Can I expect this from a university advisor?
Question:
Answer:
You cannot expect this from a general (course-selection) advisor, but you can absolutely expect this from the faculty in your major.
As a matter of fact, as a major, you should speak to many faculty in your department on a regular basis, and begin to identify your specific area of research interest. (Chaucer? 20th century African-American literature? Rhetorical theory? 19th century British poetry? Hawthorne? Shakespeare? etc.)
When you begin to find your area of focus, speak regularly to the faculty whose specializations are nearest to your interest. Consult them about appropriate graduate programs. (Ivies may NOT be the strongest programs in some areas of English lit.)
Depending on the way your university works, you may be able to select a departmental advisor. If you can do this, select the person with strengths in your area. If you cannot, then just take courses in your area, and speak to those professors (during their office hours) about your aspirations.
Best wishes to you.
I would recommend that you contact the school that you want to go to. Since they work for that school, they will have a more accurate idea of what type of things you need to do to get into a graduate degree. The advisor at the school you are currently attending may have a good idea, but could also be totally way off base.
I would also recommend that you speak to the professors in your department. They have graduate degrees in the subject that you are interested in so they will know the process.
Completely subjective. All expectations inevitably lead to disappointment. If your advisor won't do it, bond with another prof in the department. Also, scope out the programs you're interested in and make sure that you feel your undergrad classes will prepare you for them. You'll almost certainly have to specialize further than just "literature".
Many advisors just sign slips and push you out the door...some don't know what they're talking about, either. Trust your gut. There will be at least one prof at your school (if it's decent, and if not try contacting some profs at your prospective grad schools and ask what they recommend) who will help you to some extent.
In general, no, this is not something that you should expect from your undergraduate advisor. And not because your advisor may be uninformed or lazy, but because the objective of college-level advising is to stress that you are responsible for your own college planning, both for your bachelor's program and for planning ahead for graduate school. This way, you can't blame anyone but yourself if you don't achieve your goals. The main job of your undergraduate advisor is in helping you to fulfill all the requirements of your degree so you can get out - as well as presenting possible options for doing that and being informed about the whys and wherefores of those options - but not for guiding you to the next thing in your life.
The others are correct in directing you to your college professors for this kind of mentorship. But not just because they have graduate degrees, themselves, and can offer "reassurance" and comfort, but because getting their recommendations is a key step in applying for any program. Ideally, it would be great if you could study closely with a professor who graduated from an Ivy League program, but the more you work with any professor on out-of-class projects, the better you'll look to an elite grad program.
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