With course registration comes stress about advising, major requirements and credits. Some students have expressed frustration with the ratio of advisers to students, as well as the complications of needing a certain number of core classes.

Advising

While students in the Tisch School of the Arts, the second-largest undergraduate school at NYU, receive more specific departmental advising, students in the other three largest schools and programs have general academic advisers available to them until they declare a major.

At the College of Arts and Science, there are 17 academic advisers for over 1,000 students per class; in the Liberal Studies Program, there are eight academic advisers for over 1,000 students per class; and at the Stern School of Business, there are nine academic advisers for approximately 600 students per class.

With the high volume of students and low number of advisers, some students have said the advising process is detached and impersonal.

CAS sophomore Kevin Zhang said advising is necessary but the university does not have enough resources.

“My adviser knows what she’s talking about, but advisers are constantly being shuffled around, fired and replaced,” Zhang said.

However, Lisa Lau, associate director of communications for Stern advising, said there are additional resources for students who need advice from a professional adviser.

“[An adviser’s] aim is to build relationships with students and provide a personalized advising experience to all of them,” Lau said.

CAS sophomore Raven Smith said she has found the college’s academic advising useful.

“My adviser has been very helpful with [the registration] process,” Smith said. “She has helped keep me on track and make a plan to help me fulfill all the requirements.”

Requirements

Students are also experiencing difficulties fulfilling requirements while pursuing their desired academic path.

Because of AP credits, some students can bypass requirements. However, students with limited credits to spare have less room in their schedules to explore other interests as they have to fulfill their majors and other school-specific requirements.

LS sophomore Hannah Kabir said while the College Core Curriculum helps students become well-rounded, it can also hinder their studies.

“Some of these classes are superfluous for students who major in things where they will never need to deal with [certain disciplines],” Kabir said.

LS sophomore Jack Zabelny was planning to double major in economics and Spanish, but was unable to do so because of AP credit restrictions. He was several classes short because not all of his AP credits fulfilled CAS requirements. However, he said the CORE courses are beneficial for students who are undecided about the majors they want to pursue.

“It allows them to finish up most, if not all, general education requirements before going on to major requirements,” Zabelny said.

The College Core Curriculum has not yet responded to inquiries.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, April 29 print edition. Marilyn La Jeunesse is a contributing writer. Marita Vlachou is a staff writer. Email them at [email protected].