HPAC Registration and FAQ

Peer advising is a collaborative process that engages students as active participants in their own problem-solving, leaving them better equipped with the skills and knowledge to approach issues more effectively. Peer advisors are fellow honors students who have been trained as coaches and collaborators who will not judge or evaluate you. They will focus on your particular questions and needs during each session.

Peer advising is open to honors students from their first to final semesters, as well as to current Virginia Tech students considering applying to Honors.

The HPAC operates during select business hours in the fall and spring semesters. See the appointment scheduler for more details.

You can’t go wrong choosing a peer advisor—all of our peer advisors have received the same training and are all happy to answer your questions. If you would like to meet with a peer advisor about something specific—for example, scholarships, study abroad, or honors housing—you could take a look at their bios to learn more about their background, interests, and experience. At future appointments, you are welcome to work with the same peer advisor or meet someone new.

Our peer advisors have been trained in university privacy laws and will protect your information accordingly.

First register for an account with our scheduling software. Then log in and select any open appointment time, fill out the prompts, and save your appointment. You might have to click to future weeks to find available appointments.

Appointments can be made for 30 or 60 minutes. Your actual appointment will be approximately 20 or 45 minutes respectively to give your peer advisor time to make appointment records and prepare for their upcoming appointments.

The HPAC is located on the first floor of Ambler Johnston Hall in room 1318.

You should have access to your personal computer. In advance of an appointment to receive approval on your plan to earn the Honors Laureate Diploma, you should e-mail your HLD Plan to your Peer Advisor in advance of the meeting. Beyond this, have available any other materials that you wish to discuss.

Your peer advisor will ask you a series of questions and establish a session agenda based on what you would like to discuss and the time constraints of the appointment. Complicated questions could require follow-up appointments. During the appointment, your peer advisor will ask you to actively participate in finding or developing the answers to your questions to help you learn how to approach the problem and to ensure that the answers are the best ones for you. Expect to do more talking than your peer advisor!

We require all students visiting the HPAC to have appointments. If you happen to walk in at a time when no one else has an appointment scheduled, your peer advisor can help you schedule an appointment on the spot and then offer peer advising.

If you are more than five minutes late to your appointment and another student is waiting for a walk-in appointment, your appointment will be marked as a “no-show,” and the other student will be given your appointment.

We take missed appointments very seriously, because many students need access to the HPAC. Each missed appointment is recorded in the scheduling software as a “no-show.” Appointment cancelations less than two hours before your appointment time are also counted as no-shows. After two no-shows, your account will be suspended for the remainder of the semester and any existing appointments will be canceled. You can attempt to use the HPAC on a walk-in basis for the remainder of that semester if you have access to the building. Your full appointment scheduling privileges will be restored in the following semester.

You can make up to 2 appointments per week and up to 15 appointments per semester.