Undergraduate Advising

Advising is an important part of your undergraduate education. Our faculty, peer advisors and undergraduate advisor play a vital role in advising on all aspects of the Sociology majors and minors. Students considering a sociology major or minor should consult with peer advisors and the undergraduate advisor as early as possible, no later than early to mid-sophomore year. Junior transfer students must begin consulting with the undergraduate advisor in the summer prior to their first quarter at UCSC.  

Advising with the Undergraduate Advisor and the Peer Advisors are held on a drop-in basis. The most up-to-date drop-in hours can be found on the advising calendar below. Please note the different times for the Undergraduate Advisor vs. Peer Advisors. If you are not able to make drop-in advising hours, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor with a few day/time options for an appointment. Contact information is available below.

 

 

General drop-in advising availability for Spring quarter, April 2nd-June 8th These times change often, please always review the calendar information above.

  

Contact Information

Tina Cossaboom (formerly Tina Nikfarjam)

tboom@ucsc.edu or tnikfarj@ucsc.edu
831-459-4497
Rachel Carson College Rm 224/226 (Drop in advising in Rm 226)

  

831-459-4888

Rachel Carson College Rm 226

Learn more about our Peer Advisors, here.

 

Faculty Advising

Faculty Advisors (PDF)

Sociology faculty members are valuable resources for: discussing ideas and concepts, applying sociology to your future life and career plans and writing recommendation letters. Faculty hold office hours each week during the academic quarters. These hours are available for students to discuss course work, research opportunities, graduate school, and future courses. Take advantage of office hours to meet faculty and get to know them. Hours are posted on the faculty page.

 

Why do I need a faculty advisor?

Sociology faculty are the best advisors to seek out to discuss any academic matters. They are experts in their fields, and can provide mentoring, recommendations, and opportunities. Students who establish a relationship with faculty members, visit them in office hours, and participate in their courses are more likely to succeed in their academics at UCSC and more likely to participate in research opportunities.  

How do I select a faculty advisor?

The recommended approach, and the approach preferred by faculty, is to select a faculty advisor based on your areas of interest in Sociology. Review faculty research areas on their profiles on the Sociology website.  You may seek out more than one faculty advisor if you find that multiple faculty have interests that match your own. Students may also select a faculty advisor because they had a class with the professor and have already established a working relationship, based on courses the faculty member will be teaching in the future, or based on the students’ interest in working with the faculty member on a senior thesis in the future. While it is recommended that students select a faculty advisor when they are declaring the major, students are not limited to meeting only with that advisor, but are free to consult other faculty for advising during their time at UCSC.  If your interests change over time, begin meeting with the faculty advisor in your new area of interest.

What can I discuss with my faculty advisor?

• Academic questions related to Sociology
• Course-related questions
• Research areas of interest
• Research opportunities
• Current research projects
• Letter of recommendation
• Courses they will be teaching throughout the year
• Field study sponsorship through an Individual Study
• Internships, volunteer opportunities or organizations they work with in the community
• Senior thesis
• Course issues and feedback
• Recommendations for other majors, minors, professors, or courses in a particular area of interest
• Referrals to campus resources
• Developing academic goals
• Graduate school
• Careers  (and visit the Career Center!)
• Academic support if needed for awards, scholarships, and grants
• Academic integrity questions (plagiarism, ethics of research, etc.)
• Building skills needed in areas of interest
• University life