IAS Peer Advisor Program

Email: ias_peeradvisor@berkeley.edu

Current Peer Advisors

Fall 2008 Peer Advisor Application

Peer Advisor FAQ  

IAS Peer Advisors are declared upper-division students in various International and Area Studies majors. They go through an extensive training program to learn about all six IAS majors (AS, DS, LAS, MES, PACS and PEIS) and how to best meet the needs of current and intended IAS students. They are a really great resource because they are students with majors in IASTP just like you. That means that they can share are own experiences in the major and recommend professors and courses, in other words they have “inside information.” In addition some of them are transfer students and others have studied abroad so they have a lot of insight to give you.

They are also a good resource because they are in the lobby of 101 Stephens every day for most of the day so you can stop by and get help whenever you need without having to wait Schedule coming soon.....   If you can’t come by you can also e-mail your questions to ias_peeradvisor@berkeley.edu.

For information about joining the Peer Advisor team, contact Kayoko Wakamatsu at kwakamat@berkeley.

What do peer advisors do?

Peer Advisors are here for students!  They can answer almost any question you have and if they can't, the will direct you to someone who can.  Some of the things they can help you with are:

• Choosing your IAS major
• Declaring your major
• Creating and/or choosing your concentration
• Understanding requirements for your major
• How to fulfill the language requirement
• Choosing classes
• Making an academic plan for the rest of your time here
• Clarifying L & S policies
• Preparing to study abroad
• Understanding and preparing for the honors program
• Calculating GPA to determine honors eligibility
• Finding information on careers, internships and research opportunities
• Study tips (they have very useful handouts too!)
• And much more!

They can also give you applications for your major and almost any other form you might need.  Some of the many forms they have available are:

• Course substitution and waiver approval forms
• Change of college, major or curriculum forms
• Double major/simultaneous degree planning forms and applications
• EAP and study abroad course substitution forms
• Employment verification for reduced study load forms
• Field research, field study, and independent study approval forms
• Foreign language certification forms
• PEIS concentration statement forms
• Diploma request forms
• And more!