By the end of their second year at Amherst, students must declare a major. In order to file the requisite paperwork with the registrar, students must obtain the signature of the chair of the department in which they will be majoring and be assigned an advisor in the major. Departments handle the assignment process in different ways, but many rely on the chair to ensure an equitable distribution of advising within the department.
Please note that the Office of Student Affairs will assign new students’ and undeclared students’ advisors, and that the registrar will be seeking reassignment for students with declared majors who have advisors who have left the college or are on leave.