Confusing systems and limited support make course planning harder than it should be.
By: Justina Muniz
When I logged into my account to register for courses, I was disappointed to find a hold preventing me from registering. The reason was a missed advisement session which I did not know was required. By the time the hold was lifted, the most important course I needed was full.
This is not a rare scenario. At CSI, advisement can feel more like an obstacle course rather than a support network. Appointment slots get filled extremely fast, and students are made to wait weeks for a chance to speak with someone. In the meantime, degree requirements remain unclear, and mistakes hold up graduation even longer.
The pressure builds during registration, when the stress of enrolling in classes is highest. Without advising beforehand, it’s easy to enroll in courses that won’t eventually count towards a degree.
This results in wasted time and money, not to mention the frustration of having to constantly change plans.
For freshman or new transfer students especially, it’s even harder to navigate through college. Instead of feeling guided through it all, many students end up relying on classmates or their own guesses to stay on track, which results in mistakes.
Sometimes, it seems like it is impossible to simply get in touch with our advisors. Students often send multiple emails before getting a response and the lack of timely communication makes it difficult to figure out if us students are on the right track.
These problems don’t only affect students one by one, they characterize the overall CSI experience. Advisement, which is meant to push students forward, too often appears to slow them down.
A clear solution would be to invest in digital platforms that automatically show our degree progress, letting us see our missing requirements before registration and giving us time to plan accordingly. Adding staff availability, even with experienced graduate assistants, could also help.
