This came up in another thread and I’m wondering, at your (or your kids’) colleges, is there a requirement that students meet with an advisor (a professor) every semester to go over class schedule, requirements, major aspiration, finishing on time, etc or can they go through the whole time after freshman orientation (think most schools require that meeting at least) without talking to an advisor?
I think there are levels - must meet with one to get classes approved every time, multiple advisors such as for undeclared time then major then maybe pre-professional one, etc. I’m thinking some do frosh orientation then don’t need to see one until they declare a major then maybe get assigned or choose one. Maybe advisors are available but there is no requirement to meet. And are these advisors typically professors, or some kind of dedicated advising staff?
Second part of the question is, what, to you, makes a good advisor or advising system?
For an undecided undeclared frosh/soph student, I would imagine that good advising would help the student take courses to stay on track for all of his/her possible majors, so that s/he does not accidentally shut himself/herself out of any major before consciously deciding to drop it. Departments should publish semester-by-semester sample schedules with indication of which semester any given major prerequisite must be completed by; with such sheets, human advisors can then more easily assist the undecided student in building a schedule to maintain his/her options of various majors.
In addition, another angle would be how to help the undecided student figure out what major s/he really wants to do, which is probably a more difficult, individualized, and subjective problem.
Both of my kids were required to meet with advisors before scheduling classes after the first semester. They both had their first semester schedules generated by the college (with time during orientation to make changes if needed).
My S was in the business school and while the advisor (who was an asst. dean and a professor) did check his classes each semester, it was ultimately my S’s responsibility to be sure he had fulfilled all f the graduation requirements. The advisor was particularly helpful to him in a few instances during his college career with things like getting pre-approval for a summer course at another school, getting him into a class that he needed to take that he had been closed out of in the registration process etc. He did like his advisor and I think the advisor met him after graduation and gave him a tour of the newly opened b-school building at the school.
My D started with one advisor and when she changed majors sophomore year she was given a new advisor in that department. Both advisors were professors. She had her advisor for two classes (one freshman year, one senior year) and they developed a strong relationship. He did go over her schedule each semester (again, the ultimate responsibility for meeting graduation requirements rests on the student) and I also know she also spoke to him about a wide range of topics such as career/grad school options after graduation.
At my LAC kid’s school – they must meet with advisor in person for fall and spring advising for freshman year. After that, it seems like it is preferable to be in person still but can happen electronically. His advisor has been helpful in suggesting classes, helping steer through course selection.
For my public flagship kid, no requirement for advising after summer registration/orientation before freshman year began. Flagship kid had added layers of advisors, for Honors, majors etc., and they were helpful in addressing questions that came up, but making sure he got through requirements on schedule took work.
@Midwestmomofboys - it was my suspicion that LACs were more advising-heavy and Us less so, but I don’t know for sure. My kid at a LAC meets with hers every semester, I think can do it by email now. But, she can’t register for classes for any semester until he has signed off - the system won’t allow it. I wonder if that is typical.
Older D was at an in-state public ( 4,500 undergrads) and had to meet with her advisor every semester.
Younger D is at an OOS public ( 16,000 undergrads) and has to meet with her advisor every semester. She has a new advisor now- within her major - and is required to meet with her every semester. I anticipate that my D will be setting up extra meetings because she always has questions, although I am sure email will suffice.
Not sure if younger D needs her classes signed off by the advisor. I do know that she was waived into something and needed a signature.
At D’s school (not a LAC, although it has many attributes of a LAC), she met with her advisor for help with scheduling freshman year. After that, the kids meet with the head of department(s) in the major(s) they are pursuing. This has been great for D. She has been able to forge a personal relationship with the department head/chair, that has led to other opportunities for her.
I just remembered that she has been doing research every semester for credit- that requires a signature from both her dept advisor and the professor she is doing the research with.
For running start (WA State’s dual enjrollment program) we are required to meet with our college advisor every quarter and we have to get our courses signed off on by a college advisor, high school counselor and parents before can register. It’s a big hassle but we do get priority registration which makes up for it. The general purpose is to make sure we graduate from high school and take useful GEs. I like to have my courses planned out before I meet with mine but she helps by signing off on credit overloads and stuff and also suggested a class to take in the future that I might have overlooked that fulfills a graduation requirement and a mechanical engineering major req at that school.
To add to my post above – I had one kids at a LAC and one at a mid-sized university. Both had to meet with an advisor before every registration system and both were given a PIN by the advisor that they needed to access the registration system to sign up for classes. I think most meetings happened in person although I remember my D said her advisor had to take an emergency family leave so they arranged things by email/Skype once or twice.
I’m at a small LAC. At my university, we’re required to meet with our advisor every semester before registering (there’s a hold on your account until you do so). I found our system works, mainly cuz i was organized from the beginning and didn’t need any advising really. I always come to every advising meeting with my courses all picked out, and my list of what I still need to complete to graduate (I’m a double major, double minor, so I have lots of requirements!). Makes appointments go super fast.
Incoming freshmen are assigned two advisors actually. Over the summer (June/July), they communicate with their assigned peer and faculty advisors, and skype/phone meet with their peer advisor (usually a junior or senior at the college). Registration happens online in July and then they meet face to face with their faculty advisor during orientation the week before classes begin.
Once you declare your major (end of sophomore year), you are assigned a faculty advisor in your primary major (in special cases and with certain programs you may end up keeping two advisors), so they are professors. If you have trouble contacting your advisor, we have an academic advising center on campus and if you meet with them, they can also remove the advising hold on registration.
At my LAC students must meet with their advisor in person before they receive their registration PIN each semester. Although my advisees often think the purpose is just for me to sign off on their classes, in reality the advising session is a chance for me to help students think about their long-term goals and to identify steps they need to take to achieve those goals. During advising we talk about their post-graduation plans (which often change each time we meet!). I also highlight opportunities that will help students prepare for their post-graduation plans, such as finding an internship, conducting a senior thesis, studying abroad, etc. I also make sure I point out classes that my advisees should consider taking and I am constantly trying to get students to utilize the career center to explore their future career options. In order to create the opportunity for these sorts of interactions, students MUST meet in person with their advisors every semester–sending a list of classes electronically would miss the point of advising.
I think a good advisor listens to students’ concerns, dreams, and ideas, encourages students to think deeply about their goals, and provides students with honest feedback and resources to achieve their long-term goals. Good advisors care about their students’ well-being as students and people.
My D goes to a large public U. Students there must meet with their advisor every semester. During the meeting the advisor releases the hold on the students account allowing them to register for classes for the following semester. If you don’t meet, you can’t register.
I’m a prof/advisor at a small public LAC and our system resembles what others have described - advisor has a PIN number required for registration, some special waivers require signatures, and there is also an office with dedicated advising professionals that meet with all first years by requirement and upperclass students voluntarily.
The second part of the OP’s question - what makes a good advisor - is also important. I have some colleagues who sit down for 30-60 minutes with their advisees every semester and discuss long term career goals, current challenges, learning opportunities, co-curricular clubs (things like the campus newspaper for journalism majors that build on classroom skills as well as providing preprofessional opportunities and socialization), internships etc. as well as course selection both for the coming term and with an eye to long term (including possible grad school).
Then there are some other colleagues who simply text the PIN number to their advisees and don’t seem to know the answer to any but the most basic question.
Most of us fall somewhere in between. And the best thing a student can do is talk with their family, think about their own career trajectory, and come to the advising meeting with at least one or two bigger picture questions in addition to a list of planned classes. If I know you’re thinking of a semester studying abroad next spring or looking into summer internships in Australia or trying to take the MCAT as a bagpipe major, I can be more helpful.
When I was in academic probation at my cc (under 2.0) I had to meet with an academic counselor every term to make my schedule until I got above a 2.0.
At Drexel when I start in the fall, an academic advisor makes my first term schedule himself, although after that I’m a bit unclear. However, my advisor is very communicative and within my business school, so I imagine he’ll be an extremely valuable resource.
And that’s what makes an advisor good. Communicative, optimistic but also realistic (I hate advisors who just tell you to make irresponsible academic decisions)
I remember at my freshman orientation before we got the results of our math placement exam back my orientation advisor was trying to tell me I had to sign up for some educational math for my math credit. I said no I need Calculus 1 (ended high school in honors precalculus) and I knew the college policy was no credit for math taken below your level. I was too timid to say much. Fortunately the results came back and the advisor said I was right I had to take Calculus 1 and would not get credit (that counted towards graduation) for the other math class. Good thing was I already worked out a schedule based on Calculus so I was set.
After that I had an adviser who was head of my major. I had to meet with him to sign off on my paper before I could go to the registrar. Initially he may have helped but he realized I knew what I needed to take. It was only an issue once when he was sick the morning he was supposed to sign but he left a message for the dean to sign off on anything I wanted.
Interesting variety of experiences here. I wonder how a student looking for a college (I did post this in College Search and Selection for a reason) can evaluate the advising system at schools they are considering?
It strikes me as a good info session/tour guide question. My go-to question on tours was always “how does class scheduling work” with a follow-up of “how often do you get the exact classes and sections you want?”. That’s slightly different though.
My own kids have had different experiences. My S, at a regional small U had terrible (nonexistent) advising. He started as a music performance major, switched to a BA in music tech before orientation but was never reassigned to the proper dept advisor. He didn’t have an advisor ever, even at orientation. Had he forcefully advocated for himself he might have gotten one, but he really slipped through the cracks. He left after a year.
D at a LAC was assigned an advisor before orientation, a prof in the dept she thought she’d major in. From the first week and now for two years they’ve met every semester to discuss her goals and progress (and he signed off on her pre-registration choices). The very first year he wrote her a couple of rec letters for research she applied to for that summer. There is also a health professions advisor who she’s met with a couple of times.
Now she’s declared a major and has been assigned an advisor in that dept. Her first choice was the dept head who already had a full load, but he’s acted as an unofficial advisor to her for about a year, going way above and beyond. One semester she pre-registered for classes then changed her mind about one class. It was, by then, full. She mentioned it to him and he emailed her when he saw a student switch out of it so she was able to scoot in that same day before someone else saw the opening. He’s helped her plan a study abroad program at a U where he worked himself, introduced her to a professor there who she will do research with for two months before school starts, then hooked her up with the funding folks at the college to get money to support living expenses for that early research. That’s a crazy amount of support, IMO.
I went to a similar LAC myself and cannot remember my advisor’s name or ever meeting with him/her. I made my first semester schedule within the guidelines of the gen ed requirements. I then walked into a giant room with everyone waiting in lines at tables to register for each class. We had to decide which line to stand in first, some people had friends holding spots for them…it was really a mess. I think I got 1 out of the 4 classes I had on my little paper and wound up with a schedule that was awful for me in terms of interests and section times. I left the school after a semester and transferred after a break.
My original question came up in a discussion about Columbia, where undergrads have complained for awhile that they don’t get good advising/support. Apparently there is no requirement to meet with one and getting appointments if you reach out can be hard. I wondered how typical that was.
I don’t know if it was dumb, but as a person who wasn’t really able to visit the schools in person, a lot of my first impression was based on my interactions with people who worked at the school. People from Bryant, Bentley, Drexel, Temple were all immensely helpful, whereas I dealt with incredibly incompetent and/or rude counselors at places like TCNJ, CUNY Baruch, Fordham.
It made me more skeptical about what my time at the school would be like. I don’t have the patience or time to hound stupid or technologically illiterate advisors lol.