Thursday, October 15, 2015



A Helpful Hint: Get To Know Your Success Team Members

            As some members of the Pride may know, Hofstra has established success teams for each student. Students can learn who their success team members are by logging into the Hofstra portal, clicking on the Hofstra Online tab on the left hand side, and clicking on Your Success Team under the Student Services section. A student’s success team will be made up of their advising dean, their financial services counselor, the Dean of Students, the Departmental Chair of your student’s program, and the Director for off campus living and commuter students or a residential life director for resident students.



            Students should become well acquainted with their success team members and learn where their offices are on campus. As a Hofstra student myself, I heavily relied on my advising dean every semester to help me make a schedule for the upcoming semester. While it is somewhat easy for students to register for class themselves once they are familiar with the Degree Works Report, advising deans often teach students what different degrees can be fit into their undergraduate career here at Hofstra. For example, my advising dean layed out a potential schedule for me and showed me that I was able to double major with a minor and still graduate a semester early! I always knew how to register and read my Degree Works Report, however, without my advising dean’s guidance I would have never figured out for myself how to fit in an additional major during my time as an undergraduate student. Members of the success team such as a student’s advising dean can give crucial advice as a student runs into dilemmas during their academic career. For example, as a commuter, the director of commuting students and off campus living was a part of my success team and the commuter newsletters often gives helpful advice for leaving and coming to campus. Students will be aware of the basic necessities for being a successful member of the Pride as they enter the upcoming semester because orientation thoroughly prepares new students. However, members of the success team can give your student that key piece of advice that will make their education an exceptional one. As an alumni who has been through it here at Hofstra, I urge students to get to know their success team members today!