Much needed tips on meeting with advisors

Meeting with an advisor can be a daunting task. Folded with said meeting is the anxiety of figuring out the next semester when one is still in the thralls of the current semester.

Though, the advisors are there to help negate said anxiety. It can be hard to make the journey to their office, but it is paramount.

I made the mistake of not doing so until last semester, and I am suffering from it.

Many college students want to feel like they are finally an adult and want to do everything on their own. Though, not getting help when needed is one of the most childish things one can do.

I am mainly calling myself out here, but I know there are others in the same boat as me. So, how can one prepare for an advising appointment?

The first thing one must do is prepare. Preparation can make everything more comfortable and will make advising go all the more quickly.

The appointment will drag on and not be as fruitful if one has no inkling of an idea of what is going on in their life. It is good to know all the classes offered for one’s major before going into advising. No one wants to be stuck in four classes they hate because they just let their advisor do all the work.

It is also good to have a schedule already made. It can be the worst schedule imaginable, but it can be a road map for an advisor. Advising is not a one-person job. It takes both the student and the professor putting in the effort for it to at all be worth it.

It pays to be candid and open with one’s advisor. Actually, it is imperative. If a semester was too heavy, it is vital to let the advisor know. They cannot read minds. Honestly, nor would they want to read minds.

It is also alright to challenge the schedule the advisor creates. If one hates history, maybe it is not the best elective, even if the advisor thinks it is an easy class. Every student is different.

Never be afraid to keep meeting with an advisor after the initial meeting. Sometimes, it takes more than a few minutes to get things right.

It also is not wrong to get second opinions. If one is really not happy with their advisor’s guidance, find someone else for a second opinion. Always go back with the original advisor to discuss said changes, though. Each advisor is different, and they all have different interpretations of what a student asks of them.

The most important thing is to take it seriously. Sure, every student has had to have a rough semester due to bad luck, but it can be avoided most of the time.

It is also a must to realize that the advisors are there to help, not hurt. If they do hurt or get something wrong, talk to them. On the off chance that does not work, talk to their higher up.

At the end of the day, the school and the whole education system is meant to serve the students. It may not seem as such, but there are still many ways to get what we need. Advising is one of them. It should be utilized effectively and be something every student fights to get adequately.