I’ve been attending CSI for four years and never received good advice from an academic advisor.
By: Veronica Slazak
I made an appointment with an academic advisor before the last Spring semester. What I learned was that the advisors at CSI give no better advice than what I can gather from checking my DegreeWorks.
I, among other students at CSI, often walk away from a meeting with an academic advisor with more questions than answers. These advisors tell you which course requirements you still need to fulfill, remove the advisement hold on your account and send you on your way. What about graduate school, career plans and asking you what you hope to achieve with your degree?
When I readmitted myself to CSI, I emailed five different advisors to ask a simple question about the master’s program in education until I finally got an answer. Now that I am ready to apply, the same advisor has yet to respond to me, and I have so many questions.
The hours of operation for advisement make it difficult for students like me, who work during the day, to come in and ask these questions. Academic Advisement is available Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. Between work and my class schedule, I don’t have time to come in and sit down with an advisor during these times.
Instead of students struggling to accomplish their goals on their own, academic advisors should be available for students and help them to make future career plans. Many CSI graduates struggle with finding jobs in their respective fields after graduation. I would argue that part of the reason for this is a lack of planning a future path with an advisor.
I believe many CSI students would benefit from more access to advisors who can answer their questions and offer academic support. The best way to ensure the success for students is to set goals and follow up.
The student makes a good point. It is not the fault of the advisement office. CAAS covers students up to 60 credits. They are overburdened and under-resourced. Faculty advisement in majors after that is uneven. I know many advisors on campus, in CAAS, ASAP, SEEK. These people care and work very hard for students. Many of us on the faculty do so as well. The Administration should allocate more resources to decrease the ratio of advisors to students.
Best,
Michael Paris
Assoc. Prof., and Pre-Law Advisor for the College
Dept. of Political Science
Hello Veronica,
You make many good points. I also wanted to add how I feel like a student can never get one clear answer. Many staff at CSI tend to give different answers, which leaves the student feeling more confused than before.