Students: Take the Starfish “Tell Us About Yourself” survey today and help us provide personalized advising

There’s a new way for New Paltz students to get off to a great start with academic advising ahead of the fall 2021 semester: A quick and easy “Tell Us About Yourself” survey available now on Starfish.

Starfish is a tool the College uses to help connect students to the faculty, advising staff and campus resources they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. It’s a communication platform that lets students check in with advisors, schedule group and one-on-one sessions, quickly find office hours and contact info for professors, and much more.

In just a few years, Starfish has rapidly grown in popularity with New Paltz students. In 2020 alone, there were more than 16,000 appointments (online and in-person) scheduled through Starfish, 77% of which were set up by students directly.

This year, students can take the new “Tell Us About Yourself” survey to help us further customize your Starfish experience and provide high-touch academic advising tailored to your needs.

Aside from letting us know your name, pronouns and primary language, the survey also gives us a sense of your educational and professional goals, your personal interests and academic areas where you may face challenges – including academic challenges like subject matter difficulties, and external obstacles to academic success like limited internet access or housing or food insecurity.

“The personalized and holistic approach we take toward fostering our students’ sense of connection and promoting their well-being and overall educational success – from entry to graduation – reflects New Paltz’s commitment to the values of inclusion, diversity, and equity,” says Dante Cantú, executive director of academic advising and student success. “We recognize our students as learners and as individuals whose life experiences and circumstances influence their academic journey.”

Taking the “Tell Us About Yourself” survey is simple – access Starfish by logging into your Blackboard account and looking for the “Starfish” link at the top of the page. Still need help logging in? This video gives a quick tutorial.

Hundreds of New Paltz students have already taken the Starfish “Tell Us About Yourself” survey this summer. If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, we hope to hear from you soon!

New students can learn more here about advising and student success at SUNY New Paltz.