Two for the Price of One?

Given that attitude of independence, many students are more willing to work with a non-resident adviser specifically chosen to match their interests.

"The assistant deans go to great lengths to match up the academic interests of [first-years] and non-resident advisers," says Associate Dean of Freshman D. E. Lorraine Sterritt.

As Suzanne Repetto, associate director of the Bureau of Study Council, points out, this often proves to be a valuable connection for incoming students.

"Most of the students I've seen are wary of having a non-resident adviser," Repetto says. "But later on they tend to be quite glad they're able to connect with another person in the community."

Having spent many years abroad living in Asia, Repetto herself often requests to work with international students.

Kara A. Shamy '03, a first-year in Straus, believes that her non-resident adviser is a valuable resource in addition to her proctor.

"At first I thought it was a pain that [my adviser] wasn't in the dorm, and I only expected academic advice at first," Shamy says. "But I ended up getting more than that. Some people get short-shrifted in the advising process--I ended up with two great resources, and I think some people don't even get one."