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UGA students say advising process inefficient (w/PDF of student comments)
CAROLYN CRIST
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: News
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The National Survey on Student Engagement asked nearly 1,000
freshmen and 1,000 seniors about different aspects of the University. Of the 280 write-in student comments, 30 responded negatively about advising.
The comments were from majors across campus, and some attacked specific advisers, the approval process or setbacks due to poor advising.
"The advisement in the dorms are terrible and the adviser has no idea how to help accordingly. She does not know what classes are useful, etc.," one student wrote.
"Many people have had inept and clueless advisers who give bad advise or don't know what they are talking about. This misinformation had caused lots of my friends to not graduate on time," another wrote.
A third student put it simply:
"Advising is broken."
The NSSE steering committee, a group of 14 faculty and administrators, decided to address advising because of the high number of comments.
Ann Crowther, associate vice president for instruction who has administrative oversight of undergraduate academic advising, spoke with the Academic Advising Coordinating Council during its November meeting.
"The Council had a good discussion about a variety of advising-related issues, including improving student understanding of what academic advising is and is not, informing students about resources for the many areas that constitute student academic services and suggesting possible changes to the Orientation schedule and program," according to meeting minutes.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 20
Alumna 06
posted 12/03/08 @ 8:27 AM EST
I was an engineering major, and I had an awesome advisor. He was very accessible and cared about me as a student. One could actually talk with any engineering professor about career issues, recommended classes, grad school, etc. (Continued…)
Jay
posted 12/03/08 @ 9:57 AM EST
Some ignorant frosh wrote: "First-Year teachers don't teach for students to learn, they teach so that it is easiest for themselves. with some teachers, it's impossible to learn because they test on material that they don't explain and think is common knowledge"
Huh? Is English a second (or perhaps fourth) language for you? I realize that you're not text messaged every time something important happens in the world, but get this straight, sweetheart: college is about becoming intelligent. (Continued…)
Brent
posted 12/03/08 @ 10:56 AM EST
Wow. Less than a third of a percent of the respondents commented negatively on advising, clearly meriting the headline "UGA students say advising process inefficient. (Continued…)
Evan
posted 12/03/08 @ 11:46 AM EST
I love this one from a senior:
ban fraternities and sororities. close bars in town. make learning a foreign language mandatory or study abroad compulsive. (Continued…)
Jack
posted 12/03/08 @ 12:15 PM EST
"including improving student understanding of what academic advising is and is not"
Wow, so the first suggestion for improving advising is to lower students expectations of what advising is. (Continued…)
Mary
posted 12/03/08 @ 12:25 PM EST
30 students complain about advising on a survey of a few thousand? That's nothing. I'm willing to bet that the problem was with the 30 students, not with their advisors. (Continued…)
Michael
posted 12/03/08 @ 12:40 PM EST
Advisers are in it to do they're job for their pay check and nothing more. Now I am not saying that advisers are horrible people; just that the majority need to have their priorities rechecked and straightened. (Continued…)
Meli
posted 12/03/08 @ 1:25 PM EST
So, what is it with the Red and Black and advising? Thirty out of 280 respondents commented negatively about advising...how exactly does that constitute all "advising being broken" or "inefficient"? I had great advising throughout my time at UGA and wouldn't have made it through without my Advisors' assistance. (Continued…)
Nikita
posted 12/03/08 @ 2:00 PM EST
I actually think advising needs to be scaled down. I am now a grad student, married to an undergrad who transferred in with an undegraduate degree and a tech degree -- between us, we've been at UGA for about 12 years. (Continued…)
Heide
posted 12/03/08 @ 2:18 PM EST
I am a grad student and had only good advisors. They have been very helpful and always had time for questions. I wouldn't be surprised if those complaining are the same ones who miss their mommy cleaning up their messes after them (like my roommate). (Continued…)
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