Your navigator's mission is to empower you during your Case Western Reserve experience and to help you maximize your journey to success. Think of your navigator as your student success coach, providing holistic, comprehensive support including:
- academic and career exploration and decision-making;
- campus life engagement and connection; and
- personal wellness and development.
This webpage outlines how you can build a great relationship with your navigator and some of the common topics your navigator can assist you with. Your navigator will also work with your faculty academic advisor and the deans in Undergraduate Studies to make sure you receive all the assistance you need.
Contacting Your Navigator
Your navigator's contact information and link to schedule an appointment is always listed on our website.
Generally, email is a great way to connect with your navigator and you can expect a response within 24 to 48 business hours, though you will usually hear back from your navigator sooner. Should you receive an out of office reply, be sure to read through it thoroughly, as it will give you several options for assistance in your navigator's absence.
Meeting with Your Navigator
Want to meet with your navigator in person, over Zoom or via a phone call? Schedule an appointment using My Journey!
In My Journey, you can find your navigator's appointment availability and options for meeting times and types that best fit your needs. For more information about My Journey, check out our online resources.
Common Topics to Discuss with Your Navigator
Here's a list of common topics that might require your navigator's assistance:
There are a variety of Academic Resources, programs, learning tools and more, designed to maximize your learning and provide you with opportunities to be your best self, especially in the classroom:
- English Language Resources
- Individual Consultation
- Learning Resources
- Peer Tutoring
- Supplemental Instruction
- Study Group +1
- UNIV 100, 102 and 103
If you need help deciding which options and resources are best for you, consult your navigator.
You can review the academic standing criteria on the Undergraduate Studies website. If you're concerned about your academic standing status, contact your navigator to discuss your situation. Your navigators work with your faculty advisors and the deans in Undergraduate Studies to support you when circumstances arise.
It's never too early to think about life after CWRU. You can begin your career exploration process in a conversation with your navigator and the career consultants and pre-professional advisors in Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education are available for specialized career guidance. Whether you are just starting your exploration into summer internships or seeking full-time postgraduate employment, there are so many resources to help you in your journey.
You can begin by reading about your professional field of interest in the Career Interest Areas and review the many helpful resources available through My Career. A few of these to highlight:
- As you consider choosing a major(s), you should also consider your short and long-term career goals that may be connected with that major(s) and we have an excellent resource to help with just that called: What Can I Do With This Major?
- Another great resource is the Alumni Career Network, powered by Wisr, which allows you to connect with CWRU alumni and have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with professionals in your fields of interest.
- Handshake is the place to be once you are ready to begin searching for opportunities such as on-campus employment, internships, cooperative education, practicums as well as full-time jobs. This is where employers post their positions specifically to recruit CWRU students and employer events such as career fairs are listed here as well.
Once you are ready to start applying for opportunities, the Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education website highlights all critical aspects of the search process such as resume and cover letter development and interviewing tips to help best prepare you for the world of work.
If you have an academic concern outside of business hours, email your navigator so they are aware of your situation and can assist you the next business day. You might also consider visiting My Journey to schedule an appointment with your navigator or using a drop in appointment.
If you are experiencing an emergency on campus, please contact CWRU Police at 216.368.3333.
To speak with a counselor-on-call, at any time, for any reason, even if you are not on campus, please call 216.368.5872. You may also schedule a same-day counseling appointment through myhealthconnect.case.edu or access CWRU Care, the 24/7 telehealth care service.
Need help but don’t know where to turn? Your navigator can help by discussing your needs and connecting you with the appropriate resource, whether that be Academic Resources, Disability Resources, University Health and Counseling Services, or anything else.
If feeling ill, be sure to seek medical attention first; you can make an appointment with University Health and Counseling Services via myhealthconnect.case.edu or access CWRU Care, the 24/7 telehealth care service.
When you're going to miss class due to illness or emergency, you should work directly with your faculty and instructors to inform them about your situation. If your situation becomes more complex, your navigator can verify absence dates with supporting documentation.
Ultimately, the decision of whether an absence is excused or unexcused is up to your faculty or instructors.
For more information on this and other types of absences, consult the university class absence policy found in the General Bulletin.
If you are thinking about withdrawing from any courses, start by reviewing the course withdrawal policy as well as specific withdrawal deadlines. You can typically withdraw from courses using SIS.
Before withdrawing from a course in SIS, review any adjustments to your course schedule with your academic advisor to understand how this might impact your plan of study. If you have additional questions, you can also contact your navigator.
If you were exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, you should immediately follow the most up-to-date practices and protocols from the university. This process will include instructions for contacting faculty and instructors in case of a positive test result.
If you receive a positive COVID-19 result and are required to isolate or quarantine, your navigator will be notified. Follow the instructions you received for contacting your faculty and instructors and let your navigator know if you need any further assistance.
You are considered a full-time student if you are enrolled in 12 to 19 credit hours at the end of the drop/add period. While not recommended, you might want to overload your course load to more than 19 credit hours.
Review the overload eligibility criteria and discuss your plan to overload with your academic advisor. Then, contact your navigator for review and processing.
Need something extra outside of your academics? Looking for a new way to get engaged in the CWRU Community? The Office of Student Activities and Leadership is a great place to get started. There are so many student organizations looking forward to welcoming you and, if you don’t see one that interests you, grab your friends and start your own. The Center for Civic Engagement and Learning also provides a variety of opportunities for you to get off campus and immerse yourself in the culture of Cleveland.
Your navigator can help you discover your interests and connect you with people, places and events to enhance your CWRU experience. Our community is stronger together, so don’t hesitate to talk with your navigator about ways to explore campus life.
There are so many opportunities and resources for you to explore majors and minors, including: the Choices Fair, departmental information sessions, and individual conversations with faculty, academic representatives, and your navigator.
Your navigator can serve as a thought partner to coach you in exploring majors that align with your strengths, interests and passions. You might also consider taking career assessments as exploration of career possibilities can inform major choice and vice versa.
Major declaration is the process where you officially declare your academic path for your undergraduate career. It starts with exploring the various majors and minors that are offered at Case Western Reserve. You might also want to meet with your faculty advisor or navigator to discuss your major and minor interests and options.
When you're ready to declare your major or minor, work with the academic representative from your department to complete the major declaration form. Declaring your major will connect you with an assigned major advisor and help you learn more about departmental resources and offerings. You must declare your major before registering for your fifth semester of coursework.
Review the full major and minor declaration policy on the Undergraduate Studies website.
Each semester, all undergraduate students have an advising hold placed on their SIS account before enrollment for the next term. You will need to meet with your academic advisor (listed in SIS) to discuss your schedule for the upcoming semester and have your advising hold removed. Your navigator cannot release registration advising holds.
We strive for wellness in all areas of our lives at CWRU in order to be successful personally, professionally, and academically. Your navigator can help you explore wellness resources to help you achieve your personal wellness goals.
We recognize that withdrawing from the university is a difficult decision. This is also the perfect occasion to consult with your navigator. As you consider this decision, here are some resources that might help:
- The “Withdrawal from the University” section of the General Bulletin and Leave of Absence policy for scholarships offer helpful information to inform your decision.
- To withdraw from the current semester, you can perform a Term Withdrawal in SIS. Please note the Withdrawal and Refund Schedule.
- To withdraw from a future semester:
- If you are already registered for courses in SIS, you can perform a Term Withdrawal in SIS.
- If you have not registered for courses, you can submit a Request for Voluntary Leave of Absence form to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. A Dean in Undergraduate Studies will be in touch to guide you through the remainder of the process.
To begin the re-enrollment process, submit the appropriate petition to re-enroll to Undergraduate Studies at least three months before the semester you want to return to CWRU . Also, make note of the Leave of Absence policy for scholarships.