Hello Duke Fans… It’s that time of the semester again. The team is preparing not only for the start of the basketball season but also for another round of exams and papers. The month of November also brings with it the start of class registration. Duke students have spent the past few weeks researching courses, scouring through syllabi, meeting with Deans, and consulting with advisors in an attempt to create the “perfect” schedule. The process unfolds over a four-week period and students are assigned a registration window based on seniority.
Here’s a glimpse into the registration process from the perspective of our student-athletes and their advisors and Deans.
October 20th: Registration Process Begins
Duke students search through hundreds of courses and add a select few to their online book bag. Pictured belowis a snapshot of Elliot Williams’ online book bag at the start of the registration process…
Duke students search through hundreds of courses and add a select few to their online book bag. Pictured belowis a snapshot of Elliot Williams’ online book bag at the start of the registration process…
October 20th - October 30th: Students Finalize Online Book Bag
Duke students consult with their advisors and Deans several times throughout the semester to talk about their academic progress, review course offerings, and confirm that major and graduation requirements are being met.
October 30th: Registration Begins
Duke students must wake up before sunrise in order to assure themselves a spot in all of the courses in their online book bag. Here’s a snapshot of the spring semester that awaits Greg Paulus (Political Science Major & Markets and Management Studies Certificate Candidate).
Duke students must wake up before sunrise in order to assure themselves a spot in all of the courses in their online book bag. Here’s a snapshot of the spring semester that awaits Greg Paulus (Political Science Major & Markets and Management Studies Certificate Candidate).
“When I first met Marty Pocius several years ago as his advisor in International Comparative Studies (ICS), I was impressed by the way he was thinking about his major (and by his basketball playing of course!). Then, as I got to know Marty in class, I was even more impressed by his work ethic. For one class he took with me, he had to go up two flights of steep stairs on crutches for every class, but he always did it with a smile and with a lot of courage and humor. This semester, Marty is taking the ICS Capstone Seminar with me and I have learned a lot more about him. For instance, I learned that part of the reason Marty wanted to come here was because in Lithuania, you have to either play basketball or study academics and he wanted to do both. It has been great working with Marty.”
Dr. Jehanne Gheith, Director of International Comparative Studies (ICS) and Chair of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Dr. Jehanne Gheith, Director of International Comparative Studies (ICS) and Chair of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
“As an academic dean, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is getting to know Duke students, who come to our campus from all over the country (and the world) with an amazing array of experiences and backgrounds. Student-athletes are among my favorite students to advise because they are highly motivated to succeed and know the importance of listening to advice (since success in their sport depends on their ability to listen to coaches and older teammates). These students are always willing to put in the time and effort to achieve their goals. Student-athletes are often more highly skilled in managing their time, too, since they have had to balance their academic life with the demands of their sport for several years before arriving at Duke.
As they adjust to the greater demands associated with playing at the Division 1 level, our student-athletes also learn that Duke professors have high expectations of them both in and outside of the classroom. One of my roles as a dean and an advisor is to help students learn how to devote enough time to their course work outside of actual class time, so that they can get through the readings, work on multiple drafts of papers and assignments and come to class fully prepared to not only listen to their instructors, but also participate actively in class discussions.
I have enjoyed getting to know Olek and Elliot as they navigate their first few month as Duke students. They both clearly love basketball and being part of the Blue Devil family, but they also know that they will be getting a top-notch education at Duke and are keen to take advantage of the curricular opportunities available to them as students here. For example, this fall they are taking a course that includes a service-learning component that takes them out into the Durham community where they help area school children with their reading and writing assignments, an experience they are really enjoying. Right now, our focus is on giving them as much exposure to different academic subjects and disciplines as possible so that when it is time for them to declare their major as sophomores they will be able to select an area that is the best fit for both their interests and talents.
Advising students is not all about scheduling classes and picking majors. I like to hear about how students spend their free time, what music they listen to and who their families are back home. Before the year is out, I will try to convince Olek to demonstrate his musical stylings on the acoustic guitar, and I’ll also compare notes with Elliot on movies we have seen — one of his favorites, Crash, is one of mine, too!”
Dr. Michele Rasmussen, Director of the Academic Advising Center and Associate Dean of Trinity College, on working with our student-athletes
