First Year Advising
About Us
First year students with a primary major in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) are assigned a First Year Advisor (FYA). Our FYAs advise clusters of CNS majors and are experts in helping students navigate the transition from high school to college.
Your FYA can help you:
- Register for classes
- Navigate UMass and adjust to college life
- Explore majors and academic opportunities
- Connect with campus resources and support services
At the end of your first year, your FYA will help you transition to an Upper-Level Advisor, who will support you from sophomore year through graduation.
Students in our A.S. degrees are advised by their major department as soon as they enter UMass and begin their degree program.
You'll be assigned to a First Year Advisor based on your primary major—and your assigned FYA may change if your major changes. To view your assigned advisor, log in to SPIRE. Select the Academics tile and then Advisor & Academic Summary to view your advisor.
Peer Advising Assistant (PAA) Hours
Hours for drop-ins:
- Monday: 12:00PM - 1:00PM & 2:00PM - 4:00PM
- Wednesday: 11:00AM - 12:00PM
- Thursday: 12:00PM - 1:00PM
- Friday: 12:00PM - 3:00PM
Contact CNS First Year Advising
Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) Room 122
cnsfirstyearadvising [at] umass [dot] edu (cnsfirstyearadvising[at]umass[dot]edu)
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM. Please note our office is closed on holidays and during campus emergency closures.
CNS Petitions & Forms
CNS requires Petitions and Forms for certain requests and exceptions. We highly encourage first year students to meet with their assigned advisor to determine whether or not you need to complete any of these documents and when to do so.
Common Questions & Procedures
Secondary major advising during registration
During registration we are unable to schedule one-on-one advising appointments with secondary majors whose primary major is outside CNS, but we still want to support you through spring course selection! Please see below for the support options available to you:
Group advising sessions:
- Group advising for Math and Statistics & Data Science secondary majors: Monday, November 9th, 3:00-4:00PM in ISB 145
- Group advising for Psychology secondary majors: Friday, November 13th, 3:00-4:00PM in ISB 145
- If you're a secondary major whose primary major is outside CNS and haven't received a Navigate appointment invite, please email [email protected]
Drop-in advising for all other first year secondary majors (and any Math, SDS, or Psych student who can't attend group advising) will be held:
- Monday, November 9th: 1:00-2:30PM
- Tuesday, November 10th: 1:00-2:30PM
- Thursday, November 12th: 2:30-4:00PM
- Friday, November 13th: 2:30-4:00PM
- No appointment needed! Just come to the CNS First Year Advising Office in 122 Lederle Graduate Tower during these hours!
Making an advising appointment during the semester
Schedule an in person or virtual appointment with your assigned advisor through Navigate.
- Click the blue "Make an Appointment" button.
- Under what type of appointment would you like to schedule? select Advising.
- Choose the reason for the appointment. When in doubt, choose Academic Advising.
- Select a date then click "Find Available Time" to see your assigned advisor's calendar.
Make scheduling even easier by downloading the Navigate app!
Declare, change, or add a CNS major
The first step to declare, change, or add a CNS Major is to review our change of major guidelines on the CNS Petitions & Forms page. This applies to:
- CNS students changing from one CNS major to another
- Students from other schools/colleges who want to switch into a CNS major
- Any student who wants to add a secondary major in CNS
CNS First Year Advising Directory
Tonya Blundon
Tonya Blundon is the Director of CNS First Year Advising.
Emily Rodgers
Emily Rodgers is an Office Manager for CNS First Year Advising.
Aly Kosteva
Aly Kosteva is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
Anna Ostow
Anna Ostow is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
Brian Strauss
Brian Strauss is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
Lyn Broyles
Lyn Broyles is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
Madeline Wood
Madeline (Maddie) Wood is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
Maia Valcarce
Maia Valcarce is a first year advisor in CNS First Year Advising.
