Academic advisors are here for just one reason—to help you navigate your way to success at UMBC.   There are umpteen ways your advisor can help you capitalize on opportunities and avoid costly missteps.  Here are nine very strong reasons to communicate with your advisor.  A good advisor can help you:

1.  Plan your courses

This is obvious!  Just be sure you make that registration-related appointment way before your “earliest registration time” when the advisors are not so frazzled. And make sure you show up with a tentative plan.

2.  Find an internship, research placement, study-travel opportunity, etc.

Advisors know about many opportunities and can point you toward places on campus to learn about other opportunities. And because your advisor knows YOU, they can steer you toward opportunities that are a “good fit” for your skills and goals.

3.  Decide whether to drop a course

If you are struggling in a course and fear that you may earn a lower grade than you had hoped for, a conversation about the situation with your advisor may help you decide whether to hang in and try to turn the course around or cut your losses and withdraw. 

4. Decide on a major (or a change of major)

Although few faculty members are intimately familiar with all 43 majors at UMBC, most have detailed knowledge and a lot of experience with 5-6 majors.  For example, if you are considering a switch from a B.S. in Environmental Science to a B.A. in Geography, your faculty advisor in the GES Dept. may be an excellent resource.  If you are looking more broadly across the spectrum of majors, go see an advisor in the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising for help narrowing your options.

5.  Learn about upcoming changes in curriculum, technology, new professors, etc.

If you stay in touch with your advisor, you will have early warning about things like a major curriculum change, or the new M.F.A. degree offered in Visual Arts, or the new option of a minor in Information Systems. You can also find out about the new professor just hired who is an expert in just what you want to know more about.

6.  Make sure your academic record is accurate and complete

A sharp-eyed advisor will notice that you never submitted those AP scores to get college credit, prompt you to submit a course description for a potential transfer course marked “MORE INFO NEEDED” (in red), and notice that your courses are not arranged in the optimal manner in your degree audit.  For example, you may have a blank under “Global Cultures” that you could fill with the Western Civ course that is being used for “Social Science.” Then another History course could be brought in to fill the hole.  A simple help ticket submitted to the Registrar’s office can get that switched out.

7. Keep you on a path to graduation

Advisors know exactly what you need to do to graduate—major, general education, and university requirements.  Their focus is helping you fill all the gaps and avoid unnecessary side trips.  For example, an advisor may know that you need to take course x  before course y and that course x is offered only in the fall semester.  This information can help you avoid delay in completing your degree.

8. Help you navigate the processes of a university

Need to apply to take excess credits?  To take a course at another institution?  A good advisor can help you accomplish these missions with a minimum of headaches.  They “know the drill” and can show you how to get started.  And what they do not know, they can usually find out quickly with a telephone call to the right campus expert.

9. Plan for graduate school, professional school, or direct entry into the work force after graduation

What if you do not have an advisor, or do not know who your advisor is?  

Click here to read the latest and greatest advising information from every department on campus. 

What do you do if your relationship with your advisor is not working well?

Here are some suggestions:

1.    Ask!  If you say very directly what you expect or need, often a busy faculty advisor will find time to provide it.  It may take more than one appointment. 

2.     Find supplemental advising from one of your instructors, from the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising, or elsewhere on campus.

3.     Ask your Department’s Advising Coordinator to place you with a different advisor.  This happens all the time and should not be a “big deal.”

FACT:

Students who work closely and effectively with academic advisors throughout college are better informed, move more quickly toward their degrees, and have a more satisfying university experience.

Enough said!

EXTRA CREDIT DISCUSSION QUESTION:

How has your advisor helped you?   Please share your stories in the comments section!