Do you Have an Advisor Meeting Reminder Notification?
An number of majors are taking part in a pilot program to help students get more out of their advising experience. “Pilot program” is a term that researchers use to refer to an experiment with a small sample size that is designed to test whether a new process or idea is practical. We want to improve the advising process at WSU, and this pilot program is a first step towards improving your advising experience.
You have been selected to take part because you are in a participating degree program and have completed at least 30 credits at WSU, but have fewer than 89 total completed credits; you haven’t recently changed your major; you are making satisfactory academic progress; and you are in good academic standing. The majors taking part in this program include:
- CCGRS (all programs)
- Chemistry
- Murrow College of Communications (all majors)
- General Studies (students with Anna Chow as their advisor)
- Neuroscience
- Carson College of Business (all majors)
- School of Molecular Biosciences (all majors)
- Sports Management
Therefore, you may have friends in other majors who are also part of the pilot program, as well as friends within your own major who are not.
As part of this pilot program, you will be assigned alternate advising requirements for as long as you meet the criteria listed above. This means that you will not be required to meet with your primary advisor to have your Undergraduate Advising Hold removed prior to registering for the spring semester. You will still need to work with other offices on campus to remove any other holds and wait until your designated time (as displayed in your myWSU student center) before you can register, as usual.
Most importantly, your advisor is NOT going away or changing. We are still here for you and want you to succeed. We strongly recommend that you meet with your advisor at least once each semester. Meeting with your advisor is important for so much more than having your course choices approved: advisors help with planning, networking, learning more about careers and internships, etc. This is what we want our adding meetings to focus on.
Remember that your success at WSU is ultimately your own responsibility (Academic rule #108), and your advisor is here to help you along the way. We hope you take advantage of this opportunity to explore the breadth of support your advisor can provide beyond scheduling assistance.
Below you will find answers to some of the essential questions we think you might have as a part of this program. Please take time to read through these questions and answers carefully!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How does this work?
At the beginning of Fall 2017, all students in the pilot program will see a service indicator in the “Holds” box at the top, right corner of their myWSU student center that says “Advising Meeting Reminder.” This is NOT a registration hold, but simply a reminder that you should see your advisor sometime during the semester.
Will I have an advising hold?
You will not have an undergraduate advising hold placed in any semester when you have an “Advising Meeting Reminder.” You may have other holds (Writing Portfolio, Housing, etc.) that will need to be removed by the appropriate office before you can register. Check your myWSU student center.
When should I meet with my advisor?
You can meet with your advisor at any point in the semester, and the advisor will remove your reminder. The reminder will be replaced at the beginning of Spring 2018, unless you no longer qualify for this program (for example, if you have completed 90 credits or if you are placed on academic probation).
How do I make an appointment to see my advisor?
We have a new online scheduling system. You can schedule an appointment with me by going to logging into ssccampus.wsu.edu with your network id and password and click on the “Get Advising” button. Choose Campus and Appointment Reason. Then choose Advisor Location and Advisor from the dropdown menus. Then Select your time. Then Confirm the appointment. More detailed instructions are in the “How Do I get an Advising appointment document in my Advising Blackboard site.
What can I use to help me choose classes?
- Your advisor. You can discuss classes for next term anytime that you meet with your advisor.
- A long-term plan. If you have not already done so, meet with your advisor earlier in the semester to develop a plan of coursework that will help you meet all of your requirements and graduate as soon as possible.
- Online Resources. WSU has a number of tools at your disposal.
What are these online resources?
- Your “Academic Requirements” and the “What if? Report” in myWSU
- The “Suggested Schedule” for your program in the WSU Catalog
- Your advisor’s Blackboard space will have more information about your requirements
What if I have a second major or minor?
You have been chosen to participate in this program because of your primary major. In previous semesters, it was your primary advisor who lifted your hold and meeting with a second major/minor advisor was voluntary. You can still meet with your second major/minor advisor whenever you wish. You will not have a registration hold placed based on your second major/minor.
What if I still want to see my advisor about registration?
You can absolutely meet with your advisor at registration time if you want to, but you are not required to do so in this program. Remember that many students are still required to meet with your advisor for registration, so it may be difficult to schedule an appointment during registration time. Please try to schedule your appointment as early as possible.
What happens if I don’t meet with my advisor during spring semester?
Nothing happens. We hope that you will take time to meet with your advisor, however, and take advantage of your advisor as a resource for many aspects of your academic career.
What about spring semester?
- If you are still eligible to be a member of the cohort, you will see another “Advising Meeting Reminder” in your student center and you will not be required to meet with your advisor before registering.
- If you are no longer eligible for the program, you will not have the “Advising Meeting Reminder” notification, and will have an advising hold placed near the middle of the semester as in the past.
What if I don’t want to participate in the pilot program?
The only difference for students in the pilot program versus other students is that students in the pilot program aren’t required to come in to see their advisor during registration time. You can still meet with your advisor at that time as a member of the pilot program if you like. If you choose to opt out of the pilot program, you would have an advising hold placed and would be unable to register until you meet with your advisor during registration time. Thus, if you to remain in the program you will have one less thing to worry about before registration. If you are still unsure, please talk with your advisor.
I have other questions, what should I do?
As always, if you have questions about academics or advising, get in touch with your advisor. All of the advisors who are participating in this program are working to make it easy for you schedule your own classes and meet with us outside of registration time. We hope that these alternate advising requirements make your year a little bit better.