First Year Advising SOAR Presentation 2019

Academic Advising and Scheduling LESLIE ABARR-CUENCA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ACADEMIC STUDENT SUCCESS AND RETENTION

First Year Advising – Professional advisors specialize in one to three academic areas and university resources. They work very closely with each academic department, and typically, after the first year, students transition to a faculty advisor.

• Benefits • Team approach to advising • Support in personal areas, as well as academic • Initially student focused, rather than major focused

Academic Advising

Academic Success

High School vs. College

High School Guidance Counselors

• You may only see your advisor once a semester, and mainly about scheduling or college preparation • Counselors tell you what classes would best fit your interests, requirements, and schedule • Most of your classes are assigned to you, and there is less opportunity to choose classes to fit your interests • Your parents, teachers, or counselors’ opinions have a bigger impact on your decisions, and they play a bigger role in helping your know your responsibilities

What to expect from your University Academic Advising • First-year advisors meet with advisees 2 to 3 times a semester for registration and other issues • They help students develop an academic plan and set goals to guide their time at Northwest • Advisors connect students with resources and opportunities for involvement • Advisors are often the “go-to” person for firstyear students and can assist answering basic questions about many topics at Northwest.

First Year Advisors

Academic Success

First Year Scheduling Philosophy • Students are scheduled in May by their academic advisor to allow advisors the time and opportunity to review each student’s academic record holistically.

• The goal is to provide each student the best opportunity for success.

• We approach each schedule with intention, considering many factors

Academic Success

First Year Scheduling Philosophy Example 1 • Fall 12 credit hours • Spring 12 credit hours • Summer 6 credit hours

Complete 30: We generally recommend students try to complete 30 hours per academic year. This allows students to stay on track to meet a four-year graduation goal. This may look different for each student.

YEAR 1 TOTAL = 30 hours Example 2 • Fall 15 credit hours • Spring 15 credit hours YEAR 1 TOTAL = 30 hours Example 3 • 21 hours of dual credit • Fall 13 credit hours • Spring 12 credit hours YEAR 1 TOTAL = 46 hours

Academic Success

Building a first semester schedule

1. All students are enrolled in University Seminar.

2. We start with an Optimal Course Schedule (OCS).

Academic departments provide these for each major.

3. Then we look at the student personally: High school transcripts Dual credit transcripts (Don’t forget to send these!)

AP, IB, and Clep credit ACT or SAT composite and sub-score for placement

Academic Success

• • • • • •

And there’s more….

Athletics Honors Academic Success Coaching Marching Band Music Scholarships Academic Living Community: Cohort Scheduling

It’s not unusual for students to change their major.

Advisors are here to help them find the right fit.

Bea

Majors & Meta Majors

ssion Se

Over 100 undergraduate majors and 4 Meta Majors: • Sciences Meta Major • Education Meta Major • Business Meta Major • University Studies Meta Major Breakou t a t c r Comprehensive Majors vs. Major/Minors Four Year Plans and Degree Audits

Northwest Core & Institutional Requirements

Major OR Major/Minor Requirements 60 Hours

46 Hours

Electives to total 120 Hours

Bachelor of Science Degree Components 120 hours minimum

Completing a Degree

Academic Success

Satisfactory Academic Progress

• Students under 30 credit hours must earn a 1.75 GPA • Students over 30 credit hours must earn a 2.0 GPA • Some majors may have higher GPA or course grade requirements Freshmen on probation • All students under a 2.0 after their first semester must enroll in academic success courses • When students are on probation, they must earn a 2.0 to avoid being suspended

Advisors will reference the following frequently:

Grades Schedule Class Openings Bills Financial Aid Housing

Your Email

Course Content

Sign up for academic support Your Success Network

Academic Success

Advising Today & Schedule Changes

• Students meet with an advisor in their department this afternoon.

• They will have the opportunity to make schedule changes.

• Parents are not invited to advisement but we are happy to answer questions immediately following advising.

Changing classes after today July 8 to July 31 Call the Student Success Center 660-562-1695 Or Students can make changes with their advisor at Advantage