 |
|
|
| 
|
 “University catalogs should have a description of each course that is offered at that school in them. The classes that a student is advised to take should be listed according to major and classification. If a student is a freshman, they should take freshman math, biology 101 that are listed in the major they have decided. If they have not decided on a major then they should be allowed to take core courses until they declare a major. By core courses I mean your maths, English, biology, history, etc.”~ Lynda M. Franklin, Grambling State University, February 7 “As an adviser/counselor for twenty plus years I find that I spent my first several years finding out about various careers and degrees etc. by searching resource material, talking to faculty and generally learning anything I could from any resource possible. I recommend this approach to new advisers.After several years I acquired a good bit of information to be used in advising students. This is a constant learning process as there are new occupations and programs being added all the time. This is good, it keeps me on my toes. Today I have learned that it is even more important to teach students how to research and find their own answers. I feel we do a greater service to students by showing them how than by doing it for them. The trick is knowing when to do each according to the students readiness for it.” ~ George Maxwell, Oklahoma City Community College, February 8 “We'll never be experts on fields outside our own, and it's important to acknowledge that upfront. That said, there's nothing like being well-read. Every Tuesday I dive at the New York Times science section for information on biology, physics, social science, health professions, and personal fitness. As a history and English major, I treat this part of the paper as my intellectual fun time. Then on Sundays the Book Review gives me a quick summary of what's new in many fields. The paper's editorial pages let me know about current issues. Obviously I should be reading books and periodicals as well, but to cover the gaps there's nothing like good quality journalism.”~ Marion Schwartz, Penn State, February 8 “Showing the student how to use the catalog is very important and useful, yet sometimes it just doesn't provide enough information on the class to satisfy the student's curiosity. I work in an advising center for students who have not yet declared a major. One of the things I have found to be very helpful has been to start networking/meeting with advisers from other departments. This has provided me and my co-worker a chance to ask questions about various courses. It has also helped us to find out more about specific majors, whether major Web sites are up to date, and about misprints in the catalog.This has allowed us to send students exploring in the most appropriate manner according to each department's specific desires. When I worked in advising in a specific major (Education) something that really helped me was that I had access to syllabi for some of the Education classes, and that familiarized me with a bulk of the classes that students I saw were taking.” ~ Cassandra Talbott, University of Nevada, Reno, February 11 “One thing that may prove helpful is researching professions and seeing how the course descriptions in the catalog can match the profession's descriptions. This will also help the student in seeing the relevance in their courses. Go on the Web and research the U.S. Government's Occupational Outlook Handbook Web site: www.bls.gov/oco/.”~ G. Romero, Florida National College, February 14 “The department I work in has regular meetings with the department heads of the various university majors. From these meetings, we learn specifics about the major's mission and course offerings. A one-sentence course description found in the university catalog leaves students still asking questions. The department meetings help fill in the unknown gaps. In addition, I refer students to the university bookstore. Students can scan through the required course text to learn more about the course content. I find this very helpful for myself as well.Advising undecided/exploratory students can be very challenging with limited information. University majors can differ from one university to another. The above suggestions help students choose appropriate courses that simultaneously count as general education courses and educate the students regarding our various majors. This dual course relationship moves students to their major of interest more quickly and helps keep students on an appropriate graduation time-line.” ~ Tammy A. Russell, Penn State, February 18 “Faculty members are a great source of information. I have found that talking with faculty members about their courses, and their discipline, is a great way to learn more about subjects taught at my institution and content of such courses. Teachers enjoy taking about their subject area and course content. Ask instructors if you can see their syllabi so that you will learn about the content area and have a better understanding of the course.Using the Career Services office on your campus is another method to learn more about majors and academic disciplines. Career Services professionals are helpful in locating materials (print or via web) pertaining to majors and career fields. Career Services does not have to be just for students; professional staff members can benefit as well.” ~ Renee' F. Borns, University of Houston-Downtown, February 20 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
