advising Center, at 617 747-2349 or at bwoodcome@berklee.edu.