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Process for how to Request a faculty advisor

Step 1: Click here to view a list of our full-time faculty members and their research interests. Once on this page, click on any faculty member's name to view more detailed information about that particular faculty member such as his/her personal website, current research interests, educational background, courses frequently taught, and contact information.  You may also check out our new Faculty Advisor poster for contact information and brief descriptions of research interests for each of our faculty members.

Step 2: Contact the faculty member that you would like to request as your Faculty Advisor and ask if he or she is willing and available to serve as your Faculty Advisor. Faculty e-mail addresses can be found by clicking on the links in Step 1. An example e-mail request can be found below. It is encouraged that you use “Faculty Advisor Request” as the title of your e-mail. 

• If the faculty member you contact agrees to take you on as an advisee, then great! Follow-up with him/her as necessary and perhaps try to determine a mutually convenient time to meet. It is 100% up to you to contact your Faculty Advisor to ask questions, share your concerns, or to arrange a time to meet in person. Your Faculty Advisor will not go out of his/her way to contact you. See below for the types of questions/concerns students will often contact their Faculty Advisor about.
• If the faculty member you contacted is unable to take you on as an advisee, try contacting someone else. In the unlikely event you have tried to contact three separate faculty members and none of them are able to take you on as an advisee, e-mail our Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Jill Folk (jfolk@kent.edu), and she will help you connect with a Faculty Advisor.

How might I format my e-mail to request a faculty advisor?

There is no "right" or "wrong" way to e-mail the faculty member you would like to have serve as your Faculty Advisor. However, here is an example:

Dr. <insert faculty member’s last name here>,

My name is <insert name here> and I am a <insert class standing - e.g., sophomore> psychology major here at 5X����. I reviewed your research areas online and was wondering if you would be willing to serve as my Faculty Advisor?  Please let me know at your earliest convenience.  If you are willing to serve as my Faculty Advisor, I would love to set up a time to meet with you so that I can introduce myself more formally. I know you are busy, but if you have any availability over the next few weeks, please let me know so that we can find a good time to meet.

Thank you,

<insert your full name>

What might I talk to my faculty advisor about?

Typically, students will choose to meet with their Faculty Advisor to discuss graduate school, future career possibilities, get assistance with selecting courses relevant to their interests, discuss research involvement opportunities, or to request a letter of recommendation. You may also want to consider asking your Faculty Advisor about his/her research interests, the classes he/she teaches, where he/she attended college and how he/she got to where he/she is today, or ways to get involved within the department to better prepare you for your educational and career goals. Faculty Advisors are willing to answer your questions, but it is 100% up to YOU to take initiative and connect with them.