Fletcher- Week 1- Undergraduate Academic Advising Center

Subject: Kimberly Fletcher-Week 1- Undergraduate Academic Advising

Activities:

• Organized student files and materials for the daily orientation sessions.

• Met with future students during orientation and discussed their upcoming goals while attending school at Mississippi State University.

• Instructed future students on the course registration process and how to fulfill the core course curriculum while deciding on a major.

• Troubleshot during orientation sessions by communicating with command center about registration errors during academic advising portion of orientation.

Reflection:

            In previous weeks, I have obtained small-scale training in regards to undeclared student advising. By participating in transfer and summer student orientation, I have learned the basics of logging on and accessing the Banner system while assisting students. However, this week’s sessions were substantially more intense and stressful than past sessions. Firstly, the orientation group size has almost tripled. In the two hour time period that students have to “correct” their schedules, I may have discussed future career paths and appropriate class selections with over 15 students.  It has become more apparent to me that these incoming freshmen are not as confident in choosing classes as the transfer students before them. For many of these students, this is the first time they have ever seen a course registration website. Secondly, many students have unrealistic expectations of college life. For many of them, the first priority is not having class before ten o’clock in the morning or after two o’clock in the afternoon and not having class on Fridays or Mondays. This is simply impossible to do for any full-time student. Also, many of them see extracurricular activities as their first priority. Finally, many students are taking lower-level core courses during the summer to "move-up" in a particular subject by the time Fall 2013 rolls around. These students require a course override and a call to our command center. Sometimes, this sends students into a panic because they think they classes they are working hard to complete this summer will not count towards their MSU course credits. However, it has yet to fail that the student acquires a course override and is placed into the next level class they desire.Through the counseling skills I have acquired over the past year, I have learned to use reasoning, summary, and self-disclosure skills when talking with these students. Many of them benefit from hearing that others like them have had to adjust their thinking patterns in order to succeed in college.

            So far, I can see that keeping a calm demeanor and a smile at all times can facilitate a student’s decision making process. Often, students feel pressure from family members or friends to take specific courses or have specific instructors. It is up to the academic adviser to work with the students to detail what they want their college life to look like, not specifically what they have been told it should look like. 

This is where a substantial amount of my summer will be spent:

(Photo courtesy of http://www.msstate.edu/web/maps/index.php?building=0001)
The academic advising portion of orientation happens here, the Industrial Education Building, for students with undecided majors. 
-Kimberly Fletcher