Purpose Of Being An O-Week Advisor

I think that the purpose of an O-Week Advisor is to introduce students to Rice’s culture of care. Coming to college is a frightening yet invigorating experience. I was so nervous the morning I came to Rice that I couldn’t even eat my breakfast! However, as soon as my mom and I pulled up to the curb, the butterflies in my stomach went away. I felt so welcomed and accepted by every person who greeted me, from the person who took my photo in front of the Duncan insignia to the student who directed me to my dorm. One of the purposes of an O-Week Advisor is to build upon the interests that their new students have expressed in their O-Week forms and to seek to establish connections with the new students by asking them questions about these interests.
To me, one of the purposes of being an O-Week Advisor is not only to reinforce the messages regarding well-being that these individuals are communicating, but to share stories about their own experiences of the culture of care and to reinforce the culture of care. The purpose of an O-Week Advisor is also to address the concerns of new students, give them thoughtful advice and insight about Rice, and to serve as a strong support unit, along with the other
I came into Rice wanting to double major in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Business. The summer before I came to Rice, I began thinking that my interest in social issues and inequality would better be expressed through a major like SWGS or a minor like Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities. During my first semester here at Rice, I struggled immensely in Econ 100, one of the prerequisites for the Business minor. Furthermore, although my Sociology and my FWIS courses allowed for me to read and write, I really missed reading literature and discussing literature with others like I had done in my high school English courses. I was also taking four large lecture courses and missed having smaller, discussion-based courses. I spent a fair amount of first semester exploring other majors online, through campus events, and by talking with two of my O-Week advisors who are majoring in some of the areas I am interested in (English and SWGS). I realized that it is perfectly okay to change my plans and that it is important to explore my areas of interest. Second semester, I am taking courses in English, Sociology, Psychology, and Communications, and am very excited to continue taking courses in these areas and to explore the other academic areas that I am interested in, such as Jewish