How to Get The Most Out of Your Advising Team
This article breaks down how to get the most out of your advising team.
By Dr. Gwendolyn Maria Parrish — December 16, 2022
What Is An Advising Team?
Academic advising is a service your institution provides to help you ease into your journey as a new college student. An advisor is someone assigned to help coach you through your academic journey with situations such as selecting the required classes, picking a preferred instructor (when possible), and so much more. Your advisor will reach out to you once you are fully enrolled in your program and will also check in regularly, usually at least once per quarter (or semester, depending on your school term length). They help ensure that you progress successfully and understand your responsibilities/rights as a student.
Whenever you have questions about any aspect of your program, you must reach out to your advisor rather than your instructor. Your advisor is matched with you specifically to meet your needs as a student. While your instructor can assist with issues about assignments, due dates, etc., your advisor typically handles everything else. They can also help you understand the order of operations, which means knowing who to reach out to for specific questions. Be sure to sign up for the texting option when you enroll. While email is beneficial, texting will also be helpful when you have questions and allow you to get answers quickly
What Will Your Advising Team do for You?
Your advisor or advising team will help to keep you motivated in your program. They will also help set goals you can work toward during each course and help create an academic plan to help avoid any obstacles that may impede your progress. If you enroll intending to earn a second degree soon after, they can help determine the best path that will help you ease into the next. For example, many students enroll in a bachelor's program with the intent to roll over into a master's program quickly. You can usually do things to make that transition a little simpler. Your advisor can help with that. Whenever you have questions or want to make changes to your program, you must speak with your advisor beforehand; you want to ensure your choices will not affect your progression in your current program.
What are Your Responsibilities for Communicating with Your Advising Team?
While your advisor is there for you consistently, you must remember that to be successful in your academic journey, you will be responsible for reaching out to the appropriate faculty with questions you may have. Although your instructors are there to help you, they will not always be aware of your concerns unless you contact them. If you are unsure when to contact them use the bulleted list below to get an idea of when it may be necessary to reach out.
Reach out to faculty if you have the following questions:
- Have questions about course requirements or expectations
- Questions regarding course content or assignment instructions.
- You will need to be absent from the course for a long time.
- You need to request an extension on an assignment due.
- You need to request an incomplete course grade so it does not impact your GPA.
This list includes reasons to contact your academic advisor or other school faculty. Be as specific as possible with any questions you ask to ensure your team does not misinterpret your meaning. For example, if you have a question about an assignment, state whether it is the formatting, length of the assignment, or due dates that you are confused about. The goal is to have the support you need to make it through each course smoothly and without interruptions to your learning. Once you reach out to your support team, they are allowed up to 72 hours (in most cases) to respond since they are likely working with another learner or may be out of the office.
If you do not have the contact information for your advisor or instructor and have already searched the syllabus and instructor info page online, you may want to call the registrar's office or contact the student center at your school, and they will get the information for you. Then, contact your instructor via email, phone call, or text and provide a few dates and times that you are available to chat. Include your phone number and time zone (for online courses). You will want to keep a copy of your correspondence with your advising team or instructor for future reference as a reminder of the procedures you were given.
Dr. Gwendolyn Maria Parrish
Dr. Gwendolyn M. Parrish is a graduate of MSU, where she received a BA in Elementary Education and an MS in Educational Leadership. Maria has more than ten years of experience in the classroom and two years as a high school vice-principal. She is a graduate of Capella University, where she completed a Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction and Administration. Maria has also been a writing consultant for Capella for the past three years and enjoy working with learners of all ages.
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