Chelsey Vincent: Academic Advising Week 5

Activities

• Answered the phone at the UAAC
• Shadowed advisers at the UAAC
• Organized student records at the UAAC

Experience

This week I was able to answer the phone for the University Academic Advising Center. This office gets a a lot of calls each day. The administrative assistant told me that many times when people call the main MSU line, their calls are forwarded to the UAAC. With each call you receive, you have to figure out what the caller is seeking. Almost always the caller knows what he or she wants to accomplish but does not know who to talk to. Through this experience, I have become much more familiar with the services different offices offer.

I have learned a lot more about the services of different offices, but I have had to learn much of this as I answered the phone. I have noticed that when I am not completely certain of something (and no one is available to ask), I respond uncertainly. When I respond uncertainly, the caller becomes uneasy, and this is not good. This experience has encouraged me to be more proactive in asking the UAAC advisers questions and seeking answers on MSU’s website. 

After reading our assigned chapters, I’ve been thinking about how Mr. Wes and his staff collaborate with faculty. They have built connections with many of the academic departments on campus. This office’s job is to become familiar with all degree programs so that they may best advise students. They regularly make calls to different departments and faculty to ask for overrides for a class. Mr. Wes also teaches a couple of sections of American Government. During Orientation, a couple of faculty members volunteered to help advise students. These are all ways that the UAAC builds connections and collaborates with faculty.