Advising center helps newcomers make transition

Being new on a campus with 26,000 students can be intimidating.

Kansas University’s Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center is designed to help ease newcomers’ concerns.

The advising center’s purpose is to assist students as they experience the transitions of adjusting to college life, said Jill Hieb, associate director of the center. The center provides support during enrollment and shows new students how to get involved at KU.

Hieb said the center had 19 full- and part-time advisers, nine faculty advisers and 25 peer advisers. It serves about 700 students each semester, she said.

Freshmen and undecided sophomores are assigned an adviser, Hieb said. They keep in touch with their students by e-mail, but students also meet with their advisers each semester.

Hieb said an adviser was a valuable resource.

“Meet with your adviser early and often,” she said.

Advisers help students create academic plans that reflect their interests and goals. Once the student has a plan, advisers can suggest courses that fulfill degree requirements. They also can help undecided students choose a major or minor. All advisers are trained to assist students in any major, Hieb said.

Besides helping students plan their college careers, advisers are available to help students stay focused. They teach students time-management and study skills to avoid or deal with academic difficulty.

Junior Kate Shipley said she visited the center last fall as an undecided sophomore. She said her adviser was helpful when she decided to major in journalism and needed to know what credits counted toward that major. However, she said the experience was fairly impersonal.

Shipley said she preferred to be advised through the honors program, which is available to students who have been accepted by the program.

Address: 126 Strong Hall.Phone: 864-2834.Web site: www.advising.ku.edu

“It seems like they care more,” she said.

Shipley also suggested that students choose their own adviser once they are comfortable on campus.

“I recommend finding a teacher or professor that you really respect and use them as long as you can,” she said. “It’s nice to have someone you can depend on who knows who you are.”

— Kansas University journalism student Katie Bean was an intern at the Journal-World during the spring semester.

The Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center provides the following steps to graduate in four years:¢ Make a four-year degree a priority and successfully complete an average of 15-16 credits of course work each semester (not including summer session) that apply toward degree requirements. You need 30 hours to be a sophomore, 60 to be a junior and 90 to be a senior.¢ Meet the grade-point and course requirements defined by your school or department.¢ Make a decision about and declare your major by the end of your sophomore year (60 credit hours). If you plan to complete a bachelor of general studies, declare a junior/senior concentration or minor as well. The minor is also an option for students completing the bachelor of arts or bachelor of science.¢ Meet regularly with your adviser to review degree progress.