Academic advisors

[Pegasus]

DD's academic advisor at her CC seems light years better than the one I had back in my university days.  She met with him back in April to discuss her academic plans and register for courses for this fall. She took in an information sheet that I helped her put together that showed what she had completed during dual enrollment and our attempt at plotting out the rest of the courses that she would need to take over 4 semesters before transferring to a university.  He quickly showed her that she could actually cut back on what she planned to take and finish in 3 semesters instead of 4 using a transfer agreement that was set up between the schools. He also helped schedule her courses for the fall semester during the hours she likes best.  

 

DD met with him again last week, because he just wanted to check in with her on how her new courses were going. They talked about her courses and the clubs that she has joined, etc.   Finally, he told her that now, when unprepared students come in to see him, he waves DD's info sheet at them as an example of what they should bring to meet with him. :laugh: 

 

My advisor, back in the day, was tough to track down and mostly just gave a short grunt of acknowledgement as he signed off on my proposed list of courses. 

[The Girls' Mom]

That is awesome.  Your daughter should consider herself lucky.  I've found the advisors at my college to be less than informative, and sometimes just downright incorrect.  My daughter experienced the same.  (Along with said advisor being all snarky when my dd mentioned that her mom helped her pick out her classes)

[Catherine]

I've learned that a good academic advisor can be worth his\her weight in gold.  

 

Ds chose his advisor-meaning, when he decided on his major, he approached a favorite professor and asked if he would be his advisor. This man not only agreed, he has continued for 2 1\2 years now to be a trusted and very willing guide for my sometimes wayward student.  Most recently, (ds is a senior) he was telling him about job offers and putting him in touch with his brother, who might be hiring young grads.  

 

From this I learned that choosing an advisor, rather than waiting for the school to assign one, can be a great way to start the relationship off on a positive note.  

[Pegasus]

 said advisor being all snarky when my dd mentioned that her mom helped her pick out her classes

 

Yikes!  That was certainly uncalled for.  I bet the advisor wouldn't have reacted at all if your DD had said that a friend had helped her pick out her classes.

 

I appreciate hearing that advisors can also simply be incorrect with their information.  DD plans to meet with a representative of the university she wants to transfer to and will be verifying the requirements, etc.  If she learns anything that differs, she can take that info back to the advisor to help them better plan going forward.

[Pegasus]

From this I learned that choosing an advisor, rather than waiting for the school to assign one, can be a great way to start the relationship off on a positive note.  

 

This is a revelation to me.  I never thought of this as a possibility. Of course it makes perfect sense now and I will be passing it along to DD.  It will come in handy when she needs to find an advisor at a university. Thanks!

[regentrude]

This is a revelation to me.  I never thought of this as a possibility. Of course it makes perfect sense now and I will be passing it along to DD.  It will come in handy when she needs to find an advisor at a university. Thanks!

 

just a word of caution that choosing your advisor may not always be possible. In smaller departments, there may be one designated person who does the advising for all undergraduate majors.

 

[elegantlion]

I was able to choose my advisor once I decided on my major. I went through the CVs of every professor in the department and picked the one whose area of expertise aligned with my interests. He has turned into a mentor. He should probably get an award for putting up with silly questions from me over the last few years. 

 

I know some people who just get the nod and sign off each semester. I needed more than that to help keep me focused. 

[G5052]

just a word of caution that choosing your advisor may not always be possible. In smaller departments, there may be one designated person who does the advising for all undergraduate majors.

 

 

My oldest likes all of his professors but one. He's acing her class, but she's highly opinionated and gets way off topic most of the time in class. Some of the stuff she comes out with is highly inappropriate IMHO, but she's the only one teaching it this semester at that campus and online too.

 

And yes, she's the only advisor for his major. He actually has to meet with an advisor for his "student life" seminar, and he plans to just make an appointment with the gentleman who handles dual enrollment and disability issues. He's very, very well informed about all of the majors and will do just fine for the check-off there.

 

When I was an undergraduate, you did indeed choose your own. They usually assigned one the first semester, but you were free to change after that.

[MBM]

My son has three main advisors -- an older student in his major, a professor in his major who helps freshmen design a tentative plan that will meet requirements and then a professor, also in his major, who will help design the last three years or so. His university emphasizes advising and mentoring. Because of advice he received recently, he's already made a few key changes even before classes have begun. (Today is the first day.)

 

I agree with Catherine that if your college students do not have an advisor, or a good one, ask for help from other professors they like. Then verify their advice. It is much better than wasting valuable time and money.