Preparing for Your First Advising Meeting
Gathering your information
In order to have the best possible advising experience, you need to be fully prepared and engaged. You should create a tentative course schedule to discuss with your advisor before every advising meeting. To create this schedule, you’ll need to become familiar with these resources:
Be sure to bring a copy of your tentative schedule and your degree audit with you to your advising appointment.
Engaging in the advising experience
Academic advising is a chance for you to make a connection with someone in your department, and to have your questions answered. Every student has questions, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what which ones to ask. It’s always a good idea to bring a list of questions with you to an advising meeting. Here some examples to get you thinking:
- How many credits per semester are recommended within my degree?
- What are Core Requirements and how do they apply to my degree?
- If I am undecided about my major interest area, how can I plan my course selections to explore my opportunities?
- What can I do if I am wait-listed for a course that I absolutely need for that semester?
- Are there any predictor courses or course grade requirements that I should know about in my degree requirements?
- Are there any courses in my curriculum that are only offered every other semester and/or year, and how can I best plan my curriculum to account for these courses?
- Which courses must be taken in a particular sequence, and which courses can be taken any semester?
- How often should I schedule advising appointments? Who should I call to schedule? What are your office hours?
- Where can I get help if I experience difficulty in any of my classes?
- Are there any Department, College, or other clubs/organizations that you would recommend I consider joining?
- How can I best begin exploring the internship, research, and summer employment opportunities related to my field?
- What resources are available within the Department, College, or UI that can help me explore my career opportunities?
- Can my degree program accommodate an academic minor, and if so, what areas might I consider?
Deciphering the online class schedule can be a challenge. Use your mouse to roll over the red highlighted areas below to view explanations about various sections. View the Online Class Schedule Glossary for more details.