Department of English
Academic Advising
ENGL 198
Jill Heney: Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising, English
Christy Vance, Associate Coordinator, English
Gabriel Stephens, Peer Advisor, English
Overview of the Presentation
• Define advising
• Give tips for working with your advisor
• Describe degree requirements
• Discuss the Registrar’s Office
• Describe some Boise State policies
• Give some advice
2
Who determines whether
you graduate?
1.
2.
3.
4.
3
English department chair
English undergraduate advising
coordinator
Registrar’s office
Provost’s office
How do you know if you’re
on track for graduation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
4
Read the requirements in the
Undergraduate Catalog.
Review your Academic Advisement
Report in BroncoWeb.
Ask your advisor for clarification.
1, 2, and 3.
What is Advising?
“Academic advising is a planning process that helps
students to approach their education in an organized
and meaningful way.”
--Edward ‘Chip’ Anderson
“Academic advising is a process of…teaching students
how to make viable academic decisions.”
--Juliet Kaufman
National Academic Advising Association
5
What is Advising?
Which course will better suit
my career plans?
Advising
What do I need to
do to graduate?
Advice
What should I do
with my life?
6
College Students Are Responsible for Choosing
Their Classes; Advisors Help When Asked.
 This is a key difference between high school
and college.
 This means that you must become informed
about your degree requirements.
 This means that help is available if you ask for
it.
 It is easy to make appropriate choices, but it is
also possible to make unwise choices.
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What Do Advisors Do at
Boise State?
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Help you process academic information and
university policy and procedure
Help you interpret your Academic Advisement
Report and understand major requirements
Provide networking opportunities for on- and offcampus contacts
Provide referrals to experts on career information
Help you sort out personal circumstances and
determine how they affect your success; provide
referrals to appropriate resources
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You Should Find Your
Advisor



Look in your BroncoWeb Student Center, on
your Academic Advisement Report.
Find his or her office and e-mail:
http://english.boisestate.edu/contact/faculty
Set up appointments only after you have
reviewed your degree requirements first.
Your advisor most likely has training and
expertise related to your English emphasis.
English teaching and writing majors are
matched to faculty throughout the
9 department.
Important Parts of BroncoWeb
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Asking Questions
Your advisor might be
able to answer:
You or another campus
source might be able to
answer:
I’m interested in X. Does
What classes do I need to
someone in the department graduate? (Catalog; BroncoWeb
Advisement Report)
study X?
What types of courses will
prepare me for graduate
school?
Do I have to take this course
listed on my degree
requirements? (Catalog;
BroncoWeb Advisement Report)
What advice do you have for Can you help me with my
finding information about financial aid form? (Financial
Aid Office)
X author?
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There are Three Categories of Degree
Requirements



Core/Foundations: General education courses in
arts and humanities, social sciences, math and
natural sciences. Read the Core list!
Requirements for the major.
Electives: These include minors in other subjects.
Spring 2012: Undergraduates must complete a total of
128 credits (120 for the 2011-12 literature emphasis),
including 40 upper-division credits
Read your catalog.
See check sheets at
http://english.boisestate.edu/advising/
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Consider Adding a Minor



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A minor is a way to use your elective
courses to provide additional substance
to your degree.
A minor can give you something specific
to talk about in a job interview or a
graduate program application.
A minor gets you out of the LA Building
and exposes you to points of view
available in other departments.
It is Important to Plan and to Read the
Undergraduate Catalog
Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an
emergency for anyone else (Registrar’s Office, your
advisor, an administrator in another department at
Boise State, etc.).
Example: A student with 144 total credits that
included 39 upper-division credits did not graduate
on time. The requirement is 40 upper-division
credits and 128 total credits (120 credits for the
literature emphasis).
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The Registrar’s Office Takes a Binary View
of Degree Requirements
In binary code, information is conveyed in 1’s and 0’s.
Either you have completed a degree requirement (1), or
you haven’t (0). There is no in-between state.
Your Academic Advisement Report tells you whether
your requirements have been completed.
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Academic Adjustments Allow Substitutions
of One Course for Another

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Courses from other universities might be able to be
used in place of Boise State courses. (Courses must
match.)
In rare cases, one Boise State course, with approval,
may be used in place of another required Boise State
course.
In rare cases, a waiver will be used to let a student
graduate without completing a required course.
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Requesting an Academic
Adjustment
 This process takes time.
 Approach the department that offers that course.
(Biology for BIOL courses, English for ENGL, LING, &
HUM courses)
 Find the person who processes adjustments. (Chair,
Advising Coordinator)
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Requesting an Academic
Adjustment
 Provide the following:
 Name of institution and when you attended
 Name and number of course
 Institution’s catalog course description
 Course syllabus (if available)
The Chair or Advising Coordinator assesses the request -> if
approves, sends the request to the Associate Dean -> if
approves, sends request to the Registrar’s Office ->changes
your transcript.
This takes time.
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Know the Structure of Boise
State
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President: Administration over everything
Provost: Administration over academics
VPs: Oversee specific areas

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7 Colleges (incl. C.O. Arts & Sciences)


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VP of Student Affairs
Dean: Administration over everything
Associate Dean: Administration over student
issues
Know the Structure of the
English Department

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Chair: Administration over everything
(Dr. Michelle Payne)
Associate Chair: Administration over student issues
and class schedule
(Dr. Roger Munger)
Discipline Directors: Oversee particular areas
(English Teaching, Linguistics, Literature, Tech
Comm, Writing)
Coordinators: Assist the Chair and the department
with various duties (advising, internships,
scholarships, and more)

Undergraduate Advising Coordinator: Assists with
course equivalencies and degree requirements
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You Might Need to Withdraw from a Course

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A “W” means you have withdrawn from one course.
A “CW” (complete withdrawal) means you have
dropped all courses in a semester; obtain assistance
from the C.O.A.S. dean’s office if you need a CW.
Deadlines apply. See the Academic Calendar at
http://registrar.boisestate.edu/.
Students must withdraw themselves if they want to
drop a class. (If you just stop attending a class, you
get an F.)
Withdrawals can affect your eligibility for financial
aid.
21
You Might Need to File an Appeal
If something big happens in your personal life
(extenuating circumstances) and if it has a
negative impact on your Boise State status, you
may appeal.
 To withdraw after the deadline
 To contest an administrative decision
 To exceed a certain limit on coursework
 Etc.
The form is on the Registrar’s website. Submitted
forms are evaluated by a committee once each
week.
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There Are Some Known
Problems for English Majors
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ENGL 275 fills quickly.
LING 305 fills quickly.
Often there are not many upperdivision classes in the summer.
Math is a requirement for
graduation—you must complete a
MATH course numbered 124 or
higher.
Consider Study Abroad and
US Student Exchange
Programs

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Do it if you can! It’s not as impossible as it
sounds.
You can use financial aid. Scholarships are
available.
You may choose summer or semester-long
programs.
You should get course credits approved in
advance.
You don’t have to take just ENGL classes.
http://international.boisestate.edu
http://usac.unr.edu
Some Scholarships and
Awards Are Available
The English department gives out several $K
each spring.

GPA is important. (>3.0)

Must be an English major.

Deadline for continuing Boise State
students: March. (See site for details.)
http://english.boisestate.edu/advising/
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Final Thoughts…
• This is your degree. Own it.
• Stretch yourself; explore new interests;
•
•
•
expand your horizons.
Be realistic about balancing school and work.
Get experience through an internship or other
means. Talk to someone at the Career Center
soon.
Develop a strategy for reaching your goals.
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Find Our Advising Resources
Website:
http://boisestate.edu/english/
Click the “Advising” link.
• Degree check sheets
• Four-year plans
• Advice for English Teaching majors
– http://english.boisestate.edu/englishteaching/
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The Advising Team
• Your Faculty Advisor: See BroncoWeb for
details
• Gabriel Stephens, English Majors Peer
Advisor, LA 211-J,
englpeeradvisor@boisestate.edu
– Intake advisor, first point of contact: Assists
with general advising questions: degree
planning, course questions, enrollment, and
questions about campus resources
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The Advising Team
• Christy Vance, Associate Coordinator for
Undergraduate Advising, LA 211-J
EnglishAdvising@boisestate.edu
– Assigns students to advisors
– Assists with general advising: degree
planning, course questions, enrollment, and
questions about campus resources
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The Advising Team
• Jill Heney, Coordinator for Undergraduate
Advising, LA 211-A
EnglishAdvising@boisestate.edu
– Assists with transfer questions, academic
adjustments, second-degree seeking issues,
and study abroad questions
– Assists with general advising: degree
planning, course questions, enrollment, and
questions about campus resources
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