by Brendon James/reporter
Students having a difficult time with the route they should take with classes can visit academic advisors who can help students create goals.
NE student Eric James Borden goes to his academic advisor to decide which courses he needs to take.
“I’m a veteran who uses the GI Bill as my main source of income,” he said. “Since I’m in the paralegal program, I have very specific classes I need to take, but I also need to keep myself a full-time student since the GI Bill pays my rent.”
Borden visits his advisor each semester for help selecting classes.
“It is not overstating it to say I could not manage the schedule without the aid of my academic advisor,” he said.
An academic advisor’s main job is to assist students in planning an academic program that fits their abilities and interests and to help students develop realistic educational goals. They also refer students when academic, attitude, attendance or other personal problems require intervention by other professionals.
NW advisor Lindsey Turner said she helps students choose classes based on their career goals.
“If a student is struggling in classes and is planning to quit, I remind them of their goals and bring the students to their long-term state of goals,” she said.
TCC has resources to help students struggling with classes, said SE advisor Pam Baneau who also advises students to speak with their instructors.
“We do a thorough job in guiding these students,” she said. “Sometimes in the first semester, they don’t know what they need. We really are student advocates, and we try to teach students on how to advocate themselves.”
NE student Grace Langtree Price said she would recommend new students go to their advisors for financial aid purposes as well.
“That way, they can start off on the right track,” she said. “I’ve also spoken to an advisor myself and wouldn’t have been able to get as far as I have without her help. When my class was canceled, she helped me find a replacement at the last minute. They do incredible work there.”
All of the advisors want to see their students at least twice a semester but are open for more visits if a student needs or wants them.
Students need to see their counselor or advisor before deciding to drop classes, said South advisor Kamille Coleman. Dropping can affect financial aid status and may be unnecessary.
“College is going to be a challenge, but we offer a lot of resources to the students,” she said. “I had a student come visit me because she thought she was failing, but she was actually passing. I also want them to get the most out of the college experience. I remember I got a lot out of mine.”
Because students have other life priorities, advisors spend much of their time with students setting up goals for future payoff, TR advisor Rocky Eagon said.
“A lot of people may say that two, three or four years is a really long time,” he said. “Well, you are planning on staying alive for that long, right? So why not use those years constructively because regrets won’t go away. No matter your background, you control your destiny. We try to give them the empowerment and encouragement they need.”
NE advisor Carey Miller said advisors also hold various success seminars and assist students during the transfer process to a four-year university.
Advisors also host Transfer Days, which usually have around 30 to 50 universities, and some campuses will set up booths during the week before finals to provide snacks and water, such as NE Campus’ Stress Busters, Miller said.
If students are undecided about their careers, they can take an assessment test called MyPlan, a personality-type test that suggests fields of interest. Students discuss their results with their advisors after the test, Coleman said. Students must get a referral from their counselors to take the test.
“If students don’t like their results from the MyPlan, they can take the Myers-Briggs assessment test, which goes more in-depth than the MyPlan,” Miller said.
