Undergraduate Advising

GWS ADVISING DURING COVID-19

OFFICE HOURS & SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS

The GWS advisor will be available online during regular business hours:
Monday—Friday 10am–12pm. To schedule an appointment in Google Calendar please go here.

Schedule Appointments: The Undergraduate Advisor will continue to offer remote appointments. Appointments can be made via Zoom (contact advisor for Zoom appt), Chat via Gmail at cummings@berkeley.edu, or leave a message at 510-642-8513 (for phone appointments)

Email: When a GWS advising question/need arises, please email Althea Grannum Cummings at cummings@berkeley.edu for support.

ADVISOR HOLDS

Contact the Undergraduate Advisor to remove your ADVISOR HOLD.
Email your Fall course plan and the UA will review and approve your plan and remove your Hold.

NEED A SIGNATURE

Email submission to cummings@berkeley.edu.
Email must include:

  • Subject line, Last Name, Student ID, Name of Form
  • PDF attachment of form

Please use your @berkeley.edu email address to submit form. Forms will be returned via email within 2-3 business days.

DECLARING MAJOR/INTENT TO MAJOR (email forms to: cummings@berkeley.edu)

  • Complete and submit L&S Major Declaration form
  • Complete and submit GWS Checklist and Date Sheet for advisor’s review and approval
  • Complete and submit L&S Intent to Major form

GRADING POLICIES (SPRING 2020)

Students can take UCEAP courses and CEC courses P/NP and GWS will accept them towards major. Students should seek approval for non-Berkeley courses taken Spring 2020 if they want them to be applied towards the major. P/NP grades for any approved Spring 2020 courses will be accepted toward the major.

For Spring 2020 courses only, any GWS course, including approved GWS elective courses, in which a “P” is earned will count toward the GWS major, regardless of whether you have already at this point declared the major or whether you declare it at a later date.

The department of Gender and Women’s Studies Undergraduate Advising office provides our students with the following assistance to help guide them through the academic bureaucracy and hopefully ensure that they have a successful undergraduate experience at Berkeley. The Undergraduate Adviser (UA), Althea Grannum Cummings is located in 608 Social Sciences Building and her email address is cummings@berkeley.edu. Her regular office hours are Monday – Friday 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm. Do not hesitate to contact her if you need some assistance, even advice on a good coffee shop. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

  • Counseling regarding your education and GWS courses
  • Declaring the major
  • Assessing your progress in the major
  • Administrative concerns (i.e. CalCentral, Add/Drops, L&S policy)
  • Graduation
  • Major Info, courses, independent studies, Honors Program, GWS student group
  • Graduate programs and career information and referrals

DECLARING THE MAJOR
As a declared major, you will have the benefit of enrolling into GWS upper division classes without issues. Our majors never have to be concerned about getting into a required course to fulfill the major requirement. The small class sizes contribute to a better learning experience and our students graduate on time. Declaring the GWS major is a simple process once you have completed the prerequisite courses.

The process of declaring the major takes approximately 10 minutes, if that much, and you may declare at anytime during the year. Schedule a preliminary meeting with the UA to discuss declaring the major, double majoring or doing a simultaneous degree in 608 Social Sciences Building during regular office hours Monday – Friday 9:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The following materials are required and the necessary forms are available at the department. You can also download them here:

 

*If you have taken any of the prerequisites at another college of university, you will need to supply a copy of the course descriptions or syllabi to be reviewed for approval.

A student file will be created and maintained in the department for five years.

DECLARING THE GWS AND LGBT MINORS
Students need to declare their minor in the Department no later than the semester before your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). Interested students should complete the GWS Minor Worksheet or LGBT Minor Worksheet to declare. The worksheets are also available in the Undergraduate Advising Office, 608 Social Sciences Building.

After completing ALL minor courses, fill out the Completion of L&S Minor form (obtain from L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising in 206 Evans Hall or https://ls.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/advcompletionoflnsminor.pdf) and submit it to the dept. UA.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION & TIPS

ADVISER HOLDS
Each semester Advisor Holds will be placed on student’s records to prevent majors from registering for classes until it is released by the Dept. UA. This procedure is to insure that students review their progress in the major and receive up-to-date information on graduation requirements. Majors will be notified via email when it is possible to see the UA to remove the Holds. Adviser Holds will not be released by phone or email except for students who are studying abroad or on medical leave. All other students must come in person to the UA to review their schedule and have the Hold released.

CALCENTRAL
GWS majors can register for impacted courses outside the major during Phase I of CalCentral. Seats are set aside in CalCentral for majors; however, you should make sure you are enrolled in your GWS courses at the beginning of Phase II. If you have a problem enrolling in a class, contact the Undergraduate Adviser for assistance.

ENROLLMENT CHANGES
Attendance at all class meetings, including discussion sections, is required during the first 2 weeks in all courses. Instructors usually drop students for non-attendance. There is generally about a 20% drop rate in most upper division courses, and a higher rate in lower division courses. It is important for students who cannot attend class because of a conflict to write a note to the instructor or GSI explaining why you missed class, but that you still intend to take it.

WAITLIST PRIORITY
GWS Waitlists are processed manually and students are added selectively instead of by the numerical order in CalCentral. Department majors, minors, LGBT minors and students attending the classes receive priority. Students are also added to class at the discretion of the instructor.

SHOULD YOU DROP YOURSELF FROM A CLASS?
YES!! Students should never assume they have been dropped from a course or course waitlist, and should always check on CalCentral to make sure they have or haven’t been dropped from a course after the second week.

Change in Course Schedule
Students may add and drop courses on CalCentral until the fifth week of class unless the course is listed as an Early Drop Deadline (EDD) course. EDD courses must be dropped by the end of the second week. All students should print a copy of their schedule each time they use CalCentral.

PREREQUISITES FOR NON-MAJORS AND NON-MINORS
Students who are not majoring or minoring in Gender & Women’s Studies but wish to take Gender & Women’s Studies core courses (101, 102, 103, and 104) are encouraged to take GWS 10, GWS 20, or their equivalent beforehand.

GWS LITERATURE RACK & BULLETIN BOARDS
The Literature Rack is located right outside the GWS Administrative Office (608 Social Sciences Building). Students will find updates on the major, the minor, LGBT minor, GWS Course List, Q-Cal and much more vital information.

There are several Bulletin Boards along the corridor of the main office. Information on events, internships, jobs, volunteering, graduate school, and special courses will be posted throughout the semester. It is a good idea to check the Bulletin Boards periodically.

RELATED LINKS