Purposeful Advising

We are here to guide you.

We know that planning for your first year of college can be overwhelming and we want to get you started off on the right foot. The Office of Purposeful Learning is here to take some of the stress off, help you find your first year path and, most importantly, help you discover what you want out of your college experience!

The First Step

Over the summer, Purposeful Learning works with the Associate Dean’s Office to contact all new students. We will help you pick your courses for your first semester, answer any questions you may have and advise you as you fill out and submit your forms. After that, take a break and enjoy your summer!

Don’t stress! We are thrilled to have you joining our community, we want help you begin to connect with the College and we are here to help!

Your First-Year Advisor

Your student success advisor will mentor and guide your journey and exploration throughout their college experience. Our Student Success Advisors serve as one of your initial touchpoints in our community and remain with you throughout your time at St. Mike’s.

• Your Success Advisor will reach out in the first few weeks of the semester.
• You will meet our team early on as we welcome you to campus on Move-In Day.
• You will meet with your Student Success Advisor at least once per semester as part of the Purposeful Learning course.

What do you want to learn more about? What activities do you want to get involved in? What matters most to you?

Together, you will begin to explore what you want out of college and reflect on your semester, your goals, and how we can best help you get connected on campus.

We believe that every Saint Michael’s student has their own unique journey. Your experiences have shaped you and the Student Success Advisors are here to support you as part of your advising team.

Purposeful Learning Course

We want you to find your place, so we designed a one-credit course, the Introduction to Purposeful Learning course, to help you learn all about the College, equip you with the tools they need to be successful and use reflection as a powerful tool for growth.

The required course is facilitated by a range of instructor from all different areas of campus life and takes place over the first eight weeks of both the fall and spring semesters.

An introduction to college

In the fall, we focus on the transition to college. College life is very different from high school and we want to make sure you can take advantage of all that St. Mike’s has to offer while making sure that you have all the information and connections you need to thrive.

The spring semester introduces students to the College’s mission, defines social impact, and exposes students to leadership in life. Additionally, students will also get time with a career coach to begin the career investigating process.

Each Purposeful Learning course has a Peer Mentor, an upper class student who offers their perspective and shares their experiences with first year students.

Student-Centered Events

We provide a welcoming space in the center of campus – a place to hang out, study, attend one of the fun first-year and sophomore events we host throughout the year and build community and connections.

Take a look at photos from some of the first-year and sophomore events we have hosted and stop by the office for coffee hours, cocoa and cookie decorating, first-year bowling, housing/roommate mixers, the traditional gingerbread house decorating competition, and our Annual First-Year Paper Plate Awards.