Your Advisor

You will be assigned an advisor when you declare English as your major, but you are welcome to change your advisor at any time. There are two ways to change your advisor. If you have a specific professor in mind, ask him or her whether he or she would be willing to work as your advisor. Or, you can ask one of the department secretaries to assign you a new advisor.

Peer Advisors

When you’re assigned your advisor, you will also be given the name and contact information of one of the department’s Student Advisory Committee members. The members of this group are experienced English majors who will be happy to discuss the major with you from their own perspective as students. In general the Student Advisory Committee helps with the recruitment of English majors and serves as a consulting group for the faculty. You are welcome to join this committee; invitations go out each year early in the fall semester. The names and email addresses of all students on the committee are also posted on the department’s webpage.

If your advisor goes on leave

If in a given semester your advisor is on leave from Villanova, the department will assign you a temporary advisor. Or, you can ask a professor you already know to advise you for the semester in question.

Consulting your advisor

Feel free to consult with your advisor whenever questions about the major arise—or even when you desire more casual conversation about literature and life. But it is still your responsibility to map out your classes and stay on course for completing the major. Try to do this work in advance of meeting with your advisor to discuss registration plans.

Double majors

If you have a double major, make sure that you have been assigned a separate advisor for each major.

Specialized Advisors

The English department has a number of specialized advisors:

• The department’s advisor for careers in business is Prof. Charles Cherry, who has extensive experience consulting with businesses.
• The department’s advisor for law school applications is Prof. Karen Graziano, who has a law degree. She can review your applications as well as give you advice.
• The department’s advisor for graduate school applications is Prof. Jill Rappoport. If you are thinking about going on to graduate school in literature, you should speak to her early. She can help you plan a suitable program of courses to prepare you for graduate study. Later, she can also help you in deciding where, when, and how to apply.
• Career Services has a particular career counselor, Jennifer Wickersham, who specializes in helping Arts students; her telephone number is 610-519-4062.

Other useful information

Webpage

The English department webpage is a good source of information about the major. You’ll probably find answers to most of your questions about the major on the webpage.

Course-Planning Chart

Take advantage of the English department’s Course-Planning Chart to keep track of the requirements you have fulfilled and still need to fulfill. The chart is available through the department’s webpage, through your advisor, and at the department’s office.

Tracks

As an English major, you have the opportunity to design a track for yourself. A track allows you to give focus to your major by concentrating on a specific literary area, genre, or topic. See the Tracks webpage for more information.

Teaching Assistantships

As an English major, you can serve as a teaching assistant when you are a senior. You receive three credits for a teaching assistantship, and the course counts as an elective towards fulfilling the major. See the Teaching Assistantships webpage for more information.

Internships

As an English major, you can receive credit for a variety of internships. All students interested in internships must apply through the Internship Office (SAC 415; 610-519-4232). The director of the Internship Program is Rina Ebert (610-519-4081).

Study Abroad

Questions about studying abroad should be directed to the Office of International Studies. You might want to discuss your choice of courses for your study abroad with your advisor.

Overloading

• To be considered full-time, students must take a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. Students who wish to take fewer than 12 credits a semester must seek approval from their academic advisor and the Dean.
• The normal course load each semester for full-time students is five courses of three credits or more excluding labs. In order to be granted permission for an overload, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (2.75 for the summer), or have achieved senior status and need a sixth course to fulfill graduation requirements.
• Students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the Arts College will be allowed to take a sixth course (up to 19 credits hours per semester). No paperwork is required. However, such students will only be allowed to register for 17 credits during the initial pre-registration period. After all students have had the opportunity to register for five courses, credit limits will be raised by the Registrar, and students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will be allowed to register for a sixth course through NOVASIS using their semester PIN.