Advising & Declaring

Declaration

Undeclared Juniors & Seniors should meet the following deadlines to avoid enrollment holds. 

• Sept. 22nd - SFACT course selection, 1st approval by Student Services
• Oct. 6th - Cornerstone essay, 2nd approval by an SA 
• Nov. 3rd - Faculty advisor approval 
• Nov. 10th - declare in Axess and approval by Student Services

Sophomores should follow the following deadlines to declare by the end of their Sophomore year.

• May 1st - SFACT course selection, 1st approval by an SA 
• June 1st - Cornerstone essay, 2nd approval by a different SA

Graduation

• October 6th - Capstone option indicated in SFACT for Seniors
• October 13th - Degree Progress Check for students conferring in Autumn or Winter quarters 
• March 1st - Degree Progress Check for students conferring in Spring or Summer quarters
  (note: there are individual deadlines based on alphabetical order)
• Application to Graduate - refer to Registrar's Office deadlines

Course of Study changes are allowed.  If you decide to change your course of study, you should update SFACT by week 2 of the quarter you plan to take a new course. Meet with student services to ensure that the changes are approved. If you wait to update your course of study and it differs substantially from your original course of study, you may find that you need additional quarters to complete an approved course of study. The important thing to remember is that, before you will be cleared for graduation, the course of study on file in SFACT must be approved and match the courses you have in fact completed. By keeping SFACT updated and in an approved state, you can be confident that the course of study you are pursuing is in fact sufficient for your HumBio degree.

Changing Courses

• Meet with an SA or the Student Services staff to discuss changes to your course of study (COS).
• Update SFACT with agreed upon change(s). 
• If needed, upload an addendum to SFACT for review by Student Services staff. 
• Student Services will review your changes and addendum. If no further changes are required, the new COS will be approved in SFACT.

Writing an Addendum

• Addendums are required for changes made to Depth courses. Write a paragraph that describes how your new Depth courses contribute towards your concentration. Add the paragraph to the bottom of your original Cornerstone Essay justifying the added courses that need approval. 
  • Students are allowed one course change in Depth before an addendum is required. The change will be noted in SFACT. Later, if additional changes are made to your Depth then an addendum covering all changes, including the first change, is required.
• Upload the addendum to SFACT. humbioadvising [at] lists.stanford.edu (E-mail Student Services )if they have already reviewed your COS and requested the addendum from you. 

Changing Area of Concentration

If you decide to revise your entire Area of Concentration, you must discuss these changes with an SA before you begin taking the classes. After the SA approves the new Area of Concentration, you must rewrite your Cornerstone Essay to reflect this revision and submit it for SA approval. Then, set up an appointment with your Faculty Advisor to discuss the changes and show them your new Cornerstone Essay. Your Faculty Advisor may have additional suggestions that would enhance your COS. Depending on the scope of the changes, you may want to consider searching for additional mentors in your new concentration or even officially switching to a Faculty Advisor who is an expert in your new area. Finally, upload your new Cornerstone Essay to SFACT and schedule a meeting with humbioadvising [at] lists.stanford.edu (Student Services).