What your students want you to know

September 28, 2023

Advising and scheduling can be overwhelming, especially for first year students. With four semesters of advising meetings and scheduling under our belts, we have reflected on our advising experiences–from our first semester to junior year–and would like to share what we have found to be most helpful.

You’ve got mail!
Before advising, it is helpful to receive an email about the process, dates and deadlines, and how to schedule an advising meeting.

This before that, that before this…
We have found it helpful to have department or major-specific requirements while perusing our class options. With multiple majors and minors in CAS, it is also important we know how to access information about other department requirements, prerequisites, courses, and any other relevant information too.
 
Check the roadmap
During the advising meeting, it is most productive when advisors are aware of the classes we have taken so far and the classes we still need. “One of the best ways to map our progress is a spreadsheet or table divided into eight semesters to show where the requirements will fit,” Julia says.
 
Choosing something we like
Steering through core curriculum requirements is initially challenging, and we found it helpful when we were shown how to navigate the filtering feature on self-service in order to choose the flag course that sounds the most appealing.
 
Waiting is the hardest part
Understanding how the waitlist works, especially that we have limited time to add a course once we receive an email notification, is so important. We are thankful to have been coached to have different options in mind in case we didn’t get off the waitlist. It’s also helpful to know what to do if we are not able to get into a vital class for our major.
 
Beyond the classroom
Sometimes the most welcome conversations in advising sessions are not about class schedules but about opportunities and life outside of the classroom.
 
“When I decided to change career paths, my advisor was very helpful when I wanted to discuss different internships and career opportunities that I could pursue with the skills that I have gained from my major,” Olivia says. “My advisor shared internship positions that other Xavier students have had in the past. She also helped me to find a study abroad program that would complete graduation requirements and put me in contact with the study abroad office staff for further assistance.”

CAS student employees Julia Hootman and Olivia Meintel