Chelsey Vincent: Academic Advising Week 1

Activities

• Introduced to the process of academic advising during Orientation
• Assisted with the academic advising of freshmen students at Orientation
• Sent follow-up emails to students after advising 
• Distributed flyers to students and parents at Orientation

Experience

Everything I did this week was through Orientation. I was able to see Mr. Wes, Director of Academic Advising, introduce himself to the students whose major is undeclared. He outlined the curriculum and the benefits of being undeclared. It was interesting to see how parents and students interacted with each other and with Mr. Wes during this time. Some parents wanted every handout students received while others took a more relaxed approach. 

The next day, students were ushered into a computer lab to create their schedules. Students are typically pre-enrolled in two or three classes. For the most part, students were halfway finished with creating their schedule before they even started. I, along with about ten others, helped students pick out classes that would fulfill the core requirements. I enjoyed seeing how students were reacting to registering for classes. Many students were nervous about creating their schedule. Some students did not want to add a class because they thought it would be too hard. Others did not want to add a class because they were worried about getting to their next class on time. This is a part of the process that I have not been able to see, and I enjoyed it. 

Amey and Reesor (2009) highlighted the experience of one new professional who mentioned the importance of getting to know professionals in other departments so that when a challenge arises, one will have a network of people to contact. The volunteers that helped students register for classes came from numerous offices. I am excited about using this as an opportunity to get to know other professionals and grow my network of helpful people on campus.