Tips for Successful Advising

(Abilene, TX)– The advising program at Hardin-Simmons is designed to guide all undergraduate students to achieve their academic and personal goals. Serving with equal enthusiasm, the Academic Advising Center is committed to providing information, resources, and assistance to meet the students’ success in their educational plan. With advising week down the line, here are a few tips and some advice from Steve Stogsdill, associate professor of communication and nominee for HSU’s Best Advisor 2017, to make your advising experience much better and more successful.

Make an appointment

The best way to start an advising session is with the student making an appointment with his or her advisor. Although it is not required, making an appointment will ensure that their advisors can meet them and fully commit to academic planning. An email is the best tool to communicate unless the advisor prefers another way. The visit can last around 30 minutes, but it depends on how much help the student needs.

“Students should learn to work with real people, real schedules, and the real world,” says Stogsdill.

Bring a degree plan

Each degree has a worksheet listing all the required courses that can be found on the Degree Worksheets page on the self-service webpage in HSU central. Students who print out and bring their degree plan are guaranteed a great visit because in that way the advisor can take a look at the student’s current situation. It is also an excellent opportunity to check that the student is heading the right way regarding classes hours, meeting certain requisites to graduate, etc.

“If you can come in with knowledge of what you have accomplished so far and what you still need to do, you take ownership of your degree plan,” says Stogsdill.

If not yet decided on a major, students may use the Foundational Curriculum Worksheet which outlines the core classes everyone must take.

Have the school’s schedule in mind

Knowing what classes are available next semester is helpful to strategically plan the incoming term.

“So many students walk in and say ‘tell me what to take,’ and that is not an advisor’s job,” says Stogsdill.

Many courses are only offered on a specific term or year, so keeping those in mind will secure students a successful advising appointment.

Make use of the Student Self Service webpage

Students can log in into HSU Central and click the student self-service window to see their progress, how many courses they still need to take, plan their next academic years, see the timeline for their current and future classes, and browse through offered courses.

“Take advantage of the student self-service page because it is a great tool,” says. “Use the timeline because you can plug courses in, especially if you know courses that are only offered on certain semesters or years that you have to have done on a certain date to graduate,” he says.

Bring up all questions or concerns

The goal of advising is to simplify students’ academic planning and encourage them to organize their educational plan carefully. Scholars may also use advising as a useful tool to drop or register classes, gain information on changing majors, get advice as a transfer student, get counseling in case of withdrawal, and to ask about any other academic policy or procedure.

“A friend of mine once heard a sermon about listening: it is about not just listening to the words, but getting a feel for a person’s heart, their interests, needs,” says Stogsdill. “My job now is telling stories but also helping other students being able to tell theirs, to fulfill their dreams. As an advisor, my job is to help students succeed, find what you are called to do, and what you are good at.”

For viewing more information regarding advising, click here.