Of the many bureaucracies that exist on campus, Academic Advising is one of the most criticized. Every freshman is required to meet with an academic advisor before the end of their second semester or otherwise risk the chance to register for upcoming classes.
We propose staggering meeting dates for freshmen to evenly divide the burden for advisors and ensure these meetings do occur. This system could get more students on track earlier in their careers. Advising should also urge upper-level students to meet with faculty advisors in their departments unless the meeting does not pertain to the department.
The current model encourages students to put off their appointment until the last minute.
Advisors are overburdened, and this tendency makes things worse. A typical advisor deals with 497 cases each year. And securing a meeting is a less-than-straightforward process. Many appointments are cancelled by advisors hours before they take place, and the burden to reschedule is placed on the student. Automatically scheduling these meetings at the beginning of the semester could cut down on cancellations.
To be clear, we are not challenging the notion that every freshman should meet with an advisor. Advising most benefits students unfamiliar with the academic bureaucracy.
But it does not need to be a thorn in the side of freshman students.
