Once you have chosen a college, then comes the issue of figuring out what major you wish to pursue. While you may not know what you want to do at first, there are advisors that steer you in the right direction. There are even some universities that for the first two years (if you go to a four year), that they have you finish your pre-requisites first before declaring a major or a minor. However, finding an academic advisor or being assigned one that you have never met can be a daunting task. Here are some helpful tips and tricks that I have seen, experienced, and know from going through various college websites.
Your advisor will have a course list for your major and minor. You will most likely get your 100 level courses done quickly. The scheduling of these courses are based on if you are a night person, morning person, afternoon person. The scheduling also depends on how frequently you want to take your courses. MW/TTH courses are longer than M, W, F courses. They may meet less frequently, but you are in lectures/labs longer. Scheduling is also based on the availability of the professors/instructors teaching the course. During undergrad, I had to reschedule courses a few times due to instructor availability.
Schedules are also made based upon your ability. For example, if you are working part-time or full-time and attend classes, your classes could be scheduled around your work time. One thing I loved about my online courses, is that I had one course at a time. They worked around my work hours. Some people because of their work schedules can only do one class at a time (that's ok!). Advisors may not like that learners take one or two classes at a time. This is based on the schools financial obligations (after all they are there to make money!). Your schedule should be based around your financial needs and what you can afford with or without aid. However, if you are getting Financial Aid or have a Scholarship, taking one course at a time can affect your eligibility and your housing situation if you live on campus.
Advisors are there for support if you are struggling. However, they can not go to your professor to change your grade if you are failing a course. If you fail a course (more on this in a future blog entry), they may reschedule you for a different instructor. They can also drop you from classes or add you at the start of the semester. Talk to your advisor regularly as you progress through your course of study, they are there to help!
Support could look like fixing your schedule for the next semester for a different time slot, listening to your concerns on reaching degree milestones, and developing your financial goals. If you decide to change your major you may receive a different advisor and that's ok. Even if you don't like your advisor you can change to another.
Overall, an advisor is there to advise students on what academic path to take. The decision for courses and course loads is solely at the learners discretion.
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