WITH LESS than six weeks left in the semester, one worry springs directly to mind. No, it's not finals - we don't need to start worrying about those until reading days. The biggest hassle that every first through third year student must deal with is the ever-problematic advisor appointment. Unfortunately, students are not the only ones ill at ease with these meetings. Oftentimes appointed advisors do not have the time in their busy lecture schedules to sit down and actually talk to students about their academic years. In order to achieve a successful advising session, advisors should be assigned with students' academic interests in mind in order for there to be a better fit between the advisor's knowledge and the student's interests. Also, advising sessions should last a minimum of 20 minutes.
Advisors hold a powerful card, the well-known advisor card. On this card students will find their PIN number and the date indicating when they may begin to enroll through ISIS. Usually advising sessions last less than five minutes. There may be a quick discussion about courses taken and some that the student hopes to take. Then the advising card is passed off, quickly and painlessly. This haphazard formula for advising should be rectified and both parties should work at making the process more meaningful and worthwhile.
Many advisors are randomly assigned to incoming students, and until a major is declared and a new advisor assigned, they must work with a student with whom they may have nothing in common.
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Because of this, advisors may view this part of their job as a nuisance, and quickly will hand over the advising card with few to no questions asked. This creates a stalemate in the gathering of personal information about the student, and future advising sessions will be just as awkward.
Advising should take into account information about students' lives. The current system fails to do this. Advising sessions should last at least 20 minutes. This would allow for a more in-depth session, including course discussions as well as a "get to know you"session between the student and advisor. Even this won't render advising sessions absolutely perfect, but it is a start.
Any efforts made to create a more involved student-advisor relationship will help to make sessions much less awkward and much more helpful in the long run.
In many cases, it is only once students determine a major and request their new advisor that their advising sessions become worthwhile. Often, it is only then that the student gets an advisor who actually has information and advice to dispense on the subject area of the student's choice. The advisor may even have taught one of the student's courses at some point, and thus the bond between the two is stronger and the advising sessions are a little step closer to the ideal advising situation.
All advising sessions should work to become more centered around each individual student and to give as much valuable advice as possible. In making this change, sessions will be a step nearer to the ideal, and both parties will be more satisfied with their efforts.
Before going to an advising session, students should prepare a list of intended courses and questions about classes, professors, intended paths of study - anything that they are unsure of and on which getting more information could help their college career. Advisors should take an active interest in each advisee, be prepared to answer any questions, and be well-versed with the several content areas in which students will have to take courses.
The main problem with the advising process is that nine times out of 10, it doesn't help either of the parties involved. Advisors should recognize the value of their advice to students and the fact that students really do need their help, whether they readily admit it or not.
Students need to understand that advisors have been assigned to answer any and all questions. Advisors are there to ensure that students make it through their college years fairly unscathed and on the right path, as far as academics are concerned at least. There is always an option to change advisors if the process is more of a hindrance than a help, and if necessary, this switch definitely should be made.
Undergraduate students are at the bottom of the career ladder, often with little to no knowledge of how to begin making their way up in the world. In the long run, there is a lot riding on the advising process. Don't just go to an advisor to get a registration card, have a worthwhile session and make it really count toward your future.
(Alex Roosenburg's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aroosenburg@cavalierdaily.com.)
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