Student academic advising will begin Monday for the spring semester.Amy Hebert, assistant director of the Academic Advising Center, said that for many departments, advising begins one week before registration, but in the Advising Center, students are advised all semester.
“Everyone’s welcome all the time,” Hebert said. “Technically, Monday is the start of advising though.”
Hebert said that some academic departments advise two weeks before registration because of faculty obligations, classes and scheduling conflicts.
“It’s easier if they fit it into a time window,” Hebert said.
Lacey Melancon, professional academic advisor under University College, said that advisors have multiple jobs that are all important to a student’s success.
“A lot of people think advising is only scheduling,” Melancon said, “but it’s so much more than that.”
She said that advisors are supposed to be available to answer questions about adding and dropping classes and changing majors.
Carol Blanchard, associate dean of University College, said that the staff in the Advising Center is willing to help anyone who has a question.
“We generally keep students until they have 30 non-developmental hours and they’ve completed their University prep course,” Blanchard said. “Then they go on into their majors.”
Hebert said that even if a student is not in University College, the advisors will not turn them away.
“We’re here to answer questions and help,” Hebert said.
“And if we can’t help answer, we’ll try to find the answer, or we’ll direct them to someone who can answer,” Melancon said.
Blanchard said that one of the reasons it is important to see an advisor is because the University is constantly changing.
“Sometimes students take the wrong classes because they’re misinformed or because a particular class may fit their schedule, but they don’t need it,” Blanchard said.
Melancon said that when students “self-advise,” they often make errors that prolong their graduation.
“We know the new changes to each curriculum; we know what classes have been cancelled and added,” Melancon said.
“Also, if a class is closed, we can call the teacher sometimes and get permission to put a student in a class,” Blanchard said.
Hebert said that another reason advising is important is because of the new policies.
According to the policy, students are no longer required to activate their schedules. Upon registration, students will be entitled to attend scheduled classes and are immediately indebted to the University with obligations to pay all tuition and fees associated with registration. To release him or herself from this indebtedness, a student must unregister by 4:15 p.m. of the last business day before classes begin.
She said that although registration starts on Nov. 2, it will continue until classes resume in January.
“If they don’t go to advising next week, they haven’t missed out,” Hebert said. “They will still have opportunities to meet with someone and register.”
Melancon said that it can be dangerous to wait though, because it can be hard to get an appointment with an advisor.
“Also, sometimes the longer you wait, the less classes are available,” Melancon said.
Hebert said that research has shown that students who visit their advisors regularly progress through their degree faster, get connected to resources more frequently and have higher success rates.
“University College, in the last few years, has been credited with increasing the freshmen retention rate from about 40 percent to 70 percent, so it works if students use it,” Hebert said.
“It’s easy to self-advise,” Hebert said, “but it’s not always the smartest thing to do because advisors see things that students may not notice, and advisors can recommend certain resources. We can make sure that students are taking their courses in the right direction, and then after a little while, students get better at it and can eventually do it on their own.”
The new course catalog and lists of classes that will be avialable for the winter intersession and spring semester have been released on the Nicholls Web site.
