Welcome to Adviser
Orientation
“…good advising may be the single
most underestimated characteristic
of a college experience.” (Light,
2001)
Agenda for Today
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introductions & Sign In
Welcome
Freshman Class Profile & Freshmen COFHE Survey
What’s New for Advisers This Year
Overview of Advising Materials, Online Tools and Resources
Case Study Discussion
Break – 10:45-11am
Legal Issues in Advising
Break/Lunch – 11:45-12:15
Student Panel: “When I Was a Freshman I Wish I Knew…”
Study Abroad Updates
Orientation Week Advising and Beginning of Semester
CARE/Early Intervention and Other Support Programs
Wrap Up
Welcome and Introductions
 “The quality of academic advising is the
single most powerful predictor of
satisfaction with the campus environment
for students at four-year schools.” (National
Survey of Student Engagement, 2005)
Demographic Profile of
Class of 2018
1296 students (with melt)





Male / Female Ratio
In-State / Out-of-State Ratio
Early Decision Enrollees
URM
International (with visas)
53/47%
32/68%
22%
16%
22%
Academic Interests of
Class of 2018
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Engineering
Humanities
Natural/physical sciences
Natural/biological sciences
Social Sciences
Interdisciplinary
Undecided
29%
5%
13%
25%
20%
0.15%
7%
Post-Freshman Year Survey
2013: Findings for Pre-Major
Advisers
Selection of major
 While the great majority of our freshmen declared an intended
major on their college application, many incoming freshmen
have uncertainties about their academic plans:
 In the pre-freshman year survey (August 2012), 40% of
students reported being somewhat/slightly/or not confident in
their choice of major.
 In the post freshman year survey, 30% reported feeling
somewhat confident/slightly confident, or not confident in their
major choice.
 In the post-freshman year survey (May 2013),40% of freshmen
reported changing their minds about their majors during their
freshman year.
Student reasons for switching majors:
 Took courses/ other experiences that changed
interest to another major (66%)
 Courses in major of interest were not interesting
(56%)
 Talked with faculty in other majors that changed
student’s mind (35%)
 Poor grades in major of interest (32%)
Pre-major adviser activities with students
ACADEMIC PLANNING ACTIVITY
% STUDENTS WHO REPORTED
WORKING ON ACTIVITY WITH
ADVISER
Choose first year courses.
Make an overall academic plan.
Find other UR people to answer my questions when he/
she could not.
64%
53%
Choose classes to help me to decide on a major
Choose a major using his/ her knowledge of the
major(s) I was considering
Explore opportunities outside the classroom (e.g.,
internships, Take Five, study abroad, undergraduate
research).
Find other UR resources (counseling, learning
assistance, financial, writing etc.) when I needed them
35%
Choose a cluster
Find academic resources for tutoring when I needed
help
27%
50%
31%
29%
28%
22%
What the Class of 2016 said about their advising experiences:
•
My adviser did his best and was very caring. I wished I had reached out to him more.
But he was not really the most knowledgeable [about my intended major]
•
Have a second one-on-one meeting mid-first semester because freshmen tend to change
their minds about their plans so drastically in the first couple of months.
•
I would add a counseling aspect. Especially for incoming freshmen, adding a focus on
other academic resources might prove helpful.
•
Emphasize that students should take classes they are interested in, not necessarily ones
they feel they should take.
•
Freshman students would benefit significantly from meeting with career counselors in
addition to pre-major or major advisers. Often times we seem to ask ourselves the
wrong questions when deciding on a major or path of study.
•
My adviser, although nice and helpful as could be, [was from the social sciences] and
didn’t know much about the biological sciences
What the Class of 2016 said about their advising experiences:
• I think it would be helpful if the adviser would check in once or twice during the
semester and ask if we are running into any problems…
• He seemed very prepared to help freshmen, but I didn’t really need any help.
And his field of study wasn’t anywhere near close to mine. But overall he was a
really nice guy and I liked talking with him!
• Recommend that students take at least one course in their second choice major
so that students have solid information on another major.
• I would like to learn more about research projects in the majors that interest me
• Since my adviser was not familiar with my intended major, it would have been
helpful to connect with a faculty member who could help me
• I am interested in having practical experiences related to my major.
What we’ve learned from this data:
• The most frequent response we heard to the question “How Would You Improve
the Pre-Major Advising Process?” was “My adviser doesn’t know much about
my intended major.” Few of us are experts about every undergraduate
program! It is much more helpful to connect students with the people and
resources that will be helpful to them than to say “I don’t know” or “I’m not
sure.”
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Faculty and administrators in academic programs and departments
Peer advisers in many academic programs
Department websites
Undergraduate councils
Office of Undergraduate Research
College Center for Advising Services
Class Deans
Health Professions Advisers in Lattimore 312
Your Advising Circle Liaison
Note: 35% of students met 1 or 2 times with advisers; 51% met 3 or 4 times during the first year
• Pre-Major advisers have a variety of resources available!
What’s New for This Year?
• B.S. in Business/Modified B.A.
• BIO 110 offered in the spring as well as the fall (new premed scenarios available to advisers)
• Adviser Confidentiality form
• Personal Librarian Program
• New Repeat Policy (Effective for courses completed Fall
2014 and beyond)
• Overload policy (new in spring)
• Committee on Academic Honesty Update
• In and out of engineering (new process for orientation)
What’s New for This Year?
• New designated HP Advising Office
• Tutoring move to CETL; Tutoring now offered at no
charge
• PHY 101 (new one-credit fall course)
• Pilot Portfolio Project
• Posse
• CSC placement exam
• New minor in Hebrew
• Some interesting new courses! – “Justice and Equality”
• SURF “Successful UR Freshman” program
Successful UR First-Years
ccc.rochester.edu (Campus Club Connection)
SURF, or “Successful UR First-years”, is a program for first-year students at Rochester that
encourages students to navigate resources and explore activities, programs, and people that can
strengthen curricular and co-curricular paths. The program is implemented by the College Center for
Advising Services, Orientation and Wilson Commons Student Activities.
SURF is powered by Campus Club Connection, also known on campus as CCC, at
https://ccc.rochester.edu/. In the top right corner, click on Log In, and log in with the same username
and password that you use for your email. You should see a screen similar to the one on the next slide,
and if you don’t, email Alvin at alomibao@ur.rochester.edu.
The Adviser’s Toolbox
“Challenging and supporting students through
their transitions as they pursue academic
success is the nature of the work
all advisors do.”
Online Tools and Resources
•Advising binder materials
•Pre-major advising website:
www.rochester.edu/college/advising
• CCAS: www.rochester.edu/college/ccas
• Adviser’s Handbook
• Pre-health advising
• Forms
• Academic Departments:
www.rochester.edu/college/academics/departments.html
• Peer Advising:
www.rochester.edu/College/CCAS/peers/index.html
•Registrar: www.rochester.edu/registrar
Case Study Discussion
One of your Sophomore advisees, Zoey Chen, must major in Financial
Economics, but she is very interested and also performs better in
psychology. She’s on the debate team and also involved with the Chinese
Students’ Association. In addition, her family would like her to study
abroad in Oxford. Zoey is a planner and would like to spend her time here
as efficiently as possible. She is determined to accelerate at least one
semester. She does not have any AP, IB or transfer credit. She is very
upset about her C grade in ECO 108 in her first semester and would like to
repeat it with a different professor, although she has already completed
ECO 207. She has not taken any humanities courses yet. She comes to
you with a spring schedule: MTH 143, ECO 108, ECO 209, ECO
230, BSC 172, ECO231W.
After you have it all figured out she asks if you would be a reference for
her since she is applying to other schools.
Considerations…
 By approaching advising as a teaching and learning activity, it is
helpful to ask: What do we want Zoey to learn from this process?
 Find out why Zoey “must” major in Financial Economics.
 It may be important to ask Zoey about her strongest academic interests
as well as her plans after UR in order to refer her appropriately (to
people on campus and other resources) to help her think about her
academic plans in a broad context.
 Many advisers like to give “homework” to their advisees which can be
completed prior to your next meeting. Homework may include web
research and visits to other offices.
Considerations…
 What do you need to know about the repeat policy and the policy
regarding “going backwards” in economics coursework.
 What are the implications of Zoey accelerating graduation by one
semester?
 Zoey will want to consider whether her study abroad semester will be
used to complete coursework for her major or her clusters
 Explore the reasons for Zoey’s desire to transfer to a different school.
Also consider what role her family is playing in this.
 What other “homework” might you assign to Zoey? What
offices/individuals does she need to speak to? What are the questions
she needs to ask?
Tools
 8 semester planning sheet: http://www.rochester.edu/registrar/
 Department web pages to review Economics course policy:
http://www.rochester.edu/college/academics/departments.html
 Center for Study Abroad: http://www.rochester.edu/college/abroad/
 Authorized signature list:
http://www.rochester.edu/College/CCAS/students/curriculum/authsign.
html
 Cluster search engine:
http://www.rochester.edu/College/CCAS/students/curriculum/clusters.
html
 Advisers Handbook to review Repeat and Acceleration policies:
http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS/AdviserHandbook/
Legal Issues in Advising
Rick Crummins
Senior Counsel
Office of the Vice President and University Counsel
Student Panel: When I Was a
Freshman I Wish I Knew…
“Academic advising at its very best is a
supportive and interactive relationship
between students and their advisors.”
(Gordon & Habley, 2000)
UR THERE
A Guide to Study
Abroad
2014 | 2015
 Approximately 58% of students indicated an interest in study abroad.









My choice would be Australia, as it is a prime location for biological studies.
Top choice would be Darwin Institute of Galapagos Islands.
United Kingdom, for a series of courses on Shakespeare or Austen
Study abroad programs for engineering in New Zealand and Australia
I am excited to study abroad because I have never been outside of the U.S.
If I worked out with my major and field hockey, I might be able to go abroad.
I would like to do a medical research internship in London.
I want to explore the world. Take me anywhere.
It may be difficult to study abroad taking pre-med requirements, but I hope
to.
 I am interested in the Sign Language Program in France.
THERE WILL BE A QUIZ…
In the class of 2014, what was the percentage of males vs.
females who studied abroad?
Answer:
31% male, 69% female
Greg Scott, ‘15, International Relations
Spring ‘14 ,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Summer ‘14: Intern at U.S. House of
Representatives, D.C.
Quiz # 2
What percentage of UR students study abroad?
Answer: 30%
Ryan Puffer, ‘15, Computer Science
Spring ‘14 Bristol, United Kingdom
Summer ‘14: Program Manager Intern at
Microsoft, Washington
Quiz # 3
What percentage of students in the US study abroad?
Answer: 5%
Luis Zamudio, ‘15, Political Science
Fall ’13, Santiago, Chile
Summer ‘14: Hyatt HR Corporate Intern,
Chicago
Expanding programs: new
opportunities in Hungary,
Singapore and Macau
Encouragement of faculty-led
initiatives. In development: York,
England, Ladakh, India and
Borca, Italy
New data management system /
portal
Eric Semmel, ‘14, Psychology &
Environmental Studies, Fall, 2013, Costa Rica
Research Asst. at Ohio Children’s Hospital
Sherice Simpson, ‘15, Health, Behavior &
Society, Spring ‘14, London, United Kingdom
Tyrell Jackson, ‘15, English, Summer, 2014,
Arezzo, Italy
Phillip Cohen, ’14, Take Five, Microbiology,
Fall ‘13, Denmark
Project: Conflict Through the Lens
Students who study abroad
graduate on time
Wide range of programs courses, internships, 2-week
to 10-month durations
STEM majors can stay on
track
Antoinette Esce, ‘15, Economics, Fall ‘13,
Dakar, Senegal
SA President
 UR programs in 41
countries
 No overall language
requirement
 All aid travels towards
program costs of URadministered programs –
and there are special
scholarships
 Programs for all majors

http://www.rochester.edu/College/abro
ad/programs/major.html
Nessie Sax-Bolder, ‘15, Health, Behavior, &
Society, Fall, ‘13, Khon Kaen, Thailand
 Internships, hands-on
experience, volunteer
work
 Gaining intercultural
skills, understanding
global citizenship, career
opportunities
 Diversity
Gabbie Cornish, ‘14, Music and Russian,
Spring ‘12, Russia, 2013-14 Fulbright ETA
Scholar
Photo taken by Josh Geiger, ‘14, Chemistry,
Fall, 2013, Arezzo, Italy
Paul Vergara, ‘13, Globalization of Music &
Dance Culture, Semester at Sea, Spring ‘12
Grassroots Soccer in Cape Town, South Africa
Caroline Speth, ‘14, Japanese, 2012-13, Japan
Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program
Assistant Language Teacher, Nagano prefecture
 Interdepartmental major
and minor advising
 Senior Scholars
Research Program
 General advising
 Other international
opportunities - career,
work abroad, study
abroad fellowships
advising
Pre-Major Advising in Arts,
Sciences and Engineering
• Over 150 pre-major advisers
• All new freshmen and all new freshman and
sophomore transfers assigned a pre-major adviser
• Most freshmen assigned to adviser on the basis of
where they live on campus
• Engineering freshmen/transfers have engineering
faculty advisers
Orientation Week Schedule for
First-Year & Transfer Advisers
 Wednesday, August 27: Group advising meeting with
advisees (your meeting location will be provided to you)*
 Students who wish to move into or out of engineering will
submit an online form available in Blackboard
 Lunch with advisees following Group Meetings
 Individual advising meetings on Wednesday, Thursday
morning and Friday in preparation for beginning of
registration on Friday afternoon, August 29
Preparation for your group advising
meeting on Wednesday, August 27
• New and learning advisers: All of the information you need
will be in your folder/binder. Be sure to review the
introductory pages in the FAH.
• Review advisees’ records in e-file
• Send advisees a welcome email on 8/25 or 8/26
• Beginning Friday, August 22nd at 1pm come to Lattimore
312 for your folder/binder
• Review Course Planning, Placement and
Recommendation (CPPR) forms (freshmen)
• Set aside time for individual advising appointments on
Wednesday afternoon, Thursday morning and Friday
Preparation for your group advising
meeting on
• Your advisees will appear in Adviser Access the
week of August 18th (note: once this information
is uploaded, students have access to it and may
contact you about their academic plans)
• Students in the Class of 2017 and 2018 will have
advisor holds. They are unable to register or
drop/add courses until you log into Access and lift
the hold
• **Tip** New Advisers can request an email
distribution list for their advisees
Group Meeting Agenda
• Refer to the Sample Agenda in your Binder/Folder for
specific details
• Welcome and general introductions
• Introduce yourself and talk a little about your interests,
your role on campus, and what the goals of academic
advising are
• Have students introduce themselves
• Explain to students the best way to reach you during
Orientation and once the semester begins
• **Tip**Some advisers like to create a hand out for their
group meeting to give to their advisees
Group Meeting Agenda
• Emphasize importance of attending various Q&A Sessions
and the Academic Open House on Thursday
• Review Academic Honesty Policy and “Talking Points”
Handout and distribute 2 copies to each student--one
copy should be returned to you
• Distribute one copy of CPPR form to each student. These
forms provide placement information based on students’
AP scores and other test scores as available to CCAS
• Check Advisor Access to see if student registered in
advance for selected courses (BIO, CHM, MTH, WRT
105/105E, EAS)
Group Meeting Agenda
• Students who pre-registered can begin making changes to
their schedules once Friday registration begins
• Students who did not pre-register for any courses should
be encouraged to review the instructions for online
registration BEFORE Friday at the Registrar’s website.
• Encourage students to bring with them to their individual
meetings a list of 5-7 potential courses (remind them to
check for pre-requisites and time conflicts and to use their
FAHs and the online course schedule)
• Let Marcy, Sean, or Liz Monte (transfers) know if you
have any “no shows”
Group Meeting Agenda
• Explain to students that they will have an “advisor hold” on
their accounts that you will lift prior to Friday
• Review schedule for Friday registration with students:
Transfers begin at 3pm; Freshmen DOB 1/1- 4/30 begin at
3:00pm; DOB 5/1 - 8/31 begin at 4:00pm and DOB 9/1 12/31 begin at 5:00pm
• Assistance will be available on Friday afternoon in
Lattimore Hall if students have questions/difficulties
• Once registration opens, students may add and drop online
through September 15. Paper drop/add forms will be used
beginning September 16.
Individual Meetings during
Orientation Week
• Review the information in your folder/binder
• Most pre-major advisers will meet with students in their offices with a
computer handy.
• Check with students to be sure they have looked for time conflicts, and
are familiar with course pre-requisites, if applicable
• Talk about the plan in the context of the information on the CPPR
Form.
• Does student expect to receive transfer credit for college courses they
have already completed?
• Is there any pending AP, IB, A-level or transfer credit?
• Is there a good balance among disciplines and departments?
General policy regarding
“overloads”
• First-semester students may register for as many as four full-credit
courses and three additional credits (i.e., applied music, dance classes).
• The on-line registration system caps freshman registration at 19
credits. Additional credits must be added using a drop/add form.
• Encourage freshmen to register for reasonable plan in their first
semester. Beginning in their second semester (spring 2015), they may
petition to register for an overload if they earned a 3.0 or better this fall
semester and have no missing or incomplete grades. In order to take
24 or more credits students must have made the Dean’s List in the
previous semester (3.4gpa).
• Policies for transfer students are not as “strict” though it is best to
encourage transfers to register for four courses in their first semester at
UR unless their previous college record is very strong
Pre-Health/Pre-Med students
• You may have a strong student who wants to take BIO, CHM and
MTH and another course. That is OK for students who exhibit strong
aptitude; students who don’t plan to major in Biology, but need the
course for another major or for “pre-med” can/should postpone BIO
110 to spring.
• There are other pre-med paths (see your binder/folder)
• Students who are less sure of their abilities (or advisers who have
possible concerns about preparation) should encourage students to take
two science courses in their first semester.
• It is far better for students to start conservatively and build on that
plan than to do poorly in their first semester and try to make this work
up in later semesters.
Pre-Health/Pre-Med students
• Encourage your pre-health students to attend the “Pre-Med
Q&A” during Orientation.
• Point out the Health Professions Handbook available
online at the CCAS website
• Encourage interested students to sign up for the Health
Professions listserv (send an email to
URhealthprofessions@rochester.edu)
• The Health Professions team offers a number of helpful
seminars during the academic year. Encourage your
advisees to check the schedule on the CCAS website.
WRT 105/105E Overview
• The one “requirement” for all students is the primary
writing requirement. Typically it is satisfied by passing
WRT 105/WRT 105E with a grade of “C” or better
• Most students will complete the requirement by taking
WRT 105 in the fall or spring semester
• No student may “waive” the primary writing requirement
• Transfer students who have successfully completed a
composition course with a grade of “B” or better at another
college may petition to determine whether their course can
be used to fulfill the primary writing requirement
WRT 105/105E Information
• Many students have already pre-registered for WRT
105/WRT 105E and most other students should now
plan to take it in the spring.
• The Writing, Speaking and Argument Program
(formerly CWP) no longer manages wait lists for WRT
105/WRT 105E during the first two weeks of the
semester
• Students who wish to try and register for a writing class
should check the online schedule; they should not
contact instructors directly to add a class
Advising Goals for Orientation
Week & Start of Semester
• Begin to get to know your advisees, their goals and
interests
• Help your advisees choose alternate courses in the event
their plans have to change during Friday’s registration
• Encourage your advisees to take advantage of the many
resources and Q&A sessions available during Orientation
• Goal is successful registration on Friday, August 29
• Once classes begin, encourage your advisees to attend
additional courses they may be interested in
• Check in with your advisees by September 5
Advising Goals for Orientation
Week & Start of Semester
• Encourage your advisees to attend the Student Activities
Fair on Friday, September 5th
• Remind students that you want to know how they are
doing and that you will check in with them periodically
during the semester
• Email students as key deadlines approach: September 29th
is the last day to add or drop/delete courses from the fall
schedule
Pre-Major Adviser
Support/Resources
• Adviser Development Workshops
• Advising Circles connect pre-major advisers with
CCAS professional advisers
• Freshman Fellow Contact List for res hall
programs
• Funding for adviser-advisee programs, meals with
advisees, adviser compensation
• Pre-Major Advising Website
• Regular Emails from Class Deans
Pre-Major Adviser
Support/Resources
•
•
•
•
Dean of Freshmen and Dean of Sophomores
CARE report system
University Counseling Center
Please let someone know if you are concerned
about an advisee who is not responsive or seems
disengaged
A note about mentoring
Interactions with faculty significant predictor of
sophomores’ academic performance
Graunke and Woosley, An Exploration of the Factors that Affect the
Academic Performance of Sophomores
Questions?