How to Work with Your Advisor

An advising relationship is a partnership between you and your advisor. Your advisor is your consultant, helping you understand your degree requirements and your options, but you make the decisions--you are in charge of your education!

Your Advisor . . .

• Will provide you with accurate information about the college's programs, requirements, policies, and procedures that you need to make informed academic choices.
• Can assist you in making educational plans consistent with your goals, abilities and interests–-your advisor is interested in you and what you want to do.
• Will ask you questions to get to know you better and to help you clarify your thinking.
• Will assist you in exploring alternatives and determining a realistic course load.
• Will assist you in selecting courses and combinations of courses that best meet your individual and academic goals and requirements.
• Can assist in helping you solve problems related to requirements.
• Can refer you to appropriate sources of information and assistance.
• Will keep notes of issues you discussed and information you were given.
• Will keep your records private, as required by law.
  
  

You . . .

• Are responsible for knowing the program’s policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Can share your interests, concerns, hopes, and goals with your advisor–-the better they know you, the better they can advise you.
• Take initiative to contact your advisor when you have a question or concern--don’t wait until you get into academic difficulty before seeing your advisor.
• Make decisions about your program and courses and develop plans that are realistic to achieve your academic, career, and personal goals.
• Take your assessment exams and complete the New Student Orientation to the Business Online program to gain the information you need to plan your program.
• Check course prerequisites to be sure you are prepared to succeed in the course.
• Know what information is available from the college’s catalog, class schedule, and Web site and use them actively.
• Check course availability on the Web.
• Become familiar with the full range of campus resources and use all those you need.
• Track your progress and satisfy all requirements for your degree program.
• Keep an updated curriculum checklist for your total program.
• Communicate with your advisor regularly and follow his or her recommendations.
• Understand that your financial aid may depend upon your academic progress.
• When you seek advising have the following available:
  
1. Your updated curriculum checklist and course sequence.
2. The current semester’s class schedule.
3. Current catalog.
4. Your questions.

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