The undergraduate advisor for the Department of French and Italian is Mandi Schoville, located on the sixth floor of Van Hise Hall, in room 602. If you enter Van Hise on the first floor you can reach the sixth floor using the elevators or stairs. If you enter Van Hise on any other floors you will be required to take the stairs unless you have elevator card access. Stairwells are located on the northeast and southwest sides of the building.
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Advising during the 2022/2023 Academic Year
Students can make an appointment via Starfish and undergraduate advising will be available remotely via Zoom or in-person.
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please do so through Starfish as soon as possible. Appointment times will not be extended due to a late arrival.
If you are not able to make any of the offered appointment times, please contact Mandi Schoville to make other scheduling arrangements.
Quick Question?
If you have a quick question that does not require a conversation, feel free to email. The email should come from your wisc.edu email account (why?) and include your Campus ID number. If it is an ongoing email conversation, please include the history.
If it is determined that your question cannot be answered via email you may be asked to make an appointment.
NOTE: Students with recent study abroad experience whose courses do not yet appear on their UW-Madison records should include a list of approved course equivalencies for the courses taken abroad so they can be checked against your DARS report.
Declaration / Cancellation
Major Declaration
Students in the College of Letters & Science, with Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) designation, may declare the French or Italian major at any time. Complete this form and return it to Mandi Schoville.
Students not in the College of Letters & Science who wish to declare the French or Italian major must first discuss this option with their academic advisor in their primary School or College. The primary School or College may have their own process that students must follow first before declaring with the Department of French & Italian. Once students have approval to declare their second major of French or Italian, complete this form and return it to Mandi Schoville along with the proof of approval to declare a French or Italian major from their primary School or College.
Certificate Declaration
The French or Italian certificates may be declared by students in any school/college without approval. Complete this form and return it to Mandi Schoville.
Canceling the Major or Certificate
We’re sorry to see you go! Complete this form and return it to Mandi Schoville.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of an academic advisor?
The role of an academic advisor is to help you navigate the university system and to aid you in achieving your academic and personal goals. The departmental advisor can help you navigate the French and Italian programs by helping you explore or declare either our majors or certificates, review study abroad programs that will fit with your studies, explain degree requirements for graduation, or discover additional resources on campus for academic or personal support.
What does this mean?
They are here to help you plan out your coursework so you can fulfill the requirements for your degree within your time frame, whether that is the traditional four years or not.
They are a starting point to all the resources campus has to offer, whether for tutoring, career planning, or personal support. If you do not know where to start with a particular issue you are facing, your advisor can help.
Have questions about French or Italian classes, the French or Italian major, or the French or Italian certificate?
Contact the departmental advisor, Mandi Schoville, or schedule an appointment through Starfish.
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Why should I study a language?
Learning foreign languages helps improve your understanding of the world, opens your eyes to new cultures and ways of thinking, and can be a great asset on the job market after graduation. It improves communication skills and provides you an edge over those who may not have studied another language.
Can I double major?
Yes! Most students receiving a major in French or Italian have more than one major or certificate. Our students major in a broad range of disciplines outside of their language studies, pre-med, international studies, and pre-law to name only a few.
Students in the College of Letters and Science can declare the major or certificate by filling out the declaration form and returning it to the French and Italian advisor. Students in other colleges (Engineering, Nursing, CALS, etc.), should contact their academic advisor in their primary School or College first. The primary School or College may have their own process that students must follow first before declaring with the Department of French & Italian.
Should I study abroad?
This is a personal choice that depends on many factors, including finances and other degree plans. If you are interested in studying abroad but are not sure if you can, please make an appointment! I can help you plan out your courses and review options that can make study abroad more accessible than you may think.