Biological Sciences
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Academic Advising Syllabus
Phone: (217) 333-6774
E-mail: advising@mcb.illinois.edu or advising@sib.illinois.edu
Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
127 Burrill Hall
Our Mission
As Advisors we strive to:
 Foster and develop in our students a sense of value for and
ownership of their undergraduate education.
 Actively promote our students' involvement in the planning and
achievement of their academic and career goals.
Advisor/Advisee Relationship
Academic advising as defined by the National Academic Advising
Association (NACADA); synthesizes and contextualizes students'
educational experiences within the frameworks of their aspirations,
abilities and lives to extend learning beyond campus boundaries and
timeframes.
In the Schools of IB and MCB academic advisors strive to build a
relationship with each student in order to guide them towards reaching
their academic and professional goals. Academic Advising is an
educational partnership between the student and advisor who together
aim to set and achieve learning outcomes, ensuring academic success
and outline the necessary steps needed to achieve the students’
personal, academic and career goals. In order to be successful this
requires both student and advisor to understand each other’s role.
Stay in Touch
LIKE US
MCB Advising Program
& UIUC Integrative
Biology Academic
Advisors
FOLLOW US
@MCBAdvising
STAY UP TO DATE
With our Blogs
Our Weekly
Newsletters
IB Spotlight &
MCB Road Map
Know your Advisors
Biology students are free to meet with any advisor they choose.
Tim Bowers, MCB
127 Burrill Hall
Jennifer Brandyberry MCB 127 Burrill Hall
Chester Brown, MCB
217 Burrill Hall
Arif Fazel, MCB
127 Burrill Hall
Jack Ikeda, MCB
383 Burrill Hall
Tina Knox, MCB
252 Davenport
Brad Mehrtens, MCB
164 Burill Hall
Allison Musser, IB
175 Burrill Hall
Shawna Naidu, MCB
127 Burrill Hall
Gary Spezia, IB
127 Burrill Hall
t-bowers@illinois.edu
jhbrandy@illinois.edu
cmbrown@illinois.edu
afazel@illinois.edu
jikeda@illinois.edu
tmknox@illinois.edu
mehrtens@illinois.edu
amusser3@illinois.edu
shawna@illinois.edu
spezia@illinois.edu
For more information on the advisors, visit:
http://sib.illinois.edu/advising/index.html
http://mcb.illinois.edu/undergrad/advisingstaff.html
Student and Advisor Responsibilities for Advising
Responsibilities of the Advisor
1. Help the advisee to understand the academic and administrative
processes of the university and the nature of its academic
programs.
2. Help the advisee to understand the expected standards of
achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study.
3. Discuss the educational and career objectives suited to the
advisee's demonstrated abilities and expressed interests.
4. Help the advisee to plan a course of study and give advice about
courses and the adjustment of course loads.
5. Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate.
6. Participate in advisor training sessions to keep informed and
current.
Responsibilities of the Advisee
1. Acquire information needed for course scheduling, program
planning, and successful completion of all graduation
requirements.
2. Seek academic and career information needed to meet
educational goals.
3. Become knowledgeable about relevant policies, procedures, and
rules of the university, college, and academic program.
4. Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials
when contacting the advisor.
5. Consult with the advisor at least once a semester to decide on
courses, review the accuracy of the audit, check progress towards
graduation, and discuss the suitability of other educational
opportunities provided by the university.
Advising Expectations
Expectations of Freshmen
 Know how to contact your advisor and make an appointment
 Access, read and understand your degree audit (DARS)
 Use the Advising websites and sources to stay up to date with
upcoming events and course information
 Know how to access forms through the LAS website
Expectations of Sophomores
 Remain in touch with your advisor and continue to make
appointments when any academic inquiries come up.
 Be able to choose classes and follow the degree requirements.
 If considering a minor begin taking the appropriate classes and
meet with an advisor.
 Formally declare your major as IB or MCB by Spring semester.
 Look into research/internship opportunities
Expectations of Juniors
 Make appointments with your advisor to consult about course
choices.
 Check DARS regularly to make sure you are fulfilling both major
and LAS requirements.
 If on the pre-professional track see advisor in Career Center about
entrance exams and program specific prerequisites
 Meet with professors/advisors about letters of recommendation.
 Register and prepare for entrance exams (GRE, MCAT, PCAT, DAT,
etc.) during spring and/or summer semester.
Expectations of Seniors
 Apply for Graduation with the college office AND register for
ceremonies through the advising office.
 Check with advisor to ensure that all degree requirements will be
satisfied; check with your Academics Records Officer (ARO) that
all degree requirements have been satisfied.
List of Resources
IB website: www.sib.illinois.edu
MCB website: www.mcb.illinois.edu
LAS web site: www.las.illinois.edu
Course Explorer: www.courses.iliinois.edu
DARS link: www.registrar.illinois.edu/dars/generate.html
Office of the Registrar: www.registrar.illinois.edu
The Career Center: www.careercenter.illinois.edu
Office of Student Financial Aid: www.osfa.illinois.edu
McKinley Health Center: www.mckinley.illinois.edu
The Counseling Center: www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu