General Studies

Academic advising plays an important role in the General Studies Program since each student’s educational background, goals, and needs are different. Initial meetings with your academic advisor will establish your goals and parameters for your educational experience, upon which each subsequent advising appointment will build on. Things that your advisor will establish in your initial advising appointment are:

• Full-Time/Part-Time status
• Course Modality (do you need in-person or online classes?)
• Major Focus Areas

Additionally, academic advising will also:

• Assist in developing and achieving realistic academics goals based on your interests, abilities, and needs.
• Interpret and explain University policies, procedures, and requirements (when possible)
• Refer to appropriate resources, including the Counseling Center, Disability Resource Center, the Career Resource Center, etc.
• Address your academic questions and concerns or point you in the right direction.
• Guide you in your selection of courses.

Role of the Student

We believe deeply that students should take responsibility in their educational experience. Those responsibilities include:

• Learning how to access, use, and check their university email often. This will be the primary method of communication from your advisor.
• Maintaining communication with your advisor throughout the semester as necessary.
• Coming to each advising appointment prepared to ask questions and discuss concerns. Please bring all related materials (paper or electronic) to advisement appointments, including, but not limited to, a list of potential courses, completed forms, etc.
• Knowing how to navigate the Progress Report so you can identify which requirements you have completed or still need to complete.
• Knowing important dates and deadlines (registration, drop/add, final exams, etc) as listed on the University’s Academic Calendar.
• Accepting responsibility for your decisions and actions (or inactions) which affect your educational progress and goals.
• Becoming familiar with campus resources, such as the Office of Academic Advising and the Center for Student Success.

Registration Clearance is an important part of the process for registering for your next semester courses. The General Studies advisor will reach out to schedule a meeting with you about 4-6 weeks in advance of the upcoming registration period. It is important that you meet with your advisor prior to the start of registration so that you may get cleared for your registration time slot. It is equally important to bring a list of potential classes that you want to take for the upcoming semester. There will not be enough time in the advising meeting to cover every potential course in the schedule of classes for the major, especially given the broadness of each focus area. Registration clearance will only be provided to students who have met with their advisor, have selected courses in consultation with their advisor, and have been approved to be registered. The General Studies advisor conducts in-person and virtual meetings to provide flexibility to those students for whom in-person meetings are not possible. General Studies advisors will not give permission clearance over email.