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  1. Home
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  3. Academic Advising: What it is, why college students need it, and how it can save time and money

CategoriesCollege 101
Posted on December 21, 2018December 21, 2018

Academic Advising: What it is, why college students need it, and how it can save time and money

A student and an advisor sit at a desk in an advisor's office going over the student's schedule.
A student in an advising session with Shoreline Academic Advisor, Sunny Ybarra.

College students juggle a lot: class, studying, work, and home and social lives. So it can feel overwhelming to learn you should add regular academic advising sessions to your calendar. But meeting with an advisor early in your college career and on an ongoing basis can actually save you time, money, and energy in the long run.

Advising is:
An academic advisor is more than just the person who helps you figure out a schedule. Advisors are your advocate, helping you navigate the college experience.

Academic advisors help students figure out their educational, career, and personal goals and what steps to take to achieve them. An advisor will help you stay on track academically by making sure you’re taking the correct classes to complete your certificate or degree and, if needed, connect you to additional support resources like tutoring, counseling, or coaching.

An advisor will help map out your journey, but you are ultimately the one who needs to steer. So come to your advising appointments ready to engage, ask questions, and play an active role in determining your academic future.

When to meet with an advisor:
Most students don’t begin college knowing how to make academic decisions. Advisors can support students in learning how to gather academic information, make well-informed decisions, and adjust course if needed.

Beyond first contact, it’s important to also meet with your advisor on a regular, ideally quarterly, basis. Routine check-ins ensure you’re staying on the right track, taking the classes you need to graduate on schedule, and getting connected with support services as soon as a need arises.

While colleges put a lot of thought into developing standardized planning guides to help students navigate program requirements, no two students are alike, and an approach to a course of study that works for one person may not be effective for another. So while it is possible to get through a program by consulting a planning guide, students are most successful when they work with their advisors each quarter to create a personalized plan that adapts to their changing needs.

Why advising is important (or, how advising can save you time, money, and energy):
Advising ensures you have a roadmap for your college experience that maximizes your efforts and allows you to graduate without spending time and money on classes you don’t need. This focused approach makes it likelier you’ll earn your degree or certificate quicker, getting you into an income-earning career sooner. Students who don’t meet with an advisor take one extra quarter to complete their program, on average.

If you’re unsure of your goals, an academic advisor can help you identify your strengths and interests as well as potential career paths in which you might shine. Studies show that 75% of students begin college without a chosen career path or major, and 50-75% of students will change their major at least once. A main cause of this is a lack of information—information advisors have and can provide.

Rather than spending several quarters taking classes to see what sparks your interest, an advisor can help you explore your options more efficiently and even introduce you to paths you didn’t know existed. An academic advisor can also connect students with campus and community services, resources, and learning opportunities that can save them time and money and maximize their return on investment.

The best way to succeed in college is to remain engaged in your learning while progressing toward a meaningful goal. One of the most effective ways to do that is through a partnership with an academic advisor.

Shoreline’s advising office is open Monday through Friday and accepts both appointments and walk-ins. Connect with advising resources today.

Tagsacademic advising, advisee, advisor

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