When I first started at MSU, I thought advising meant someone would tell me what classes to take and I'd just follow along. But the catalog says something different: "Advising at Georgia College is a shared responsibility between students and advisors" . Wait, that's Georgia College, but I found the same idea at MSU — the UAAC staff gives advice, but "ultimate responsibility for taking the UAAC staff's advice rests with the student" .
At first this frustrated me. Like, what's the point of advisors if I'm still responsible for everything? But now I'm starting to get it.
The advisor at the University Academic Advising Center didn't just tell me what to take. She asked me questions: What do I enjoy? What am I good at? What keeps me up at night? She helped me explore "majors of interest" and recommended courses that would work for multiple paths . She also urged me to utilize services offered by the "Career Center, the Counseling Center, the Learning Center, Center for Student Success, Student Support Services and other support programs" .
I realized that if she just told me what to do, I'd never learn how to make these decisions myself. And I'd never explore all the resources available.
The Center for Academic Excellence's strategic goals include "support student academic planning and progress through high-quality academic advising and timely feedback" and "develop programs and actions that are informed by analyses of relevant data" . They're constantly improving based on what actually works.
Now I see it differently. Advisors are guides, not GPS. They show the path, but I have to walk it. And if I wander off, they're there to help me find my way back — but they won't carry me.
For other freshmen: how are you approaching advising? Are you treating it as a shared responsibility or just waiting to be told what to do?
At first this frustrated me. Like, what's the point of advisors if I'm still responsible for everything? But now I'm starting to get it.
The advisor at the University Academic Advising Center didn't just tell me what to take. She asked me questions: What do I enjoy? What am I good at? What keeps me up at night? She helped me explore "majors of interest" and recommended courses that would work for multiple paths . She also urged me to utilize services offered by the "Career Center, the Counseling Center, the Learning Center, Center for Student Success, Student Support Services and other support programs" .
I realized that if she just told me what to do, I'd never learn how to make these decisions myself. And I'd never explore all the resources available.
The Center for Academic Excellence's strategic goals include "support student academic planning and progress through high-quality academic advising and timely feedback" and "develop programs and actions that are informed by analyses of relevant data" . They're constantly improving based on what actually works.
Now I see it differently. Advisors are guides, not GPS. They show the path, but I have to walk it. And if I wander off, they're there to help me find my way back — but they won't carry me.
For other freshmen: how are you approaching advising? Are you treating it as a shared responsibility or just waiting to be told what to do?
