Academic Guidance:

Every first-year student will be assigned a CAPE Advisor who will typically serve as their primary academic advisor for the first year . 

In First Year Seminar, which is taken in the first semester, the CAPE Advisor will help students connect with faculty in their area of interest. Discussions of academic interests and major exploration will continue in individual advising meetings in the second semester to ensure a smooth transition to their chosen major and new faculty advisor. At the end of the first year, a faculty member in their major will take over as their primary academic advisor. If a student has not declared a major, they will stay with a CAPE Advisor until the end of their third semester. All students must declare a major and switch to a faculty advisor by the end of their 4th semester at the latest.

The CAPE Advisor will remain on the student’s success team as a secondary advisor.

Career Guidance:
Every incoming student will work with their CAPE Advisor and the Career, Academic, and Personal Exploration team for career discernment and preparation from the very beginning of their time at Guilford. Career exploration includes advising sessions, Integrative Experience classes, programming, resume clinics, interview workshops, Opportunities fairs, internships, job shadowing, and mentorship opportunities. Advisors meet with students in one-on-one meetings and share news about various career discernment programs and events.

The whole Career, Academic, and Personal Exploration team guides students through the Quaker Career Plan during their time at Guilford. If a student makes a major change or has majors in more than one department, relevant career guidance and programming are available to them.

iii. Appreciative Advising

Appreciative advising is the intentional collaborative practice of asking positive, open-ended questions that help students optimize their educational experiences and achieve their dreams, goals and potentials. This model is a platform to assist students who are experiencing many different challenges. This applies to social, personal, and education challenges. Each phase assists the advisors to connect with students in planning and executing actions to reach a desired goal. The beauty of this model is that advisors naturally follow the six phases: disarm, discover, dream, design, deliver and don't settle. This approach to advising was developed by Dr. Jenny Bloom at Florida Atlantic University. 

Disarm: Make a positive first impression with the student, build rapport, and create a safe, welcoming space. 

Discover: Ask positive open-ended questions that help advisers learn about students' strengths, skills and abilities. 

Dream: Inquire about students' hopes and dreams for their futures.

Design: Co-create a plan for making their dreams a reality.

Delivery: The student delivers on the plan created during the Design phase and the advisor is available to encourage and support students. 

Don't Settle: Advisors and students need to set their own internal bars of expectations high.