A Consequential Education at Gettysburg College is shaped by our people, our place, and our distinctive approach to teaching and learning that supports the whole student, the Gettysburg Approach. The relationships and connections you’ll form here are possible because of advisors who look out for you during every step of your Gettysburg College journey. They are the people who share the breadth and depth of knowledge and enable students to develop enduring skills to serve them well for a lifetime of career success.
Explore our culture of advising through the perspectives of Gettysburg students:
Personal Advising Teams
An essential part of our promise to deliver A Consequential Education to every Gettysburg student is supporting students through the whole arc of their experience, both during their studies at Gettysburg and after. Our College’s talented faculty and staff are here to help you make the most of your Gettysburg education as an integral part of Personal Advising Teams. Beginning in Fall 2023, every incoming student will have a personal Advising Team by their side.
Faculty advisor
Your faculty advisor will help you navigate your academic progress through a liberal arts and sciences education at Gettysburg, serving as an invaluable resource as you prepare for graduate or professional school or your first job. During his First-Year Seminar with English Prof. McKinley Melton, the Kermit O. Paxton and Renee A. Paxton Endowed Teaching Chair, Jarvis McGrath ’24, an English major with a writing concentration, connected and shared concerns with Melton amid the COVID-19 pandemic. McGrath credits his recent academic success to Melton’s advising support:
“I wanted to do health sciences but was not enjoying myself by taking those classes. Prof. Melton talked me through everything and helped me get on track,” McGrath said. “He told me that he liked my writing style and that he was going to make me an English major somehow. At the time, I laughed it off as him just joking around. However, come sophomore year, I was sitting in his office, telling him I was going to become an English major. … He and I talk all the time, whether about school or life. Having an advisor is so helpful. Apart from helping you academically, it gives you someone to talk to and builds a great relationship with a member of the faculty. I couldn’t be happier that I have that kind of connection here.”
Career advisor
Through the Center for Career Engagement (CCE), you’ll connect with a dedicated career advisor. Career advisors will help you reflect on your career aspirations and Gettysburg experience while cultivating connections with the global Gettysburg Network.
“The career advising resources at the CCE have been invaluable. They have offered me tailored coaching and internship opportunities to bridge real-life experiences and connect with our extensive alumni network,” said Colton J. Ward ’25, a mathematical economics major and data science and business double minor. “The advisors nurture my curiosity for my post-graduate aspirations and equip me with the skills and mindset to empower the world. With coaching from the CCE, I was able to attain two consecutive summer internships at T. Rowe Price, a leading global asset management firm.”
Co-curricular advisors and alumni mentors
In addition to faculty and career advisors, students participating in the Guided Pathways can also engage with co-curricular advisors and alumni mentors on their Personal Advising Teams. Co-curricular advisors work with students to align their interests with on-campus experiences through thematic Guided Pathways, gaining a deeper understanding of how their courses, their organizations and activities, and the enduring skills they build complement each other. At the conclusion of their sophomore year, students participating in the Guided Pathways can add an alumni mentor to their Personal Advising Teams, who can assist in defining career goals and building their professional networks.
“Through the Guided Pathways, I am able to turn my interests and passions into tangible experiences at Gettysburg College,” said Dani Fritchman ’27. “I was given help from my co-curricular advisor to lay out realistic goals for my next four years here. I also learned how important the things I am already participating in, like cross country, are for fostering skills. This [support] made the process not overwhelming. The Guided Pathways helped me feel like my interests were supported by the College and could be turned into lifelong pursuits.”
Coaches
Gettysburg College’s athletics coaching staff works with student-athletes on and off the field and court, from developing their athletic skills to connecting them to the College’s support system for wellness events and other student services. They also help provide direction for post-college plans, introducing them to alumni through the Gettysburg Network, who share industry insights and serve as mentors and role models for leadership.
“I believe that coaches at Gettysburg have a unique ability to help students in all aspects of their lives due to the small, intimate nature of the College,” said mathematical economics major and business minor Andy Marquet ’25, a defender on the men’s lacrosse team. “During my time at Gettysburg, I’ve been thrown into adverse situations—as has anyone—where I’ve felt the need to lean on someone for support. Coaches [Pete] Toner, [Nick] Cardile, [Mac] O’Keefe, and [Aleric] Fyock have always been there for me in these situations. My relationship with the men’s lacrosse coaching staff has allowed me to grow as an athlete, student, and person in general.”
Academic advisors through the Center for Student Success
When you need help contacting one of your professors or finding resources to assist you in your courses, you can turn to Gettysburg College’s Center for Student Success. Here, advisors provide academic advising, counsel students on academic standing and status, secure accessibility to College resources, and connect with students of concern through the CARE team. Their work allows students to see why their education here matters, now and in the future.
“Coming to a new place for anyone is scary because everything is so unknown. Knowing that I have the Center for Student Success to help guide me through my time here at Gettysburg reassured me about anything I may have been worried about,” said Hannah Marte ’27. “Every time I go to them, whether for my accommodations or just to talk about a class, I always feel listened to and understood, and that is something I will always appreciate.”
Alumni support from The Gettysburg Network
From day one, you can access our global Gettysburg Network of more than 32,000 alumni who can help you build a dynamic, fulfilling career, leveraging your consequential education to confront the challenges of a complex world. These career professionals, who live and work in major international and U.S. cities such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Washington, D.C., can open doors for you to land internships and job opportunities at many of the world’s leading companies and organizations, including Apple and Goldman Sachs. Gettysburg’s Center for Career Engagement, which provides career support, helps build those connections with alumni in the Gettysburg Network.
Every Gettysburg College student is shaped by the lifelong partnerships that form here. From the moment you step onto campus, you’ll find people dedicated to helping you succeed, with mentors and advisors representing all areas of our College. At Commencement, Gettysburgians celebrate the people who have made an impact on their Gettysburg experience by presenting them with Stoles of Gratitude. At Gettysburg, our community continually surrounds our students, believing in them and inspiring in them the confidence to Do Great Work.
By Michael Vyskocil
Photos by Abbey Frisco, Jason Minick, and Shawna Sherrell
Posted: 12/11/23
