The Role of the Academic Advisor

By Joanne Goldwater, Associate Dean for Retention & Student Success/

Seahawk Family Liaison

Academic Advisors are valuable members of your student’s support network at the College. By the time you read this, they should have already met with their advisor to discuss courses to take next semester (ask them what they discussed with their advisor). Encouraging your student to meet with their advisor is a good idea. Advisors can be advocates, provide guidance, help craft personal statements, share tips, and help your student be successful.

What is an academic advisor?

• An academic advisor is an on-campus resource who helps students plan their academic journey.
• They advise the student on LEAD curriculum, major/minor, and other graduation requirements, as well as courses they should take.
• They can provide information on internships, graduate schools, careers after college, and study abroad opportunities.
• They can write recommendations for graduate school and serve as job references.

What should students expect from an academic advisor?

• Help with identifying academic interests and career goals.
• Accurate information about degree requirements, college policies, and programs.
• Suggestions for courses to take. (However, students must bring a list of courses they want/need to take to their advising appointment, after reviewing the major/minor checklist).
• Advice on writing appeals (for example, to add or drop a course after the deadline, etc.).
• To be treated with respect and dignity.

How should students engage with their academic advisor?

• Students should come prepared with questions, a list of courses they want or need to take (along with a plan B and plan C in case the classes they want to take are no longer available), challenges they are facing, etc.
• Students are ultimately responsible for making sure they are meeting all of their academic requirements. So, they should keep track of this info on their major/minor checklist, and bring that checklist to their advising appointment with their advisor.
• Students should build a good relationship with their advisor and get to know their advisor by asking them questions, such as:
  • What brought you to SMCM?
  • How long have you worked here?
  • What do you like most about working with students?
  • What’s your area of expertise?
  • What study tips can you share with me?

How does my student change their academic advisor?

• There are different reasons why a student may need to change advisors:
  • The student changes their major.
  • Another advisor might be a better fit.
• The student may have been assigned to an advisor outside of their major due to capacity issues.
  Students should seek an advisor within their major ASAP. Students are responsible for asking a faculty member to serve as their advisor. If the faculty member agrees, the faculty member will contact the Registrar’s Office to make the change official. If the student has trouble finding an advisor within their major, they can contact the Registrar’s Office or the Office of Student Success Services for assistance.

Where can my student go to for more information about academic advising?

• Students can go to the Office of Student Success Services (OS3) for more information about academic advising.

Academic Advisors are part of the Seahawk Success Network (SSN). They want to work with their advisees (the students!). Parents and family members can help by encouraging your student to meet periodically with their advisor and come prepared for those meetings to make the best use of their time.