Honors Advising Appointments

The Honors Advising Office offers many options for meeting with Honors Advisors and accessing advising services.

Appointment Advising

Please use Navigate to schedule an advising appointment. Appointments can be scheduled for in person or via Zoom.  

Advising appointments are available Monday – Friday, mostly between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. However, there are some options starting at 8:00 am and ending at 6:30 pm to accommodate different student needs. 

If you have trouble using Navigate to schedule an appointment, please come meet with one of our Peer Advisors to get some assistance. If you still cannot schedule an appointment after meeting with a Peer Advisor, then you can call 413-545-2483 to schedule an advising appointment.  

Students are not assigned to a specific Honors College advisor. All students may choose to meet with any of the Honors Advisors.  

Drop-in Advising

If you have a time-sensitive question, join us for Drop-In Hours when Honors Advisors are on duty to help students on a first-come, first-served basis during the academic year (fall and spring semester only). Drop-In Hours are held virtually via Zoom. 

Drop-in Honors Advising Hours 

  • Tuesday: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
  • Thursday: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
  • Friday: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Sign up during drop-in hours. Sign up will begin 15 minutes prior to Drop-In and be available for the duration of drop-in hours. Once the form is submitted, you will receive the Zoom link in the confirmation.

Group Advising

Group Advising sessions are mandatory for first-year and sophomore students and are led by an Honors Advisor and a Peer Advising Assistant. Each 60-minute session will be held virtually via Zoom. The goal is for these sessions to be interactive and questions are encouraged. 

First-Year Group Advising sessions are designed to explain the curriculum, Breadth of Study requirements, and Honors course options, showcase Honors Advising benefits and campus resources, introduce the Honors Thesis and how to cultivate academic relationships with faculty members, and assist with registering for classes for the next semester.  

Sophomore Group Advising sessions are designed to review the curriculum in more detail, with a focus on finishing Breadth of Study and transitioning to Depth of Study requirements, discuss Honors Thesis requirements and differentiate the two approaches, the Thesis Seminar and the Individually Contracted Thesis, and review Commonwealth Honors College and campus resources available for research, academic success, co-curricular interests, and financial assistance. 

Peer Advising

Peer Advisors draw on their personal Honors College student experience to help you transition to college and navigate the resources and opportunities at UMass Amherst. They can assist you with using online tools such as SPIRE, CHC PATHS, the Honors course guide, and other information on the Honors website, and provide a student perspective about the Honors Living-Learning Community and other advantages of Commonwealth Honors College.  

Peer Advisors are well trained and ready to answer a quick question or meet one-on-one. They are available between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year (fall and spring only). 

Email Advising

If you have a specific, concrete question, you may email Advisor [at] honors [dot] umass [dot] edu (advisor[at]honors[dot]umass[dot]edu) and receive a response within 48 hours.

Questions should be straightforward and procedural, along the lines of these examples: How do I register for an Honors Independent Study or for Honors Thesis 499? How do I register for a summer course? How do I pursue the Departmental Honors track?