Welcome to Adviser Orientation

1. Welcome to Adviser Orientation “…good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a college experience.” (Light, 2001)

2. Agenda for Today Introductions & Sign In Advising During Orientation Week Break (15 minutes) Introductions & Sign In for later arrivals Welcome from Dean Feldman Goals for Pre-Major Advising What’s New This Year? Study Abroad: What Advisers Need to Know Lunch and E-File Training Wrap-Up

3. Pre-Major Advising in Arts, Sciences and Engineering Over 120 pre-major advisers All new freshmen and all new freshman and sophomore transfers assigned a pre-major adviser Most freshmen assigned to adviser on the basis of where they live on campus Engineering freshmen/transfers have engineering faculty advisers

4. Our advisers have a powerful impact on their students… “Friendly, laid back, and understanding, could direct me to the right people if he couldn’t help” “..Most of all I loved her genuine interest” “The warm and cozy conversations give me the feeling of being cared for” “He liked what I found and acknowledged how I always came prepared”

5. What students say about UR advisers… “…[he] doesn’t force you to choose certain courses, allows you to make your own decisions…” “He…will tell you the truth with no fluff” “She…genuinely cared about how you liked the school and classes you were taking as well as the activities you were doing.” “He’s honest about things he doesn’t know and directs you toward the right place to get your answer”

6. 12 Tips for Pre-Major Advisers Get personal (get to know your advisees as individuals) Practice active listening (encourage students to clarify their decisions) Treat advising as an ongoing conversation Avoid temptation to make decisions for your advisees Challenge students’ misconceptions Make students active partners in advising

7. 12 Tips for Pre-Major Advisers Remember, advising is a process, not a product (students may require help understanding this) Challenge and support your advisees Make meaning out of the curriculum Follow up with students around critical times Help facilitate the development of a coherent and realistic educational plan Know what you do and don’t know (refer students when needed; remember….advising is a “tag team” activity)

8. Orientation Week Schedule for First-Year & Transfer Advisers Thursday, August 26: Group advising meeting with advisees Attend Convocation with advisees on Eastman Quad from 11am-Noon Lunch with advisees (box lunches provided) following Convocation Individual advising meetings on Thursday and Friday in preparation for beginning of registration on Saturday, August 28

9. Preparation for your group advising meeting on Thursday, August 26 New and learning advisers: Review Freshman Academic Handbook Review advisees’ records in e-file Send advisees a welcome email Beginning Friday, August 20, come to Lattimore 312 for your advising materials Review Course Planning, Placement and Recommendation (CPPR) form for each student Set aside time for individual advising appointments

10. Preparation for your group advising meeting on Thursday, August 26 Your advisees should appear in Adviser Access soon, if they are not already Students in the Class of 2013 and 2014 will have advisor holds. They are unable to register or drop/add courses until you log into Access and lift the hold **Tip** New Advisers can request an email distribution list for their advisees

11. Group Meeting Agenda Welcome and general introductions Introduce yourself and talk a little about your interests, your role on campus, and what the goals of academic advising are, both this week and in the future Have students introduce themselves Explain to students the best way to reach you this week and once the semester begins Review Academic Honesty Policy and distribute 2 copies to each student--one copy should be returned to you

12. Group Meeting Agenda Emphasize importance of attending various Q&A Sessions and the Academic Open House during Orientation Distribute one copy of CPPR form to each student. These forms provide placement information based on students’ AP scores and other test scores as available to CCAS If student registered in advance for selected courses (BIO, CHM, MTH, WRT 105) you will have registration print out

13. Group Meeting Agenda Students who pre-registered can begin making changes to their schedules once Saturday registration begins Students who did not pre-register for any courses should be encouraged to review the instructions for online registration BEFORE Saturday at the Registrar’s website. Encourage students to bring with them to their individual meetings a list of 5-7 potential courses (remind them to check for pre-requisites and time conflicts and to use their FAHs)

14. Group Meeting Agenda Explain to students that they will have an “advisor hold” on their accounts that you will lift prior to Saturday Review schedule for Saturday registration with students: DOB 1/1- 4/30 & Transfers begin at 9am; DOB 5/1 - 8/31 begin at 10:30am and DOB 9/1 - 12/31 begin at 12pm Once registration opens, students may add and drop until September 7when advisor holds are reset

15. In/Out of Engineering Students in A&S are not “matched” with an adviser by major, students who have indicated an interest in HSEAS are Students who wish to go “into or out of” Engineering should stay in your group meeting, and attend lunch and Convocation with you From 1:15 - 2:15 we will have an “In and Out of Engineering” session. Students who have changed their academic goals will be accommodated with a new adviser assignment

16. Individual Meetings with your advisees during Orientation Week Most pre-major advisers will meet with students in their offices with a computer handy. Remember, first-semester students may register for as many as four full-credit courses and 3 additional credits, so they may take applied music lessons, dance, etc. Although students may end up registering for more than 19 credits overall, they are limited to registering for 19 credits on-line)

17. General policy regarding “overloads” Encourage freshmen to register for reasonable plan in their first semester. In their future semesters, they may register for as many credits as they wish if they earned a 3.0 or better the previous semester and have no missing or incomplete grades. Policies for transfer students are not as “strict” though it is best to encourage transfers to register for four courses in their first semester at UR unless their previous college record is very strong

18. Individual Meeting Agenda Check with students to be sure they have looked for time conflicts, and are familiar with course pre-requisites, if applicable Talk about the plan in the context of the information on the CPPR Form. Does student expect to receive transfer credit for college courses they have already completed? Is there any pending AP or IB credit? Is there a good balance among disciplines and departments?

19. Pre-Med students You may have a strong student who wants to take BIO, CHM and MTH and another course. That is OK. There are other pre-med paths (see your binder) Students who are less sure of their abilities (or advisers who have possible concerns about preparation) should encourage students to take two science courses in their first semester. It is far better for students to start conservatively and build on that plan than to do poorly in their first semester and try to make this work up in later semesters.

20. Other Helpful Information Students wanting a closed studio arts course can add their names to course waitlist maintained by Art and Art History (Morey 424 or x59249). Use the online course schedule for the most up-to-date information on class times and availability The course schedule is updated over night and will not be “up to the minute” in terms of class enrollments Encourage students to choose courses from various disciplines during their first semester - exploration is fine! Discourage students from worrying too much about clusters right now

21. Other Helpful Information Some of your advisees will be interested in taking music lessons at Eastman. They should sign up for an audition time in the Music Dept. or at the Music Table at the Academic Open House. Auditions are held during the first week of the semester. Encourage students who are uncertain about their placement in math to visit the Math table at the Academic Open House (Math will be adding an additional advising session Thursday afternoon from 1-4pm)

22. WRT 105/105E Overview The one “requirement” for all students is the primary writing requirement. Typically it is satisfied by passing WRT 105/WRT 105E with a grade of “C” or better Most students will complete the requirement by taking WRT 105 in the fall or spring semester The CWP no longer makes placement recommendations using SAT or ACT scores All students were invited to take an online placement exam over the summer No student may “waive” the primary writing requirement

23. WRT 105 Information Many students have already pre-registered for WRT 105. There may be a few places left in fall sections, but most students should now plan to take it in the spring. (Students can be encouraged to check the online schedule for openings during the first week). Waitlists (maintained in the Writing Program office & available at the Open House) go into effect on the first day of class Students should not contact instructors directly to add a class

24. Advising Goals for Orientation Week Get to know your advisees, their goals and interests Meet with your advisees to help guide them in the development of a fall semester course schedule and begin longer term discussions Encourage your advisees to take advantage of the many resources and Q&A sessions available during Orientation Goal is successful registration on Saturday, August 28

25. Advising Tips for Orientation Week Encourage students to have alternate course plans prepared for Saturday’s registration Have a discussion….What will students do if courses they are interested in are full? Let students know how and when you will be available during the Orientation week Use other campus resources to support your advising (CCAS, Dean of Freshmen and Dean of Sophomores, your advising circle)

26. In addition to planning for the fall semester…. This first semester is a good time to explore and encourage students to learn more about…. Study abroad Academic and possible career interests Co-curricular opportunities (volunteering, clubs and organizations, leadership experiences) **Tip** - Encourage students to attend the Sept. 3rd Activities Fair Other special opportunities such as Take Five Scholars, KEY, undergraduate research

27. Welcome Back and Introductions “The quality of academic advising is the single most powerful predictor of satisfaction with the campus environment for students at four-year schools.” (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2005)

28. Academic Profile of Class of 2014 Approximately 1200 students Top 10% of High School Class 69% Top 25% of High School Class 93% "Best" Score, mid-50% 1870-2100 SAT Critical Reading, mid-50% 590-690 SAT Math, mid-50% 630-730 SAT Writing, mid-50% 590-690 ACT Composite, mid-50% 28-32

29. Demographic Profile of Class of 2014 Male / Female Ratio 52 / 48 In-State / Out-of-State Ratio 41 / 59 States Represented 46 Countries Represented 54 Early Decision Enrollees 264 URM 11% International 21%

30. Academic Interests of Class of 2014 Engineering 18% Humanities 6% Natural/physical sciences 15% Natural/biological sciences 28% Social Sciences 25% Undecided8%

31. What’s new this year? Multidisciplinary Studies Center: home to Public Health major, business minor, most of the certificates currently administered through CCAS and the major in Archeology, Technology and Historical Structures More announcements about the MSC location to follow

32. Pre-Major Adviser Support/Resources 6 Adviser Development Workshops (topics TBA) Advising Circles connect pre-major advisers with CCAS professional advisers Freshman Fellow Contact List for res hall programs Funding for adviser-advisee programs, meals with advisees, adviser compensation Pre-Major Advising Website Regular Emails from Class Deans

33. Beginning of the academic year Check to see that your advisees are registered for four full-credit courses on first day of class Check in with your advisees to see how classes are going Encourage students who aren’t sure about their schedules to attend additional classes Online adding and dropping continues until September 7. Beginning second week of class, paper drop/ add forms are used until Sept. 29 (end of 4th week of semester).

34. Advising Sophomores Clarification of goals and interests leading to the formal declaration of the major by the end of the sophomore year

35. Effective advising for sophomores Reviewing how things went last year Clarifying plans for the immediate future Mapping out longer-range plans Virginia Gordon, Academic Advising: Helping Sophomores Succeed

36. The reviewing step Has WRT 105 been completed successfully? Does the student have the requisite grades for the program(s) being considered? Has the student developed and shown success on a particular path? What does the student say about his/her study skills?

37. Clarifying immediate future Are this fall’s courses a good match for student’s interests? Does the student have back-up courses in mind? Is the student beginning to converge on a major? Has the student started to develop a mentoring relationship with a faculty member?

38. A note about mentoring Interactions with faculty significant predictor of sophomores’ academic performance Graunke and Woosley, An Exploration of the Factors that Affect the Academic Performance of Sophomores

39. Mapping out longer-range plans Choosing a major Selecting clusters, minors, certificates, etc. Developing an 8-semester plan Exploring options for beyond graduation

40. Sophomore Advisers Save the Date Welcome Back Reception for students in the Class of 2013 and their pre-major advisers: Wednesday, Sept. 1 from 4 -5:30 pm Graham Smith Plaza (Rain Location: Bridge Lounge, Wilson Commons)

41. Adviser Reading List Light, R. (2001) Making the most of college: Students speak their minds National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Gordon, V. N., Habley, W. R., & Grites, T.J. (2008). Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (2nd ed.). The Mentor: An Online Advising Journal