With the upcoming semester quickly approaching, students and faculty alike are beginning to think about classes for next semester. Students in particular face an important hurdle – arranging schedules and planning out graduation paths. In recognition of the difficulty of going at it alone, the Central Academic Advising Center has brought back the Be Advised campaign, which urges all students to visit either a faculty adviser in the student’s chosen major or a general adviser on staff at the center.
The goal of the Be Advised campaign, JoAnn Hertz, the director of the Advising Center says, is to “underscore the importance of advising [for students], rather than trying to go it alone.”
Hertz feels that the importance of advising cannot be over-emphasized, whether the student is a freshman with an undeclared major, or a senior nearing graduation. “I believe students who regularly meet with an adviser are better informed, more academically successful, and more likely to graduate than those who do not,” Hertz comments.
Advisers can also be helpful in helping students declare a major. Hertz feels that “students should declare their major as soon as they have decided because they can take advantage of the expert advising of the faculty in their field.” Added to that, “students with a declared major tend to be retained at higher rates than those without a major.”
However, Hertz cautions against declaring a major while still uncertain. “Undecided students should not feel compelled to rush and declare a major without proper investigation.” Proper investigation, in Hertz’s opinion, includes “discovering one’s academic and technology options, self-awareness activities, and researching academic and occupational opportunities.”
Students who declare a major after careful thought, according to Hertz, “are more satisfied with their major, are aware of expectations and requirements, and tend to persist and be retained to graduation.”
Hertz also feels that advising is helpful for students preparing to graduate. Advising is important for upper-division students, she says, because it helps ensure that students “don’t run into any disappointments or unseen problems as they try to graduate.” Despite the help that the administration can offer, “it is the student’s responsibility to finalize all of their [graduation] requirements.”
With the impeding class registration, advising should be on every student’s to-do list. To by advised by a faculty adviser, Hertz suggests using their office hours or making an appointment ahead of time. For the Advising Center, however, students currently need no appointment unless they have some serious issue. Hours of the Advising Center are Monday through Friday, 9-5. The center is located in Museum Building 307.