Undergraduate Advising
Welcome! The Department of Sociology looks forward to supporting your success within our department and as a member of the CSUF community more broadly. Our advising team is prepared to assist you in thinking through your pathway to graduation, your plans after graduation, clubs and resources available on campus, and more! We offer both drop-in (first come, first serve) advising as well as advising via an appointment with one of our advisors. To make Sociology advising as accessible as possible, we also offer in-person or virtual (Zoom) advising options.
Please take a look at the host of tools below, such as our sample roadmaps, as well as our “Frequently Asked Questions: Sociology Edition” at the bottom of this page. We hope you’ll find a number of answers by reviewing these resources. Then, when you’re ready, check our advisors’ schedules and availability for this semester so you can meet one-on-one for your individualized needs.
Click the Below Icons to Access the Linked Tool
Kim Palacios
Kim Palacios offers advising daily. She accommodates student needs by holding both in-person and virtual advising through both appointments and drop-in options. For in-person advising, please go to CP 914 to check-in.
Kim's Summer 2024 Drop-in Hours
August 1st - August 31st
Mondays: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Zoom)
Thursdays: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Zoom)
If you wish to make an appointment with Kim, please check her advising booking link. She regularly updates her schedule to accommodate as many students as possible.
Dr. Anthony Alvarez
Dr. Alvarez offers both in-person and virtual advising through both appointments and drop-in options. You can make an appointment with Dr. Alvarez during one of the below times/modalities using his booking links.
Dr. Alvarez's Advising Schedule will resume in Fall 2024
Dr. Maria Malagón
Dr. Malagón is the advisor for all sociology learning communities. If you are a participant in one of our learning communities, please click her advising booking link below to schedule an appointment. Her advising hours are:
Dr. Malagon's Advising Schedule will resume in Fall 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a Sociology advising appointment?
Each of our advisors has their own advising link. You can find these above next to each advisor’s name. You should look at the calendar of advising hours to find the days/times that work best for you and then click on the link to the advisor linked to that date/time to make your appointment.
Importantly, we also offer drop-in/walk-in hours. These are first come, first serve and include both in-person and virtual options (modality indicted on the advising availability calendar).
Where do I go for Sociology advising?
If your advising appointment is in-person, you will go to College Park 914. This is our department’s advising waiting room. At the time of your appointment, the advisor will come to get you and you will then meet in their individual office. (Note: if you are attending in-person drop-in/walk-in hours, you will go to CP 914 to check-in.)
If your advising appointment is virtual, you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting from the advisor.
The Zoom link for virtual drop-in/walk-in hours is provided above (near the calendar of advising).
How often should I come to Sociology advising?
We recommend our majors attend advising at least once a year—if not each semester. However, we do have students who come more or less than this depending on need, preference, or as required by particular university program within which a given student may be active.
Do I need to make a Sociology advising appointment to complete my graduation (grad) check?
Congratulations! It sounds like you’re on your way toward graduation. If you have 85 units or more, you are encouraged to apply for graduation. Once you have applied, your name and CWID is added to our department graduation (grad) check list. You do NOT need to have a Sociology advising appointment to complete your grad check in our department. Our staff advisor will complete your grad check and you will receive an email sharing information about the approval or not of that grad check. If not approved, the email will indicate what issues, gaps, or problems need to be resolved in order to successfully complete the grad check process.
What do I do if all of the Sociology advising appointments are booked/full?
Oh no! We know this can be a nerve-wracking experience to encounter. If all of our appointments are full, we encourage you to attend drop-in/walk-in appointments. As a backup to this, you can find a wealth of information on our website. You may also choose to email our sociologyadvising@fullerton.edu email; however, this is generally for more basic questions and not those requiring great detail or time.
What do I do if I need to cancel my Sociology advising appointment?
If you need to cancel your Sociology advising appointment, please check the email confirmation you received at time of making the appointment if you received one. The confirmation may have specific instructions for cancellation. Alternatively, if you cannot find a confirmation email, please email the advisor directly to let them know you will not be in attendance.
We appreciate cancellations made as soon as you know you can’t make it. This allows your spot to open back up so that another student may fill it.
What kinds of topics might I discuss in my Sociology advising appointment?
You can discuss all types of things in Sociology advising. While many students come to advising for course planning or questions about graduation, you may also choose to come to discuss challenges you’re experiencing in classes, what to do with your sociology degree after graduation (we recommend you visit the Career Center and/or talk to our faculty advisors for this information), ask about resources on campus for a particular need, or a host of other things. While our advisors are certainly available to support you in thinking through your schedule and course decision-making, we hope you’ll also consider us a resource for your overall academic well-being and support.
How will I remember everything talked about in my Sociology advising appointment?
Our appointments often contain quite a bit of information as we want you to be as prepared as possible once you leave our advising offices. Never fear though! We use TitanNotes, a tool available through CSUF, to write down information for you. Our notes are then emailed to you (typically within 24 hours). You can also find any and all notes taken during any appointment you have on campus (in Sociology or otherwise) by looking at the top of your TDA screen through your portal. You’ll see a “Notes” tab. Click on that and you’ll be able to find any note posted/taken during your time at CSUF.
How do I know which classes to take each semester?
We encourage you to look at our sample course schedules/roadmaps for guidance here. Please remember that these are just samples. You, ultimately, have a lot of freedom in your decision around courses, timing, and your schedule overall.
The one thing our advisors do strongly recommend is the sequencing/order of our required/core sociology courses (i.e., 101, 302, 303, 308, and 410).
- If you are a transfer student, we suggest:
- 1st semester: 302 & 308
- 2nd semester: 303
- 3rd semester: 410
- If you are a first-year freshman student, we suggest:
- 1st semester: 101
- 4th semester: 308
- 5th semester: 302
- 6th semester: 303
- 7th semester: 410
If I want to add a Sociology concentration, how do I go about this?
First, please be sure to review the requirements for one of our concentrations. You can do that by clicking HERE. Then, we encourage you to meet with one of our Sociology advisors to ensure adding a concentration will not slow your time to graduation. It should, instead, be gained on the way to graduation. Finally, you’ll need to complete the declaration of concentration form by completing the “Change of Major/Minor” form HERE.