It’s that time of year again: the university released the schedule of classes for Spring 2014 and now it’s time for students to pick their classes and make that dreaded, required advising appointment.
However, there’s no need to fear that appointment anymore. If students keep these advising tips in mind, they can walk in feeling confident and prepared.
New students at California State University, Stanislaus might be thinking, “Wait a minute, what required advising appointment?”
At CSU Stanislaus, a student cannot register for classes until his or her advising hold is lifted from their MyCSUSTAN account.
For those who have declared a major, meeting with an assigned advisor from his or her major’s department will solve this problem.
Those who are currently undeclared, or looking for some general advising, can meet with an adviser in the Advising Resource Center (ARC) located in Mary Stuart Rogers Gateway Center (MSR 180).
Going to meet with an adviser can be intimidating, but it is important not to let fear get in the way.
Remember that this appointment isn’t a favor – it’s a requirement, so don’t be steamrolled by an apathetic adviser. The best way to prevent that from happening is to create the best scenario.
First things first: make an advising appointment as early as possible.
Major departments and the ARC will be swamped with students in need of advising come November.
“We are always in demand leading up to and during registration,” the ARC stated Oct.29.
“So students should plan ahead. The week of Oct. 21, we saw nearly four times as many students for walk-ins as the preceding week, so the traffic picks up very quickly.”
By making an appointment early, the adviser won’t be as stressed and will be less inclined to hurry through each appointment.
This way, students can take all the time they need for their appointment.
At the ARC, making an early advising appointment ensures faster service from their team of advisers.
Be prepared when going to the advising appointment. If students go in knowing what kinds of questions they want to ask and a general idea of the classes they want to take, they can more easily take control of the course of their meeting.
Plus, students will get more out of the time spent with their advisers when they’re not struggling to remember what they wanted to talk about.
This leads to the next tip: don’t be afraid to ask a million and one questions if need be – even if those questions are seemingly “stupid.”Advisers are there to help you and want to help you. It’s part of their job.
“There are no ‘dumb’ questions, and our advisors are experienced and ready to answer [them],” stated the ARC.
“We aim to provide you with accurate, timely, detailed information and want to see you succeed and earn your degree from CSU Stanislaus.
“We know that getting through college can be confusing at times, and we hope you will bring all of your questions to us so we can keep you moving the right direction.”
Alright, let’s skip ahead to the end of the appointment. All the possible questions under the sun have been asked and answered, but the student walks out more confused than ever or even dissatisfied with the information they were given.
In this case, the student should make another appointment or get a second opinion from another adviser. It’s always better to understand what to do next than to take someone else’s word for it.
Before any of this can happen though, students need to remember to be punctual to their appointments. Don’t be that student who makes his or her adviser wait.
Tardiness only hurts the student as it takes time away from the appointment – and possibly from the student who will be meeting with the adviser afterward.
Making an advising appointment might be the last thing on students’ mind right now with their registration appointment so far away, but it’s better to get it done and out of the way, the right way.
Then, students can register for classes on time without worrying about that pesky advising hold.
Just remember to take charge of the advising appointment, ask questions, make that appointment early and be on time. Students will be better off if they do.
The ARC offers walk-in advising hours Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – the office is at its busiest around lunchtime though, so schedule your time accordingly.
If students have any questions, the advising team encourages students to stop by their office located in MSR 180 or call 209-667-3304.