Show The Academic and Career i Advisement i Center gives students a taste of everything By Stephen Walker Many students dread going to the advisement center They automatically think of long long lines confusing advice and frustration The advisement center is not as bad as the fabled myths that spin around c campus In fact it is far from it What those students dont don't realize is that the advisement and career center is the key that unlocks a tre treasure sure chest full of hoards of knowledge and advice The center offers students students' a taste of everything students possibly need to know about succeeding at If the advisers dont don't know the answer to your question you youcan youcan youcan can be sure that they will find the answer as soon as possible As a new semester approaches approach s there are so many things students need to be on top of Students have hectic lives and want one place that can give them all the answers Students want a one- one stop with all the answers They ask about financial aid student employment scholarships internships and children We need to know a little bit about everything We dont don't have the answers to all the questions and so we may have to reference the students to other sources says Director Sonia Parker Students can expect to follow a certain formula while receiving help in the advisement office 1 will ask you questions I will engage you in conversation I will confirm that what you have in mind is a very good idea and I will add information to what you have based on my experience and Continue Continued on H Helping e 1 p i n g students find their way continued from A Al 1 hopefully tell you that you are in the right major and the right career path Also just by talking to you I can give you ideas of where to look for jobs says Parker Dont Don't expect to be spoon fed by your adviser The critical thinking and research process is a vital skill every student should acquire If they students dont don't have an answer we will give them enough material to think about so they can go and research a solution says Parker hopefully they have initiative to go and look up more information and talk to other people We are just one r source r f i information u u. u uv out of many The advisement process is a team effort b both th the student and the adviser need to play an active part One thing we would love loveis is for students to come prepared with the questions you would like to ask Not just be prepared with the questions but be proactive When you get out of the advisement office look at atthe atthe atthe the catalog The student is responsible as much as the adviser The office has variety a diverse staff not just in ethnicity but in professional background says Parker There are advisers with background from linguistics to education and history to social work The center also has ethic advisers available in five different populations including Hi Hispanic panic Asian Native American Pacific 1 Islander and African American If the adviser does not have the answer to one of your questions she he will tap into the deep pool of knowledge from other staff advisers the internet or faculty We combine our knowledge and meet once a week and talk about things we can learn leam from each other Then we take that knowledge we acquired and share it with the students says Parker We can tell the students alert the students make the students aware of things I think that thatis is our service The process of making students aware of things Transferring credits can be a tricky animal to understand The advisement center has advisers that specifically trained to help students with transferring concerns One question students always ask is will my credits transfer It all depends on the institution All classes transfer r the class is not the problem The problem is whether they will count towards your major at that institution says Parker The advisement center helps students make that smooth and successful transition during the entering or exiting process We are like the bridge between the academic side of the house and the student services side of the house says Parker gluing the two together for forthe forthe forthe the students' students benefit We make sure there is a smooth transition not just from high school to college but from college to universities Students can also take a advantage vantage of all the extracurricular activities the advisement center hosts for students' students benefit We have the Career and Major Fair every year twice a year We give this opportunity for students to network Form a network with your professors your peers p How often should students visit the advisement center Milk it until all your questions run dry It can be one onetime onetime onetime time every week or once a month It all depends each student is different As many times as they want or need says Parker There is is' also ample opportunity for career planning and advice Getting a job is all about networking trust me you need to know someone says Parker Dont go through the program as asa asa asa a stranger Get to know people Economic recessions are hard on everyone Students are reported to be one of the hardest hit When times get tough the career and advisement center can help This is not the first time that we have gone through a hard economic time says Parker one thing that is always rewarding is volunteering You get the experience you get to know people you get to do good And that's something you will value for life You learn communication skills Its It's a blast-blast blast situation You cannot lose loseby loseby loseby by volunteering Financially however not all students can afford spend great amounts of time volunteering They need options where they can gain skills and earn some income at the same time tune Another thing is getting an internship Call someone Tell them I I am available for a couple of hours each day Get to know people says Parker When struggling to tomake tomake tomake make ends meet think of creative solutions to solve the problem When things are not turning out the way that you want consider it an opportunity to think outside the box Its It's the best opportunity to grow when everything is harder and when you have to think critically says Parker 1 If the advisement lines are dreadfully long take t advantage of setting up j appointments or look j for Staff-Learn Staff Give 1 members Look for the person with the bright i green T There will never be enough advisers says Parker we have trained a staff at large and I invited staff members from other departments They learn leam how to help students with frequently asked questions t Making the advisers your Y friends could help make you college experience more i enjoyable and successful Reach your educational goals as fast as you can We are your support says Parker Visit the academic for open hours and additional information at http wv index asp |