Bypassing an advisor?

<p>Would it be possible to go to the registrar and ask them to bypass the advisor meeting that normally is required for scheduling?</p>

<p>I really don't like my advisor but they won't let me change because of my major.</p>

<p>Also, is it okay to override what an advisor says without her getting ticked off? She had to have picked the worst classes for me this semester and I don't care for some of the professors.</p>

<p>Unrelated--is a 3.85 to 3.90 a good bet for getting into a grad school or finding a teaching job? Just looking ahead.</p>

<p>depends on your school, but usually the answer is "NO!"</p>

<p>still you don't have to "obey" your advisor, and really it is ultimately YOUR responsibility what classes you end up in, so quit complaining.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>and no, a 3.8-3.9 probably wouldn't get you into a community college continuing ed program, much less a half-way decent grad school.</p>

<p>So what do I need to get into grad school?</p>

<p>apumic was being sarcastic. you don't have to see an advisor if you don't need advice on classes, and, i don't know what school you go to, but when did an advisor have any say in the classes YOU pick; this isn't high school anymore. you seem to be doing excellent (gpa-wise) and yes you are competitive for any grad school with that gpa.</p>

<p>Hmph, why can't you just email your advisor the list of classes you want to take next semester and ask him/her to lift whatever advisement hold there is? </p>

<p>My dept advisor lets us do that...but I still usually meet with him anyways cause he's a pretty cool guy - maybe that's why he lets us by though. :)</p>

<p>But seriously...as long as the courses you pick keep you on track to graduate on time and don't get you in trouble with prereqs and such...there's not really much reason why they shouldn't let you just go for it. Say that your GPA obviously shows you can pick your own schedule :)</p>

<p>Depends on which field you're in, but 3.8/3.9 is a pretty darn good GPA for grad school purposes. It may be different in, say, humanities or medical, but for engineering, 3.5+ after 3 years gets you into the 5-year accelerated BS/MS program almost always.</p>

<p>With a 3.8 -3.9 gpa you should have the skill to talk with someone you don't care for and politely demostrate YOUR needs in the situation. If your upset with the advisor for rolling over and accepting the schedule, your mad at the wrong person. If you don't like the scheduling, ask why it is set up that way and what changes can be made. You actually control the situation, but make sure if you want changes, you don't disrupt the process and add more semesters onto your college experience.</p>

<p>you have ultimate control over the classes you take. However, some schools require that you see an advisor, especially before you declare a major, so they can make sure you are on the right track.</p>

<p>Figure out what you want to take, go to the meeting, and lay out your schedule, and see what they say. If there's no problems, they will say "that looks good" and your meeting will take all of 5 minutes.</p>

<p>If you do not like the professors is it possible to switch to a different section of the same class to get a different instructor? Then you still have the same schedule.</p>

<p>Opie,</p>

<p>That reveals an important fact (one that grad schools AND employers take into account far more than GPA OR your degree!)--and that is that GPA, degree, what college you went to, etc. don't necessarily say anything for a person's ability to get the job done!
(For example, while my school is not necessarily the strongest academically, we have consistently gotten calls back from various internship directors and grad programs across the nation in a variety of disciplines saying our students were "better fits", "worked harder" and "were more personable and competent" than students of equivalent standing at Yale, Stanford, and Harvard--is that because they were "better"? no... that would make no sense, but it's possible that because we focus more on individual students' personal growth than HYPS that our students come out generally stronger on the people skills on average)
A person with a 4.0 GPA might be a great student who is studious, intelligent, and very strong socially OR that same GPA might be represented (even in college) by a smart kid with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and (more or less consequently) zero social skills who will probably get fired/asked to resign from every job he works!
GPA really says very little, as does the school one attends--especially once we are talking above a 3.5 GPA (which is sort of a standard cut-off for many programs as it means the person did above average in most/all classes).</p>

<p>So, I would have to respectfully disagree that someone with a 3.8+ GPA should have good conflict management and presentation skills. It is quite possible the OP has little experience in this area and hopefully will continue to learn these skills!</p>

<p>Well it would be great if you pay your major advisor a visit, so you can get a recommendation from her when you apply for grad school and she probably know which grad school is suitable for you upon graduation. But it's your choice, if you know the guidelines to graduate and think you'll be fine applying for grad school then you don't need to see an advisor.</p>