X
Home Advising About Academic Advising

Multi-faceted. On-going. Evolving. All to help you, find you. 

Most students do not enter college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Declaring a major is an on-going, evolving process where you evaluate your interests, strengths, goals, and work closely with an advisor to find your academic path. With the rising cost of education and the burden of student debt hovering, we are focused on helping you find your track as quickly as possible so you can graduate in four years.

The advising model we adhere to is tried and true* and incorporates the following tasks:

  • The exploration of life goals.
  • The exploration of vocational/career goals.
  • The choice of program/major.
  • The choice of courses.
  • The scheduling of courses.

*Source: Terry O'Banion Model

Noel and Levitz have contributed significantly to our understanding of developmental academic advising by operationalizing O'Banion's model for advisors. They have identified key knowledge and skill areas for advisors within each of O'Banion's sequential tasks. These areas are listed below along with the associated sequential task.

  • Exploring Life Goals
    • Know students' characteristics and development
    • Understand decision-making process
    • Know principles of psychology and sociology
    • Possess skill in counseling techniques
    • Appreciate individual differences
    • Believe in the worth and dignity of all people
    • Believe that all people have potential
  • Exploring Career Goals
    • Know vocational fields
    • Possess skill in test interpretation
    • Understand the changing nature of work in society
    • Accept all fields of work as worthy and dignified
  • Choosing Programs
    • Know programs available in the college
    • Know requirements of programs (special entrance requirements, fees, time commitments, etc.)
    • Know university requirements for transfer programs
    • Know how others have performed in the program
    • Know the success of program graduates
  • Selecting Courses
    • Know available courses
    • Know special information about courses (prerequisites, etc.)
    • Know rules and regulations of the college
    • Know honors and developmental courses
    • Know instructors and their teaching styles
    • Know course content
    • Know advisee's demonstrated abilities
  • Scheduling Courses
    • Know course schedule
    • Know all registration procedures
    • Know advisee's work and commuting schedule

Source: Noel, And Levitz, R. (1989). Managing retention through early intervention. Iowa: Noel Levitz Centers for Institutional Effectiveness and Innovation, Inc. p. 20.