Advice for Organizing Advising Activities
A large part of your involvement with freshmen is to help their transition to MIT's social environment. Expect that some advisees might find this adjustment intimidating and overwhelming because of their varied backgrounds and cultures. By organizing advising group activities a few times a year, you can introduce freshmen to other students and help ease their social acclimation.
Advisors often rely on their associate advisor(s) to organize social activities for their advising groups. You may find yourself wondering what activities ot plan. This section will provide some ideas, many of which are inexpensive and easily accessible.
Consider the following tips and guidelines when planning activities:
- Ask you advisees their preferences and interests. It is often helpful to poll your advisees regarding things they may be interested in doing together as a group (such as dinner, a movie, a museum trip, a concert, a sporting event, a play, etc.).
- Be creative in organizing community building and mentorship opportunities with your advising group. For example, if you have a large group, consider suggesting a learning strategies presentation for one of your meetings. Ifyou're a RAA consider hosting a residence-wide event featuring staff and faculty to talk about UROPs, UPOP, selection of major or other issues of common concern/interest.
- There are many activities (other than going to restaurants!) available that are free and local. If you don't have the opportunity to take advantage of these, you might organize a more costly and less local event as an end of term/year activity.
- Work with your advisor to plan activities with the monetary resources s/he has been given by the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming (UAAP).
Note: If you are organizing a special event that requires an additional subsidy beyond the amount normally allotted to your advising group, your request might be considered for approval. You must submit a detailed activity description, including a list of expenses already used to date by your advising group, to Julie Norman (jbnorman@mit.edu) Senior Associate Dean and Director of the UAAP.
If you have questions,concerns or need help with ideas, please feel free to contact staff in the UAAP, Room 7-104-we're more than happy to help you.
