• You should go for an advisor with whom you share a good rapport. You should ensure that your college advisor would have time for you and would be interested in helping you fulfill your goals.
• Ideally a college advisor should be able to give you sound advice on how to set goals and plan out their achievement. Knowledge of various programs at your college, as well as their requirements would help the college advisor guide you in the best possible ways. Moreover your college advisor should have expertise in your subject. Keeping all these requirements in mind, it would be advisable to have a college advisor from the faculty.
• Before selecting a college advisor for yourself, you should talk to the prospective ones and get to know how they plan to help you in achieving your goals and what kind of strategies would they be able to guide you on. You can also ask them whether they would be able to refer you to various helpful college services like career planning guides, tutors, writing centers etc. Ask them whether they can use their contacts to get you quality internship. A well connected college advisor would be an asset.
• You should meet other students who are involved in your subject/ course and share your experiences with them, as well as ask them about the experience they are having with college advisors. You will be able to gather a lot of quality information about who would make a good advisor and vice versa.

Who should read this article?

This article is for prospective students of all ages. Its purpose is to show you a resource that often is not utilized properly by students interested in going to college. When you know which school you would like to attend, or you have a short list of schools, than this is the next step for you to take.

What is a college adviser?

A college adviser is a staff member at a university whose sole job is to help figure out a way to help a student attend that university. Most commonly they are used for financial aid advisement. If you do not have the funds sitting in your bank account, and most people don’t, these college advisors will help you find the money necessary to pay your tuition. This can be done through scholarships, loans, grants, and many more options.

How do I meet with the college advisory?

For my alma mater, Grand Valley State University, it was as easy as calling the Student Services department and requesting a meeting with an adviser.  Eventually I figured out it was better to request an adviser for the specific thing I was in need of, in this first case, it was with my upcoming freshmen schedule.  But further down the road I made a request for a financial aid advisor to figure out how to come up with $5,000 for my senior year’s tuition balance.

I recommend calling beforehand and setting up a meeting time on campus.  The advisor undoubtely has access to paperwork or handouts you will need.  By meeting in person and on campus, you can maximize the productivity of your meeting.

Does it cost money to speak to and adviser?

Of course not. The majority of students who attend a university are assigned an adviser if they ever have any questions.  So for prospective students, this same courtesy is extended.  Colleges know that attending college is a complicated process.  Through advisers, they have the opportunity to address all of a students concerns and to create a path to success for each student.

How do I begin?

It is very simple. Call your university and request a meeting with a student advisor. Feel free to call the main switchboard of the university, or in other words, the main phone number.  They will route you to the right department for your request.

The Role Of College Advisor 

• Good college advisors must not only schedule the classes, but should also help you to think about your career path. He must also help you to decide which career to pursue. He must help you to find out your weaknesses and strength so that you can easily decide which courses to take on. Good college advisors must be capable of guiding your thoughts regarding a career field. 

• College advisors not only helps students with their education, but also advise students in planning events, competitions, programs and projects. This may involve planning a meeting, fundraising drive and community service events. 

• Change your college advisor immediately if you feel he is not helping you with your education. Your college advisor must make you feel positive that you are pursuing the courses that are appropriate for your future. If you face personality difference with your college advisor, request your college administrators to change him. 

• College advisors are the foremost educators. They must be capable of supporting creativity, encouraging responsibility, presenting alternatives, providing educational information and challenging students to grow up as leaders. 

• College advisors must develop relationship of trust with the students in order to help them with their education. They must help students with decision-making, problem solving and cohesiveness.