Advising Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Academic Advisor »

Responsibilities of the Student

Academic advising is a partnership. Understanding your role and responsibilities as an advisee is essential to developing a productive relationship with your advisor.

  • Be Proactive! Contact your advisor to schedule meetings. Don’t forget to schedule an advising meeting prior to registration week–check the academic calendar for the advising week dates!!
  • Be Prepared! Come to your advising meetings ready to communicate your interests and goals. Review the requirements for graduation, including general education requirements. When you declare a major or minor, learn the requirements for that major or minor. If an upcoming meeting will include semester planning, construct a tentative course plan and bring it to the meeting.
  • Be Receptive! While advisors are expected to understand graduation requirements and be knowledgeable about academic policies, no single advisor can be expected to provide all of the information students will need during their years at PC. It is likely that at some point your advisor will refer you to another resource or office on campus. Be sure to note these recommendations and share with your advisor the steps you took and the guidance you received.
  • Be Engaged! Take time to think about the goals you would like to accomplish this year and beyond. Be an advocate for your own education by actively seeking information needed for your academic success and appropriately using academic and other campus resources. Use DegreeWorks to chart your own progress toward your degree.
  • Be Connected! Share your goals, thoughts, questions, and concerns with your advisor. Your advisor and administrative offices send important information to students’ PC email addresses, so check your PC email regularly. Update your advisor if there are changes in your academic progress, schedule, or goals. Using DegreeWorks, review your progress toward your degree with your advisor.

*Modified from the original source: www.bu.edu/history/advising

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Responsibilities of the Academic Advisor

An advisor is central to the academic success of each student. While no single advisor can be expected to provide all of the information a student will need during their years at PC, academic advisors have the following responsibilities:

  • Orientation to PC: Advisors help students become familiar with the academic rigor and social experiences of the college. Advisors will find themselves discussing the mission of higher education and PC, the purpose of academic requirements, the expected standards of achievement, the amount of work to reach those standards, and how and why things happen as they do here.
  • Dissemination of Information: Advisors provide advice and consultation about registering for classes, educational opportunities, support services, and programs, co-curricular programs, degree requirements, academic policies and procedures, and other administrative information.
  • Academic Guidance and Success: This involves advisors developing a supportive, mentoring relationship with advisees. Advisors help students understand the avenues to success, recognize their individual needs and concerns as these relate to academic progress, and monitor their progress to degree and GPA requirements.
  • Short-Term Educational Planning: Advisors assist students with semester planning, selection of specific courses, registration, and schedule adjustments.
  • Long-Term Educational Planning: Advisors provide advice and consultation about career and professional objectives and the relationship between courses, majors, and occupations.
  • Student Referrals: When needed, advisors refer students to campus resources for additional assistance with academic support, career planning, wellness, financial aid, roommate concerns, social challenges and/or personal problems.
  • Confidentiality: Advisors should maintain confidentiality by adhering to FERPA regulations. FERPA guidance is available on the faculty resources page of the PC website.
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