Still, most proctors say they offer advice to everyone, even the few students who are not formally in their charge, giving them additional support.

"There's some delay when non-resident advisers see a midterm report," says Canaday proctor Casey L. Due. "But I'm going to have a better idea if someone is failing because I see them every day."

Even though first-years have no choice in the matter, the system rarely breaks down outright.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans says that among the thousands of students she has seen pass through the first-year advising system, she has only had to reassign three. Those types of "persistent disagreements" are rare, she says, largely because "students can always consult someone else."

More often, unsatisfactory relationships end with a whimper. Whether because of indifference to advising in general or a distaste for a particular person, some students use advisers for study card signatures and little else.

Even first-years who say they are happy with their advisers and the advice they have been given thus far don't always believe the program is a crucial addition to their lives.

"The average Harvard student is helped by advising, but it's not necessary," says Adam J. Cohon '03. "The majority of their decisions are not affected by advising. In general, Harvard students are pretty independent."