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The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal
Advising Maxims Revisited
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines “maxim” as “a succinct formulation of a fundamental principle, general truth, or rule of conduct.”
The impetus for this article came from an advising conference that was held at Penn State in April 1999. At that conference, attendees were asked to generate a list of principles that might be obvious to experienced advisers but not as obvious to new advisers. Then, in the September “Advising Forum,” The Mentor posed the same challenge to its readers and received additional advising maxims. This article is a compilation of the maxims that were generated at the advising conference and those that were later submitted to The Mentor. Readers are invited to submit additional maxims, which will be added to this list. – Eds.
- The longest advising contacts always begin with, “I just have a quick question.”
- Students don't know what they don't know.
- What you see is as important as what you hear.
- Universities speak a foreign language.
- Know when to challenge and when to support.
- Help students locate themselves in the University.
- Listen, then check.
- Always ask, “Why?”
- Delay assuming what the student is trying to tell you.
- You can't predict a student's fate.
- Sometimes our assumptions put students at risk.
- Just because students love courses in high school doesn't mean they will love them in college.
- The only person you can control is yourself.
- All behavior is purposeful.
- When advocating for students, when the answer is “no,” it rarely is.
- Don't be afraid to give students bad news.
- Find out who “they” are (as in, “well, they told me it was OK.”).
- Students are not us.
- Would you want your own child working with an academic adviser like you?
- Advising is a moving target.
- “I'm not sure about my major” really means “My life is a mess, I'm in a bad relationship, my parents are divorcing, and I can't study because I get migraines.”
- Students don't always provide you with all the facts or tell the absolute truth.
- Academic advising needs to incorporate the student's life-long career development needs during each session with the student.
- Students with the best ACTs or SATs are no more mature than all other students.
- “... are you busy?” (as you have 20 folders on your desk, and 1800 other things to do)
- The rules change daily.
- You never know when you'll need to know what you know.
- The best advisers ask more questions than give answers.
- The future isn't what it used to be.
- Some days you'll feel like you're parked diagonally in a parallel universe.
- Advice is the most useless thing in the world – wise people don't need it, and fools won't take it.
- Remember, everyone is in favor of progress; it's change they don't like.
- The national motto of all advising offices: “We have all the answers
– yes, no, and maybe.”
- Found on an academic advising Web site's home page: “We know everything!”
- A student's present situation does not necessarily preclude a successful outcome.
- Confidentiality means that you:
- make sure your screen saver comes on promptly;
- place student files on your desk face down;
- don't repeat student ID numbers out loud when you are copying them down;
- never go to the rest room on your way to the file room.
- You can provide a map and directions to degree completion, but the student must be the driver and make the decisions regarding detours, stops along the way, and finishing the journey.
- Students need to be active participants in the advising process. It is a joint venture!
- Sometimes when students come looking for answers they actually need more questions.
List of contributors
Published in The Mentor on July 17, 2000, by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies
Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/
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