With the new school year around the corner, many UH students will start the semester off with an advising appointment in order to resolve any issues or concerns with their academic plan.
Setting up an advising appointment is the first step in meeting with your adviser and at UH, students have criticized the difficulties in meeting up with their adviser.
“During the enrollment month, it gets hard meeting up with my adviser,” said pre-pharmacy sophomore Nemesis Robles. “Time slots are limited and fill up fast.”
Vice Provost Teri Elkins Longacre, the dean for undergraduate student success, says that developing relationships with advisers is beneficial.
“Advisers work really hard to develop a relationship with each individual student so that they can create an individual success plan that goes well beyond simply selecting courses,” Longacre said.
Students criticize the ease of access to advisers because they have a strong desire to see them.
“I go at least one time per semester, because I need to make sure I’m on the right track for my degree,” said psychology senior Areli Tamayo. “The advisers I have spoken to have been great and have gone out of their way to help me with any problems I have.”
At UH, some students tend to not visit with their adviser regularly, because they prefer to choose classes on their own or ask upperclassmen or friends for advice.
“Asking your peers can give you a more realistic and insightful look in your questions,” said biology senior Jose Magana. “They’ve most likely been in your shoes and can give you (helpful) advice.”
Advisers are more helpful at critical times, such as choosing a degree plan or completing a graduation check – a requirement only advisers can assist with, according to Longacre.
“To get (students) set on the right course when experiencing challenges impacting academic performance or progress and (they need to meet with advisers) to ensure that they are on track for timely graduation,” Longacre said.
