The Role of Advisee

Academic Advising is a two way process and must involve the active participation of both the advisor and advisee. This is an important relationship to help you make the decisions which shape your academic career at the College. Your responsibilities as an advisee include the following:

Gathering all relevant decision-making information.
Clarifying personal values and goals.
Being knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements.
Accepting responsibility for decisions.

When to see your advisor:

  • To discuss any problems which affect academic performance.
  • To select courses for the upcoming semester.
  • To add or drop courses.
  • To discuss academic progress.
  • To formally declare a major.
  • To file a degree plan.
  • To discuss career considerations.

How to see your advisor:

  • Become familiar with your advisor’s office hours/schedule.
  • Whenever possible, call to make an appointment.
  • If it is necessary to drop by without an appointment, try to do so at a time when your advisor has posted office hours.
  • Because the first and last two weeks of each semester are the busiest for faculty, schedule longer conferences during the middle portion of the semester.
  • In order to change advisors, secure a "Change of Advisor Form" from the Registrar’s Office

What you and your advisor should do:

You should contact and keep in touch with your advisor
Your advisee should post office hours

You should make and keep appointments or call if it is necessary to change or cancel an appointment
Your advisee should make and keep appointments or call if it is necessary to make or cancel an appointment

You should come with specific questions in mind
Your advisee should provide accurate and specific information

You should come with necessary materials
Your advisee should have resource material on hand

You should ask about other sources of information
Your advisee should suggest other sources of information

You should be open concerning school work, study habits, etc.
Your advisee should listen and help you solve problems

You should identify priorities in building a schedule
Your advisee should help you to identify priorities in your schedule

You should make decisions concerning careers, choice of  major and selection of courses
Your advisee should suggest options concerning careers, choice of  Majors and selection of courses
         

How to get the best out of advisors

Seek advice from more than one source. Never ask only one person for advice when a major decision is being made. Ask several – other advisors, faculty member, administrators, student have experience your dilemma, parents, etc. This allows you to cover a wider range of considerations, broaden your horizons, and contemplate events that you might not have otherwise reviewed while you are making your decisions.

Be critical of advice given. You do yourself an injustice by accepting advice too easily. The result of uncritical acceptance of advice and recommendations may choose to be a disaster later.

Listen carefully to advice given. You must make certain that you have understood precisely what the advisor has said. Hear your advisor out without interruption. When the advisor has finished, ask questions to emphasize points that may have been overlooked. At the end of an advising session, restate the conclusion in your own words to make sure that the meaning you gleaned was actually the intended meaning.

Do not be defensive about advice. Try not to be defensive if the advice contains criticism of you or the way you do things. This can be a very difficult task. Several "Don’ts" to consider include

  • Don’t try to find personal fault with the advisor to disqualify him or her as a judge of your situation.
  • Don’t be flippant about the advice given.
  • Don’t argue with the advisor.
  • Don’t try to change the subject to avoid a disagreeable message.
  • Don’t be paranoid in the face of criticism. Your advisor probably does not have a hidden agenda.

ACADEMIC CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCEDURE:

A student who believes that course work has been unfairly evaluated, or who has another conflict regarding academic matters less than Academic Probation/Dismissal or the Academic Integrity Policy, should use the following procedure:

1. As soon as possible, but in any case, no later than the end of the sixth week of the following semester, the student should approach the faculty member to discuss the issue. In the event of a grade appeal the student should seek an explanation of the method of evaluation and seek a determination that no error has been made.

2. If the student is not satisfied with the results of the conference with the faculty member, the case may be presented in writing to the department chair (for undergraduate students) or the program director (for graduate students).

3. If the department chair concludes there is no cause for the complaint, the undergraduate student may approach the Associate Dean of the College, who will confer with the faculty member and the student. For graduate students, if the program director concludes that there is no cause for the complaint, the graduate student may approach the Dean of the College who will confer with the faculty member and student. In all cases, the decision of the faculty member on a grade remains final