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Tips on Advising
and Advisors in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Every CALS student has an advisor. This is an opportunity for you
to get to know a faculty member and get good advice on a major and
carrer that you can pursue and tips on planning your program of coursework.
Many students build a strong mentoring relationship with their advisor
over the years, and their advisor serves as a very important reference
for graduate or professional school or for their first step in a
career. So your advisor can be helpful to you from your first semester,
through your undergraduate career and beyond.
Taking best advantage or the CALS advising program is one way to
maximize the value of your education.
When should I see my advisor?
You need to meet with your advisor at least once each semester to
review your academic progress, chat about career goals and opportunities,
the nature of the field, how your semester is going, and select courses
for the next semester.
Advisors are busy, so will they be willing to meet
with me?
The short answer is Yes! Faculty and staff are extremely busy, but
all of them believe that students deserve good advice, and students
are the reason they are at a university and not a research institute.
Advising students is a major part of the responsibility of each CALS
department. So faculty and staff advisors are willing to meet with
you. Most all have office hours for general access to students in
their courses, or other students who want to drop in to visit. During
these office hours you should feel free to drop by for no other reason
than to say hello.
For advising for registration for the next semester, you should
ask your advisor how to get together to visit. Most faculty want
students to make an appointment. The easiest way to make an appointment
is to send your advisor an email, suggest several different times
on different days that your are available for a meeting, and ask
your advisor to select the time that would be most convenient. Your
advisor will email back and, viola!, you have an appointment.
What do I need to do before meeting with my advisor?
Do your homework and be prepared.
If you are meeting for registration for the next semester, take
the Four Year Road Map (plan) for your major, customize it for your
own coursework and interests, and update it based on what you are
doing this semester. This will give you a plan for courses for the
next 2-3 semesters. To check your progress in meeting your degree
requirements, print out a DARS report from EASI using your My-UW
(WiscWorld) and check it for the requirements you have met and those
you haven't met. Then do this same exercise by hand, using the curriculum
requirement sheet for your major and compare your results of the
DARS report.
If your questions are about careers or graduate/professional school,
check some web sites that seem to be relevant and try to frame some
questions that can help your advisor identify your need for information
or advice. For academic problems or issues, try to identify the source
of the difficulty as best you can, and think about possible solutions.
Or, at sometime you may just need someone to talk to. Advisors can
do that too. The bottom line: Don't hesitate
to contact your advisor when you have a question.
What if I can't find my advisor?
If you can't find your advisor or if you get no response to your
inquiries, call the Department office and tell them your problem.
They will help by finding your advisor or by finding another who
is available to help you. If you still have difficulties, you can
call the Office of Academic Student Affairs (262-3003).
What if I want to switch my advisor?
If you decide another advisor in the Department is more appropriate
than the one you have, ask for a change. There will be no hard feelings
and it is easily done. Talk to the Depatment and get the consent
of the new advisor to make the change. Then, come to 116 Agriculture
Hall and fill out an advisor change form.
Advisors are one resource that can help you make the most of your
undergraduate education. You need to take advantage of the opportunity.
CALS
Degree Programs Flowchart
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