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Two cents: What to know about advising at Temple

<p><em>You’re gonna have so many questions while you’re at Temple. But the good news is that Nutshell will always be here to offer you our two cents. Actually, our bank account says we don’t have two pennies to rub together, so we’ll send you somewhere better: your advisor’s office (AKA your AO, where you can get you some truly valuable metaphorical cents). If you haven’t gone yet, you should soon. Advisors will help you add and drop classes, identify career paths and tell you how to reach graduation (like filing your application by, um, Wednesday if you want to graduate in May). Here’s what else to know about visiting your AO.</em></p>
Author: 
Anonymous
Story by: 
Eryn Jelesiewicz

Unless you’re planning on being in college forever (hello, best life ever), you’re going to have to meet with an advisor at some point.

For some majors—biology, kinesiology and all the other -ologies—going to see an advisor is a given; you literally can’t get through without them because there are so many prerequisites and things can quickly get complicated.

But others might think they can sail through without too much help. Most times, that’s not the case. And the thing is, advisors can make your life a lot easier and teach you some things you might not know.

Hayley Chenoweth, SMC ’16, didn’t find out until she was a sophomore consulting an advisor about changing majors that her high school AP classes translated into 18 college credits. Can you say “one less semester”? (One less semester!)

Chenoweth uncovered that important nugget of information through an online group advising session. Yes, an online group session. They make it so you don’t need to make an appointment, take a shower, get dressed, wrangle your stuff, trudge all the way to the advising office and sit down for a face-to-face chat (unless you want to!).

“We appreciate that Temple can be a lot to navigate,” said Neal Conley, one of Temple’s advising directors. “We’re here to try and make it easier and empower you so that you have all the tools you need. There are so many resources here. Advisors are a great starting point, but we want you to think of all the people at Temple as your advising community. We’re a big team.”

WHEN TO GO:

  • In general, students should touch base with an advisor at least once a semester, by midterms.

  • By late sophomore year and early junior year, it’s smart to go in for a progress check. (Otherwise, #college for life).

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

  • Advisors can help with dropping or adding a course; class withdrawal; adding a minor; double majoring; and triple majoring (JK, you can’t do that).

  • If you’re not quite making it in a class, but don’t want to withdraw, they can help assess your options.

  • Advisors will record all advising sessions in notes that you can access through TUportal.

  • They’ll tell you it's never too early to start getting to know your professors. You might feel shy at first but the payoff is HUGE. Caps lock, huge.

  • Advisors will show you how your majors can apply to different careers; the possibilities are endless.

  • They can advocate for you, help you navigate your program and avoid delays in graduation.

  • And they’ll direct you to the right office or resource for any matter they can’t address.