2008 Woodie Awards
Entering the world of college can be a little confusing sometimes. There are people talking about priority registration, liberal arts, gen ed and DARS reports. But there is someone who can help navigate the world of academia.
That person is the academic adviser.
Pre-professional adviser Holly Hobaugh said an adviser is someone who can serve as an "accessible contact person for students."
An academic adviser on campus is a professor or instructor who can also help a student understand ISU's requirements for graduation and can help decide which classes a student should take and when the classes should be taken. An adviser can also be someone who can help a student problem-solve and adjust to the collegiate climate.
Adina Sizemore, a senior family and consumer science education major, said she has an adviser who is extremely helpful for her.
"I've been with my adviser since day one," she said. "She is helpful because she gives me an overview of some of the classes and what to expect [as far as a work load]. She has a Word document of all my classes on her computer and she prints it off and we go over it. Since I have my classes mapped out, our meetings are pretty short, but she still likes us to meet to make sure things are still going as planned."
Later on in the collegiate path, an adviser is also someone who can give information about graduate schools, internships and career choices.
"At some point, you are going to need letters of recommendation," Hobaugh said. "You need someone who knows you well enough to write a letter for you."
However, advisers, like everyone else, don't know the answers to everything. They do know where to find the answers though.
"I serve as a referral service," Hobaugh said. "If I don't know the answer to something, I know where to send the student to find the answer. That's my job."
Getting in touch with an adviser can sometimes be difficult.
"Students can get frustrated because faculty aren't in their offices 24/7," Hobaugh said. "They have lives. They have meetings and classes too."
That person is the academic adviser.
Pre-professional adviser Holly Hobaugh said an adviser is someone who can serve as an "accessible contact person for students."
An academic adviser on campus is a professor or instructor who can also help a student understand ISU's requirements for graduation and can help decide which classes a student should take and when the classes should be taken. An adviser can also be someone who can help a student problem-solve and adjust to the collegiate climate.
Adina Sizemore, a senior family and consumer science education major, said she has an adviser who is extremely helpful for her.
"I've been with my adviser since day one," she said. "She is helpful because she gives me an overview of some of the classes and what to expect [as far as a work load]. She has a Word document of all my classes on her computer and she prints it off and we go over it. Since I have my classes mapped out, our meetings are pretty short, but she still likes us to meet to make sure things are still going as planned."
Later on in the collegiate path, an adviser is also someone who can give information about graduate schools, internships and career choices.
"At some point, you are going to need letters of recommendation," Hobaugh said. "You need someone who knows you well enough to write a letter for you."
However, advisers, like everyone else, don't know the answers to everything. They do know where to find the answers though.
"I serve as a referral service," Hobaugh said. "If I don't know the answer to something, I know where to send the student to find the answer. That's my job."
Getting in touch with an adviser can sometimes be difficult.
"Students can get frustrated because faculty aren't in their offices 24/7," Hobaugh said. "They have lives. They have meetings and classes too."
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