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Newly admitted students: Check out our New Student Guide for resources.

Advising Services During Remote Learning Period

In adherence with campus directives, L&S Advising will postpone in-person advising and instead offer virtual services until further notice.  We continue to be committed to serving our L&S undergraduates during this time. Our offices will operate remotely for the time being. Please note that our main phone line will not be operational during this time.

Virtual Front Desk and Email

We have launched Virtual Front Desk to allow you to get your questions answered live! Click the link for our Virtual Front Desk hours and joining instructions. 

Also, we have expanded our resources for answering asklns@berkeley.edu emails. 

Navigating Services by Topic

The drop down topics below will help you navigate how to best get support for common questions and concerns during this remote learning period.

Quick Support / Petitions

Click to understand the best resource or procedure. 

Petitions

Our Forms and Petitions page can help you locate our petitions and forms. If you have questions about which form fits your situation, please email asklns@berkeley.edu or ask through our Virtual Front Desk.

To submit a petition, please email your petition to lspetitions@berkeley.edu.

Acceptable Submissions (Choose ONE):

  • Preferred: PDF. Most app stores in smart phones will have free scanning apps that can convert photos of forms into pdfs if needed. 
  • JPG or PNG photo

Signatures:

If your petition requires signatures (aside from your own), please contact the appropriate department to review your options. 

Clarification of Policies or Procedures

For clarification of L&S policies and procedures, or to understand which policies/procedures might pertain to your situation, please email asklns@berkeley.edu or ask through our Virtual Front Desk.

Navigating Advising or Campus Services

One of the most common challenges for students is navigating advising services. It is always disappointing to wait for a scheduled appointment only to realize you made it with the wrong adviser for your questions. 

Visit our Virtual Front Desk or email asklns@berkeley.edu to understand how to get support with your question. We can help you understand if you need an appointment at all, and if so, who is your best resource.

We can also provide insight into when questions need to be directed to other offices, such as Financial Aid, Berkeley International Office, Education Abroad Program, New Student Services, or Cal Student Central. 

Move Expected Graduation Term (EGT)

To request that your Expected Graduation Term (EGT) be moved to an earlier term or to a summer term, please email asklns@berkeley.edu.

If you wish to request your EGT be moved to a future Fall or Spring semester and you are confident you are under the unit ceiling, please email asklns@berkeley.edu.

If you wish to request your EGT be moved to a future Fall or Spring semester and you will exceed the unit ceiling (or are unsure if you will exceed the unit ceiling), make an appointment with an L&S Adviser to discuss your options.

Readmission

Pease use the following guidelines to submit your Readmission Packet (found at the bottom of our Readmission page):

  • Students without an EOP fee waiver: until further notice, please email asklns@berkeley.edu to discuss updates to options for submitting your readmission application. 
  • Students with an EOP fee waiver: email a pdf of your readmission application and EOP fee wavier to lspetitions@berkeley.edu
  • Readmission after Dismissal: make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser. 

Advising Appointment

Click to determine who to contact: an L&S College Adviser or an Undergraduate Major Adviser. 

Major/Minor Questions

Contact the Undergraduate Major/Minor Adviser for any questions that are specific to your major or minor. You can find your declared or intended Undergraduate Major Adviser contact information on your Advising Neighborhood page.

Note: Please first review the website for your intended/declared major or minor to see if your question is answered there.

For support with choosing a major, schedule planning in your first year while exploring multiple major options, or determining whether to take on a second major or a minor considering your long term goals, make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser. You may consider finding an L&S College Adviser in your Advising Neighborhood. 

Schedule/Program Planning

  • For support with planning classes for a major or minor, whether for next semester or creating a long-term program plan, review the major/minor department website, then contact major/minor advising for additional support. You can find your Undergraduate Major Adviser (UMA) contact information on your Advising Neighborhood page. 

  • To discuss general semester schedule planning, such as load and balance, make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser. An L&S College Adviser from your Advising Neighborhood can also help with schedule planning of major prerequisites. 

  • To look over a program plan created by your major/minor adviser and discuss how it meets L&S degree requirements or to discuss feasiblity, make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser.

  • If you are worried or unsure about your major direction, especially if you are entering your third year or are a transfer student, see our Undecided on Major page and consider making an appointment with an L&S College Adviser. 

Degree Checks

  • To check your progress toward major or minor requirements, contact your intended or declared Undergraduate Major Adviser (UMA). (Contact info for UMAs can be found on your Advising Neighborhood page). 
  • To check your progress toward all other degree requirements, start with reviewing your Academic Progress Report (APR ). Your APR is used to clear students for graduation for all degree requirements other than major and minor requirements, so it is your best tool to understand your progress. For more information on how to review your APR, check out our Assess Degree Progress page. 
  • Find something in your APR that doesn’t seem right (outside the major section)? Make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser.
  • Ready to graduate soon? Check out our Preparing for Graduation page to make sure you are ready to finalize your degree.

Concerns About Grades / Academic Probation

Make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser to discuss your options for the courses you’re concerned with and to discuss potential impacts to your academic standing.

Exploring or Re-Evaluating Major Options

  • Make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser to evaluate interests, navigate a major search, and understand options about your time at UC Berkeley for making a change or taking on secondary majors or minors. If you have narrowed down your options already, consider talking with an L&S College Adviser in a related Advising Neighborhood.

  • Contact the Undergraduate Major Adviser for your intended major to outline a course plan or to clarify requirements for declaration. You can find your UMA contact information on your Advising Neighborhood page. 

Pre-Med / Pre-Health Advising

Make an appointment with Greg Cera or Brenaia Blue, the L&S College Advisers who specialize in Pre-Med/Pre-Health advising (choose their names in the appointment system to look for available times rather than selecting "no preference"). They can discuss your academic plans or decision-making while taking your premed or pre-health goals into account. 

Join in Remote Open Group Q&A

Each Wednesday from 4-5pm (PST), a Pre-Med/Pre-Health Adviser will be available virtually to answer premed/pre-health questions. This is not a one-on-one appointment, but is a space for students to pop in ask questions or hear other questions from premed/pre-health students. 

Join at any time during the 4-5pm hour on Wednesdays by clicking: https://meet.google.com/koz-wrmo-pps. 

To join by phone from the U.S., dial +1 385-404-0755 and enter this PIN: 722 378#

To join by phone from another country, find the appropriate phone number here: https://meet.google.com/tel/koz-wrmo-pps?hs=5

Complex Academic Issues

Make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser to discuss any complex academic situations.

Questions regarding financial aid, visas, or any other issues outside of academic policy and advice, will not be able to be answered by academic advisers and must be directed to the appropriate office. 

Other Campus Resource

These questions cannot be answered through academic advising.

Financial Aid

Any questions about how decisions will impact your financial aid, or clarification about your financial aid package, should be directed to the Financial Aid office through Cal Student Central. 

Enrollment Questions

  • Technical questions: the Student Information Systems Enrollment FAQ guide covers navigating prerequisites, course permissions, basic waitlist information, swaps, unit limits, reserved seats, time conflicts and enrollment errors. 
  • Course-specific information: if your questions are specific to a course (i.e. "Will more seats be added?" or "Can I be considered for one of the reserved seats?"), contact the department that hosts the course. 

The L&S Advising Office does not have any power to put students into courses.

Study Strategies / Time Management for Remote Learning

Make a virtual appointment with an L&S Mentor for support in time management or study strategy support in the remote learning environment. L&S Mentors can also discuss a variety of topics, including: 

  • Adjusting to campus life
  • Wellness and work
  • Choosing a major or career path
  • Making the most out of your major
  • And more

Basic Needs

Especially during this unusual time, you may need support with basic needs. The UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center has created this living document with updates about support. 

Can't find your topic? If you cannot determine which resource is the best fit for your question, our Virtual Front Desk or asklns@berkeley.edu email is available to help guide you. 

How to Schedule a Major Advising Appointment

Each major department approaches scheduling appointments differently. Find your Advising Neighborhood page, then click the link for your intended or declared major department. This will bring you contact information for advising for your intended or declared major. 

(To find minor advising, locate your minor in the Academic Guide and contact the minor adviser or department directly.)  

How to Schedule an L&S College Advising Appointment

Once you are satisfied that an L&S Advising Appointment is the appropriate resource to answer your question, you may make an appointment via You Can Book Me. All appointments will be virtual until further notice. 

To find an L&S College Adviser who specializes in your intended or declared major, find your Advising Neighborhood. This is especially helpful when your question relates to a major, or when an academic decision may impact your major. 

SCHEDULE A VIRTUAL L&S ADVISING APPOINTMENT

Newly admitted students: Appointments with College Advisers become available to new admits after the completion of Golden Bear Advising (see our New Student Guide for more information and for resources available to you now). We ask that you please leave our virtual advising appointments open for our continuing students at this time. You are welcome to ask questions through our Virtual Front Desk instead. 

Google Hangouts (Including Phone)

Your appointment will be conducted through Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts does not require any software to be downloaded. Instead, once you book an appointment, an event will be created for you in your bCal if you use your Berkeley email (or to a calendar linked to your gmail account if you use an @gmail.com email address). 

Before your appointment, your L&S College Adviser will add a Google Hangouts link and send you a "Updated Invitation." You can view this email or look at your bCal event to find

  1. a link to join via Hangouts Meet 
  2. or a phone number and PIN to join via phone

At the time of your appointment, simply click on this link or call the number provided (be prepared to enter the PIN) to join the virtual meeting with an L&S College Adviser. 

Computer not set up for a video appointment (i.e. no mic, no camera, no internet, etc.)? No worries! You can use a smart phone to access your Google Hangouts appointment and Google Hangouts will generate a phone number you can call. 

Need more support? View our Google Slide Show with screen shots to help you understand how to connect to your apppointment. 

Campus Updates

Follow the campus website for the latest information on UC Berkeley’s prevention and response efforts related to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19): https://news.berkeley.edu/