Frustrating college experience

[Night Elf]

Ds is going to technical school beginning in January. We found out new student orientation is November 15. His acceptance letter said to make an advising appointment with adviser before orientation. So ds emailed him and the adviser wrote back he'd see him on the 15th. The acceptance letter made it sound like you meet with your adviser and register for classes. However, the next day he received an email from someone else saying he needs to be registered for classes before he can attend orientation on the 15th. So ds emailed his adviser again asking what he's supposed to do. The adviser hasn't gotten back to him yet. So I'm thinking we should just register. We were looking at the classes and he needs 2 general ed classes. His previous 4 college classes taken at another university transferred in and met some of the requirements. He has 2 more he needs and then he needs to start taking the computer classes. We looked at some and some don't have pre-reqs so he can register for those.

He doesn't want to register until he hears back from the adviser but the classes are filling up and we don't know when the adviser will email. Am I pushy to say we should just get this going now? I told him if the adviser came up with a different plan, he can drop and add classes, but at least he'd be registered for something so he can go into orientation.

Also, at his previous school, he only took 2 classes a semester. This time he has agreed to go full time which is 4 classes. I'm beginning to have my doubts about him jumping into a full schedule. He has Aspergers and while he's an excellent student, he can get overwhelmed and shuts down. What would you do? He can register for the two general ed classes and start taking the computer classes next Fall. Oh, and I should mention many of these classes have an online component which is scaring him. While he did all of high school online, when he tried college classes online they were much more difficult and hard to navigate. So I don't think he can handle 4 hybrid classes. Should we give it a try?

Edited November 8, 2018 by Night Elf
changed info

[Night Elf]

I'm in a hurry so my email might not make sense. Let me know if I need to clarify anything. Thank you.

[Bootsie]

I would encourage him to go ahead and register for classes if he can do that before meeting with an advisor.  They can always be dropped if the advisor advises something else.  

[Storygirl]

I hope the advisor responds quickly about registration. I would guess that it is best to go ahead and register and then add/drop after he meets with the advisor, but my kids aren't in college yet, so I'm just guessing.

I think I'd be inclined to just do the gen ed classes this spring. Because transitions to new experiences can be really hard, and it sounds like anxiety is also an issue. I wouldn't want him to get overwhelmed and quit. Are the gen ed courses in areas that he should do well in? Having success with classes that are relatively easy for him could be a great way to start things off.

[itsheresomewhere]

He needs to register beforehand no matter what.  Perhaps the way to get him to be succesful with it, it not full time yet. Start with two classes and then next semester, three. I would hate for him to jump into four right away as it doesn’t sound like he is really ready for that.  And if he fails at doing four classes he could get discouraged and not want to continue. 

[Bootsie]

It is hard to know whether he would do better with the two or four classes in the spring.  One thing to consider is how interested is he in the general ed requirements relative to the computer courses.  If the general ed classes are not something that he is particularly interested in, I would be concerned that he would lose interest in the school, feeling like waiting until next fall to take a class he is interested in is a long way away.  

I would suggest looking closely at what the school's drop policy is.  Would he have a week or two into the semester that he could drop back to two classes if he registers for 4 but decids that is too much?

Another thing to consider is the timing of the courses.  Would taking 4 classes result in schedule that he is likely to succeed with?  For example, would it be where he went to class from 10:00am-2:00pm every day?  Or, would it end up where he has classes at 8:00am on Mondays and Wednesdays and then a break until 3:00pm, but doesn't start until 1:00pm on Tuesdays.  (Some students do better with a consistent schedule each day. Others do better with a break between classes)

[regentrude]

If he is able to register, he should go ahead and register for classes.

If the college really wants the meeting with the adviser to precede registration, they can simply block enrolling until the adviser has lifted an advising hold after meeting the advisee.

He can always change his course selection after meeting the adviser.

It's an odd procedure fro sure. What purpose does the adviser meeting serve if students register before? At our college, registration is done on orientation day during the meeting with the adviser.

Edited November 8, 2018 by regentrude

[Night Elf]

He's definitely got to take English 1101 which is called Basic English. DH and I figure it will be easier than a 4-year university English class, simply because this is a technical school, but we may be wrong. He's an excellent writer. He just doesn't like to do it. It seems like the 4 sections of English are hybrids so there is an online component. That is really worrying him. We told him he absolutely has to take this class Spring semester even though he's not looking forward to it.

The second Gen. Ed. class he needs is Humanities/Fine Arts. They let you choose from Art, Music, Religions, Humanities, American Lit and World Lit. The literature classes have a pre-req though, the basic English class. He doesn't think he wants to do a literature class anyway. Of the 4 left, he's thinking Humanities because he's not particularly interested in any of the rest of the specialties. There's only one section of Humanities though, and that's Mon/Wed 6:00 to 6:50 pm. I didn't read the course description so I don't know if it's a hybrid but it seems like it would be since class is only 50 minutes twice a week. 

The initial computer class is called Comp 1000 Introduction to Computers. It seems like he should take that so he's not taking all Gen. Ed. classes.

So we tried to sign back into the website to look at class descriptions and the site is down. So he can't register. I keep checking in the hopes it will be back up but it might not be until tomorrow. Then he'll have to wait for me to get home so we can look at it together. He doesn't want to do it alone and I don't get home until 6:30 pm.

So he'll be in English and Computers for sure. Humanities is iffy. I told him to think about it as he may decide to wait until Fall and take a literature class which is something he took in high school so he'll be familiar with it. Personally I think that's the best course, just those two classes for Spring semester.

He can take English Mon/Wed from 11:00 am - 11:50, and Intro to Computers Tue/Thur from 11:00 - 12:50. That has him in one class a day. That leaves him plenty of time to do the online parts of the classes. So now the question is can he get into those classes? He'll have to take whatever is open when he can finally register.

Thanks for the advice to have him go ahead and register. I think that's best too. Then I'll attend Orientation with him on the 15th. They have one at 9:00 am and one at 2:00 pm. We're going to the afternoon session. It's a relatively small campus I think so I don't know how many new students they'll have for Spring semester. Hopefully Orientation won't be crowded. I'm as nervous as he is about all of this. I'm trying to reassure him without showing him I'm anxious. I think he was most anxious about taking a full load but I just told him he didn't have to do that if he didn't want to, and maybe we can try a full load next Fall semester.

I asked him if he regretted his decision to go back to school and he said no. I was relieved to hear that. He said he knows it's best and he wants to move forward. But the stress of school and learning to drive is getting to him. He looks tired and sad all the time. I'm hoping that we can walk around the school at Orientation to help familiarize him with where the classrooms are. We'll have his schedule by then so we can even go find his specific classrooms. I'm sure he'll be fine but he's going to be a nervous wreck his first week. But hey, we have to get past driving first. His driver's test is late December. If he doesn't pass, we'll have to put off school. I can't quit my job to be his taxi and he doesn't want to use Lyft. But maybe if he fails the test, he'll reconsider using Lyft. It's not hard. Dd20 uses it a lot at college.

Ok, I'll stop rambling. Thanks everyone.

[fairfarmhand]

Keep reminding him that pretty much everyone gets nervous, discouraged, and worn out when they're making big life changes. He will adapt. And if he doesn't adapt, it's okay to scale back on other things for a little while while he adjusts.

[Night Elf]

We got him in English 1101 and Comp 1000 which is Intro to Computers. The Humanities class was closed. He'll meet with his adviser on the 15th so ds can talk to him about a 3rd class to get into if ds chooses to take a 3rd class. DH and I want ds to take 1 summer course but we aren't going to talk to him about that until summer registration. I don't want him more stressed than he needs to be.

[Chris in VA]

Just a suggestion and you may already either know this or be following it...At my daughter's school, they map out all the classes needed for a major and offer sample schedules, so you just look at, say, Freshman Year--Second Semester, and everything is laid out for you. Now, her choices are limited since her major is complex, but she never has to worry that she'll miss a prerequisite or anything. Is your son offered the same thing? Makes it easy to see when to take each class. 

[eagleynne]

Regarding the online components, at my university any class that had students do anything online at all were labeled as hybrid online courses. Much of the time all we did with the blackboard side of things was turn in papers, post a few things on the discussion board, and occasionally take an online quiz. If he is really concerned about it I would have him email the prof and ask what exactly students are expected to do online.

[lmrich]

Register for the maximum number of hours he can take and then drop the classes he does not need once you talk to his advisors. It is much easier to get classes now then later. Maybe he can start with 3 classes this term. 

[katilac]

46 minutes ago, eagleynne said:

Regarding the online components, at my university any class that had students do anything online at all were labeled as hybrid online courses. Much of the time all we did with the blackboard side of things was turn in papers, post a few things on the discussion board, and occasionally take an online quiz. If he is really concerned about it I would have him email the prof and ask what exactly students are expected to do online.

 

Wow, that would be every single class my kids take, lol. 

[SKL]

Is it easy for him to go in and delete courses before school starts without a penalty?  If so, I'd go ahead and sign up for the ones that make sense now, and change it if necessary later.

If it's not so easy, then just sign up for the one(s) you are sure he will take, as even one course should count as registered for orientation.

[gardenmom5]

I'd go ahead and register.   advising is more about making sure you are scheduled to be able to get the classes you need, when you need them.   classes aren't offered every semester/quarter.

it's a bigger deal for pre-reqs, sequential, upper level.

[eagleynne]

3 hours ago, katilac said:

 

Wow, that would be every single class my kids take, lol. 

The university was really pushing the idea that we were a forward thinking modern school with lots of technology and online learning. It wasn't really true so they pushed most of the faculty into listing their courses as hybrid and then forcing them to incorporate some sort of online "learning," even when it made no sense for the course. Additionally, many of the older faculty had no idea how to actually use the tech, so they just made up some kind of discussion board thing and made people turn papers in online (and then printed them off to grade). But the class was listed as hybrid so it counted for the statistics. Now there are a lot more completely online classes so they've backed off a little on the hybrid thing.

[Night Elf]

19 hours ago, Chris in VA said:

Just a suggestion and you may already either know this or be following it...At my daughter's school, they map out all the classes needed for a major and offer sample schedules, so you just look at, say, Freshman Year--Second Semester, and everything is laid out for you. Now, her choices are limited since her major is complex, but she never has to worry that she'll miss a prerequisite or anything. Is your son offered the same thing? Makes it easy to see when to take each class. 

I know exactly what you are referring to as I had one at my last college. This is a technical school though and I bet they don't do that. If they did, his adviser must have it because it's not online. All I can find is the same list that the adviser uses which is linked to ds's account. So each time a class is taken, it is marked off as satisfied. Then the classes left to take are hyperlinked and which you click on them it gives you the class description and what time slots the class is available.

[Night Elf]

18 hours ago, lmrich said:

Register for the maximum number of hours he can take and then drop the classes he does not need once you talk to his advisors. It is much easier to get classes now then later. Maybe he can start with 3 classes this term. 

I tried that but the classes are either already full or they conflict with classes he's already registered for. He's trying to avoid any classes before 11:00 am. He may need to take early classes but he's not really a morning person. I don't want to force him into an 8:00 am class.

[kiwik]

Is it easy to get to?  I would have struggled with dragging myself all the way to university for one class 4 days a week.

[DawnM]

We rarely use an advisor, and never for registration.  We just get our kids into the classes they need online and pay the fee.  I don't think my son even knew his advisor at the Community College.

 

[Night Elf]

31 minutes ago, kiwik said:

Is it easy to get to?  I would have struggled with dragging myself all the way to university for one class 4 days a week.

It's a 15 minute easy drive. His Tuesday/Thursday class is 2 hours long. His Monday/Wednesday is only 50 minutes long. I don't think he'll mind driving. He said he didn't want all of his classes on two days. At his previous college he had back to back classes and he said it didn't give him enough time to reset for the next class.

[Night Elf]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

We rarely use an advisor, and never for registration.  We just get our kids into the classes they need online and pay the fee.  I don't think my son even knew his advisor at the Community College.

 

But these are all computer classes. Some have prereqs but I worry about the order to take them. There are some mandatory ones and then 14 electives he can choose from. But what if he needs one class to really understand the content of another class? The graduation rate and retention rate of this school is very low, but I know someone who graduated in the same program that ds is going for and she said her son did well and liked it.

[DawnM]

Just now, Night Elf said:

But these are all computer classes. Some have prereqs but I worry about the order to take them. There are some mandatory ones and then 14 electives he can choose from. But what if he needs one class to really understand the content of another class? The graduation rate and retention rate of this school is very low, but I know someone who graduated in the same program that ds is going for and she said her son did well and liked it.

 

Each class description should have all the prerequisites listed and in my son's college, they won't allow him to register for a class without the prerequisite met.  But, even so, I made a spreadsheet/excel file with 

Class/Prerequisites/semester taken or projected/grade/etc....

It has really helped me to lay it out in a fashion I can easily read and understand.   

Trade schools and community colleges are notorious for low graduation rates, but that doesn't mean they are bad schools.  MANY take just a few classes for enrichment, or, like my son, take classes over the summer to supplement their 4 year college, or start at the CC, then transfer before they finish their 2 year degree.  

[Night Elf]

2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

Each class description should have all the prerequisites listed and in my son's college, they won't allow him to register for a class without the prerequisite met.  But, even so, I made a spreadsheet/excel file with 

Class/Prerequisites/semester taken or projected/grade/etc....

It has really helped me to lay it out in a fashion I can easily read and understand.   

Trade schools and community colleges are notorious for low graduation rates, but that doesn't mean they are bad schools.  MANY take just a few classes for enrichment, or, like my son, take classes over the summer to supplement their 4 year college, or start at the CC, then transfer before they finish their 2 year degree.  

An example is he needs 14 hours in electives. There are 26 classes offered to choose from. We're going into this blindly. We don't even truly understand what kind of job he can with this associates degree so it's hard to pick out  classes that will benefit him. He plans on doing the Microsoft Specialization so there are 3 mandatory classes and 1 choice between two classes. I was hoping he'd do the Linux/Unix Specialization because that is what DH works in so he'd be able to help him.Then it says there are 4 Industry Certification Preparations, meaning there are 4 tests he can prepare for, but we need to know what classes to take to prepare him for those specific tests. It's all so confusing to do this on our own.

[regentrude]

41 minutes ago, Night Elf said:

But these are all computer classes. Some have prereqs but I worry about the order to take them. There are some mandatory ones and then 14 electives he can choose from. But what if he needs one class to really understand the content of another class? 

Then that class would have prerequisite listed. There is very likely a sample curriculum somewhere on the website that lists a typical sequence in which courses should be taken. And that's also why students have advisers.

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Night Elf said:

. All I can find is the same list that the adviser uses which is linked to ds's account. So each time a class is taken, it is marked off as satisfied. Then the classes left to take are hyperlinked and which you click on them it gives you the class description and what time slots the class is available.

That would be the degree audit. It should list which courses are required, and which of them have been taken. He can use that to map out the sequence.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You were asking about evals for college accommodations a few months ago. Did you get those?  The reason I ask is because for my Aspie son we got advising help through the college disability office. We had to prove that he was eligible but once we did,, he got priority registration and a lot of personalized help. 

[Pippen]

All the colleges my kids attended blocked student registration until they met with their adviser, who unblocked it at the time of the meeting. Once one did have to call/email the department office or department head to make that appointment happen, because adviser wasn't answering emails. 

[Night Elf]

9 hours ago, regentrude said:

Then that class would have prerequisite listed. There is very likely a sample curriculum somewhere on the website that lists a typical sequence in which courses should be taken. And that's also why students have advisers.

I have looked. I have even googled for a sample schedule for Networking Specialist. I just keep getting the list of required classes and classes to choose from. I'll ask his adviser when we meet with him next Thursday. 

If someone wants to look, he'll be attending Lanier Technical College in Georgia and working on a Networking Specialist degree.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Night Elf

[regentrude]

47 minutes ago, Night Elf said:

I have looked. I have even googled for a sample schedule for Networking Specialist. I just keep getting the list of required classes and classes to choose from. I'll ask his adviser when we meet with him next Thursday. 

If someone wants to look, he'll be attending Lanier Technical College in Georgia and working on a Networking Specialist degree.

Found it. Do you mean this: https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/Current Program Flyers/Computers-NetworkingSpecDegree.pdf ?

Here is a sample graduation plan:

https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/Current Grad Plans/pComputers-NetworkingSpecDegree.pdf

That looks pretty clear to me. I am not sure what exactly your question is - it's all there. What other information are you seeking?

Edited November 10, 2018 by regentrude

[itsheresomewhere]

I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet to you but so you can be prepared of it does-

You may not be able to attend orientation with him.  Many schools are not allowing parents to attend the one with the student. They tend to have one for parents only.   Especially, since you don’t have any paperwork (re-evaluation) within the past 3 years on his disability.  Have a plan so if this happens, you both have a plan.And since he is an adult, ask when he meets with his advisor for paperwork allowing you to talk to them on his education.  That way if he gets overwhelmed or doesn’t understand, you can call and speak on his behalf.  Don’t wait to get this done when he has a problem.  

Edited November 10, 2018 by itsheresomewhere

[Selkie]

28 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet to you but so you can be prepared of it does-

You may not be able to attend orientation with him.  Many schools are not allowing parents to attend the one with the student. They tend to have one for parents only.   Especially, since you don’t have any paperwork (re-evaluation) within the past 3 years on his disability.  Have a plan so if this happens, you both have a plan.And since he is an adult, ask when he meets with his advisor for paperwork allowing you to talk to them on his education.  That way if he gets overwhelmed or doesn’t understand, you can call and speak on his behalf.  Don’t wait to get this done when he has a problem.  

Yes, this is good advice. At the college my boys attend, parents and students are separated for orientation. Students meet with their advisors alone.

[regentrude]

31 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Yes, this is good advice. At the college my boys attend, parents and students are separated for orientation. Students meet with their advisors alone.

Yes, our school has instated such a rule as well. Parents are not permitted to be present at advising.

[kiwik]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

Yes, our school has instated such a rule as well. Parents are not permitted to be present at advising.

Orientation is obviously different there.  Here it is kind of a week long party where you get used to living away from home, investigate campus clubs etc and get your courses the final approval (you enrolled and paid months earlier).  It would be very strange to have parents with you.

[regentrude]

22 minutes ago, kiwik said:

Orientation is obviously different there.  Here it is kind of a week long party where you get used to living away from home, investigate campus clubs etc and get your courses the final approval (you enrolled and paid months earlier).  It would be very strange to have parents with you.

We have both. Students are coming to campus for one Saturday in the spring/summer before they start for the fall to take their math placement test and then meet with an advisor and sign up for classes.  There is also an opening/orientation week during the week immediately preceding the semester which is similar to what you describe, but almost all students will already have signed up for classes during the one day preview orientation.

[Selkie]

35 minutes ago, kiwik said:

Orientation is obviously different there.  Here it is kind of a week long party where you get used to living away from home, investigate campus clubs etc and get your courses the final approval (you enrolled and paid months earlier).  It would be very strange to have parents with you.

What you're describing is called Welcome Week at my boys' school. Orientation is a separate, one-day event for students and parents that takes place during the summer. It's basically an introduction to college life and covers topics like academics, financial aid, dorm living, meal plans, campus safety, etc.

[Tree Frog]

On 11/9/2018 at 10:22 AM, Chris in VA said:

Just a suggestion and you may already either know this or be following it...At my daughter's school, they map out all the classes needed for a major and offer sample schedules, so you just look at, say, Freshman Year--Second Semester, and everything is laid out for you. Now, her choices are limited since her major is complex, but she never has to worry that she'll miss a prerequisite or anything. Is your son offered the same thing? Makes it easy to see when to take each class. 

The universities our girls have attended don't do this, so dh does this for each of them in an Excel file. He looks at the requirements for the major in the course catalog and when each of the classes are offered for the year. This gives them a talking point when they meet the advisors. There have been times when the advisors recommended something different and our kids were able to ask why the change. Sometimes there were changes DH didn't know about ahead of time and sometimes the advisor didn't understand the requirements of the major and our girls caught what could've been a time consuming mistake.

[Night Elf]

12 hours ago, regentrude said:

Found it. Do you mean this: https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/Current Program Flyers/Computers-NetworkingSpecDegree.pdf ?

Here is a sample graduation plan:

https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/Current Grad Plans/pComputers-NetworkingSpecDegree.pdf

That looks pretty clear to me. I am not sure what exactly your question is - it's all there. What other information are you seeking?

Thank you!! I have the first document. That's what we've been looking at. It's the second document you listed that I couldn't find. You're amazing! That's tremendously helpful.

[Night Elf]

11 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet to you but so you can be prepared of it does-

You may not be able to attend orientation with him.  Many schools are not allowing parents to attend the one with the student. They tend to have one for parents only.   Especially, since you don’t have any paperwork (re-evaluation) within the past 3 years on his disability.  Have a plan so if this happens, you both have a plan.And since he is an adult, ask when he meets with his advisor for paperwork allowing you to talk to them on his education.  That way if he gets overwhelmed or doesn’t understand, you can call and speak on his behalf.  Don’t wait to get this done when he has a problem.  

True. I didn't attend his orientation at his last college. We had a parent's lecture. However, they didn't sit down with an adviser. They were just taken to a computer lab to register for classes and there were advisers walking around answering questions. Ds and I had already sat down and figured out what classes he was going to take so he registered for them and was the first to leave the room. Regentrude found exactly what I was looking for so ds and I will take a look at it and see about getting into those classes for his 1st semester. I still think he should talk to his adviser and I will have him ask about giving me permission to speak to the various departments for him. Thanks.

[regentrude]

59 minutes ago, Night Elf said:

Thank you!! I have the first document. That's what we've been looking at. It's the second document you listed that I couldn't find. You're amazing! That's tremendously helpful.

Glad to be of help. Here's how I got to it: College Website>Academic Programs>Computer Information Systems. Upper box has program requirements, lower box says "Sample Graduation Plans":https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/LTCPrograms.aspx?id=8.

[Night Elf]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

Glad to be of help. Here's how I got to it: College Website>Academic Programs>Computer Information Systems. Upper box has program requirements, lower box says "Sample Graduation Plans":https://www.laniertech.edu/AcademicPrograms/LTCPrograms.aspx?id=8.

I just didn't see that at all. ?

[QueenCat]

20 hours ago, Night Elf said:

I have looked. I have even googled for a sample schedule for Networking Specialist. I just keep getting the list of required classes and classes to choose from. I'll ask his adviser when we meet with him next Thursday. 

If someone wants to look, he'll be attending Lanier Technical College in Georgia and working on a Networking Specialist degree.

 

Be prepared for the advisor to not include you in the discussion. It is highly unusual for parents to attend such meetings. I do know your child has issues related to Aspergers but that is likely to not be relevant if he isn't working through the disabilities office. 

Added: I just saw the other responses, so it seems you've already considered this...

Edited November 11, 2018 by QueenCat

[QueenCat]

7 hours ago, Night Elf said:

True. I didn't attend his orientation at his last college. We had a parent's lecture. However, they didn't sit down with an adviser. They were just taken to a computer lab to register for classes and there were advisers walking around answering questions. Ds and I had already sat down and figured out what classes he was going to take so he registered for them and was the first to leave the room. Regentrude found exactly what I was looking for so ds and I will take a look at it and see about getting into those classes for his 1st semester. I still think he should talk to his adviser and I will have him ask about giving me permission to speak to the various departments for him. Thanks.

 

I wouldn't expect that the various departments will be willing to talk to you, even with his permission. Or have you speak for him. That is something the disabilities office will do when needed. There's a form that students can sign to give permission for parents to talk to the finance office but I've never heard of one for other things. I asked dh what his reaction would be to a parent contacting him. He said that he'd write a polite note back the first time, stating that he is not allowed to discuss a student with them. If they continued to try to get him to do that, he'd ignore the emails & forward them to the department head. 

[Night Elf]

1 hour ago, QueenCat said:

 

I wouldn't expect that the various departments will be willing to talk to you, even with his permission. Or have you speak for him. That is something the disabilities office will do when needed. There's a form that students can sign to give permission for parents to talk to the finance office but I've never heard of one for other things. I asked dh what his reaction would be to a parent contacting him. He said that he'd write a polite note back the first time, stating that he is not allowed to discuss a student with them. If they continued to try to get him to do that, he'd ignore the emails & forward them to the department head. 

I mean the financial aid department and perhaps the registrar's office. I have no inclination to contact his adviser. I talk to ds and we decide on things and then ds talks to his adviser. I have never had any desire to contact the teachers of any of my children's teachers, not even in high school. Yes, I would like to sit in on his advising appointment this time because I just have an awful feeling that may be the last time he's available. He's certainly not providing timely responses to emails from ds. This school does not need an adviser's permission to register. Ds was able to register without talking to his adviser. Frankly I don't think much will happen at the advising appointment unless ds asks what specialty he should go into. However, ds has already stated he wants to focus on Microsoft so I doubt he'll ask the adviser's opinion. All I really want to know from the adviser is a general outline of what classes he should take when, but I now have that in my possession. It doesn't give particulars though. It would be nice to have an adviser who tells you what classes are good to take when there are so many to choose from. We'll just have to wait and see each semester how involved his adviser is. 

[marbel]

3 hours ago, QueenCat said:

 

Be prepared for the advisor to not include you in the discussion. It is highly unusual for parents to attend such meetings. I do know your child has issues related to Aspergers but that is likely to not be relevant if he isn't working through the disabilities office. 

Added: I just saw the other responses, so it seems you've already considered this...

I never tried to attend any of my kid's advisor meetings, but I did call the disabilities office to find out procedures, etc., for him to apply for accommodations. I was told he should make an appointment, bring a copy of his neuropsych report, and be prepared to discuss it with them.  I asked if I should be there. She said that I could be in the room, but he would be the focus of the conversation;  I would not be asked any questions and they would not solicit any opinions/comments from me, though my son could defer questions to me if he wanted. But in general, I was not wanted.

Because of the type of disabilities and accommodations we were talking about, I just stayed out.  It went fine for him.

Only relating this because if a disabilities office doesn't really want a parent in the room, I can only imagine that a "regular" adviser for a kid without documented disabilities is not going to want a parent in there.

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, Night Elf said:

 He's certainly not providing timely responses to emails from ds.... ...Frankly I don't think much will happen at the advising appointment unless ds asks what specialty he should go into. However, ds has already stated he wants to focus on Microsoft so I doubt he'll ask the adviser's opinion. All I really want to know from the adviser is a general outline of what classes he should take when, but I now have that in my possession. It doesn't give particulars though. It would be nice to have an adviser who tells you what classes are good to take when there are so many to choose from. We'll just have to wait and see each semester how involved his adviser is. 

I thought the advisor had responded to your DS' email and set up a meeting for the 15th?

The purpose of the advising appointment is to discuss class selection. Why do you think "not much will happen"? If your DS has questions, he needs to ask them. 

Edited November 11, 2018 by regentrude

[Night Elf]

18 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I thought the advisor had responded to your DS' email and set up a meeting for the 15th?

The purpose of the advising appointment is to discuss class selection. Why do you think "not much will happen"? If your DS has questions, he needs to ask them. 

No, ds asked a few questions in his initial email to the adviser. The adviser didn't answer any of the questions, just said he'd see ds on the 15th which is Orientation day. Then when ds got the email saying he had to be registered for classes BEFORE orientation, he emailed the adviser again asking how to do that. The adviser hasn't written back. Fortunately the computer system is the same as the ones I've had experience with in Georgia so I already knew how to navigate my way through the links. We were able to get him registered with no trouble at all. He'll tell his adviser that at orientation. Also, instead of taking a 3rd class his first semester, he's seriously considering taking the 3rd class during summer semester. Then starting in fall, he'll try to follow the plan you found for me and we're both hoping his adviser is an active part of those decisions.

[QueenCat]

3 hours ago, marbel said:

I never tried to attend any of my kid's advisor meetings, but I did call the disabilities office to find out procedures, etc., for him to apply for accommodations. I was told he should make an appointment, bring a copy of his neuropsych report, and be prepared to discuss it with them.  I asked if I should be there. She said that I could be in the room, but he would be the focus of the conversation;  I would not be asked any questions and they would not solicit any opinions/comments from me, though my son could defer questions to me if he wanted. But in general, I was not wanted.

Because of the type of disabilities and accommodations we were talking about, I just stayed out.  It went fine for him.

Only relating this because if a disabilities office doesn't really want a parent in the room, I can only imagine that a "regular" adviser for a kid without documented disabilities is not going to want a parent in there.

 

It's interesting how schools can be different. The disabilities office was the one place on campus that suggested to ds that he bring a parent with him to the initial meeting, but they would only give input with his permission. 

[Chris in VA]

So glad you found the document I was referring to! lol 

In dd's case, she calls it the "fantasy schedule," as it makes assumptions and doesn't give credit properly, so do be aware of that. For instance, her music ed major "plan" assumed she'd start at a certain level of keyboarding--she didn't test as high as she thought, so she had to take an extra class. Then they didn't give correct credit (which means time, really--) for orchestra. What she thought would meet twice a week for 1 credit meets 4 times a week for 4 credits...which is more time in class and more assumed practice time...She ends up with 19 hours instead of 17. And she had to drop her french minor, which had seemed doable, because it would bump her to 22 hours, which is insane. 

 

All that to say, have your son keep a close eye on his classes.