SCORE! Making the Most of Departmental Advising

Sarah A. StivisonTexas Wesleyan University School of Business Administrationsastivison@txwes.edu817.531.4846

Breaking down the processFreshmen– Advised during Orientation– Take only GEC courses (except accounting majors)– Stay in Freshman Advising until they reach 20+ hours – Advised by GEC faculty (English, History, Speech, Religion, etc.)

Transfer Students– Advised during Orientation (or by appointment)

• Transcripts and initial worksheets/degree plan done by Admissions and sent to SOBA for review

– Typically have most of GEC completed– Upper level business courses not usually included as transferred unless

prior consultation with SOBA has taken place

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Breaking down the processContinuing Students– Advising for SOBA-assigned students begins 4-6 weeks prior to the

start of priority registration.– Students are notified via email and newsletter (we’re adapting to

Facebook and Twitter, but aren’t consistent yet) regarding advising; banners are hung in SOBA building that advising is going on.

– Faculty are sent list of advisees, including major, GPA, hours to graduation and email address.

– After registration begins, students who are not registered receive periodic emails reminding them to see their advisor (and register) before finals.

– Students with transfer credit questions or issues with their audit are referred to the SOBA Office after meeting with their advisors. Internships, concurrent enrollment, prerequisite overrides and double majors are also referred to Academic Services in the SOBA Office.

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Prepping the ProspectsPotential transfer students have a wealth of knowledge available on the Wesleyan website. For community colleges in North Texas, there is an equivalency guide for most (if not all) courses offered and how they will transfer in to Wesleyan (this is on the Student Records/Registrar’s page). This allows the student to see what will transfer into their degree program, even without consulting Admissions or the School of Business.

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Prepping the Prospects

The SOBA webpage drills a little deeper, but still allows a student to see what his/her transferred program would look like, even without visiting with Admissions. The Advising Information page has links to faculty and staff emails for questions on programs or transferring, concentration worksheets, course rotations, prerequisites, etc.

http://txwes.edu/academics/school-of-business-administration/meetadvisor/

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Prepping the ProspectsBecause we have quite a few courses on a strict rotation (and with a number of prerequisites), there is a spreadsheet posted that includes rotations (F/S) and prerequisites for planning purposes.

2013-2015 Prerequisites Guide for SOBA Majors

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Prepping the ProspectsFor students who have attended TCC, there is a concordance that lists all SOBA classes transferable into the Business Core; we encourage TCC students to take as much as they can as part of their AA/Core Complete coursework. While not posted on the webpage, it is handed out in information sessions at TCC or any advising through SOBA.

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Prepping the ProspectsAlso available for those planning to transfer is a suggested path for each concentration to guide students through their degree at Wesleyan within 2 years (those who have followed the concordance and/or asked for advising prior to enrollment at Wesleyan). Body

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Advising the Accepted

Incoming transfer students are initially reviewed for transfer credit in Admissions; once they have registered for Orientation (or requested a private appointment), New Student Programs sends their worksheet and a copy of transcripts to SOBA for a more detailed review. Prior to the Orientation date, the worksheet and transcripts are reviewed for satisfactory prerequisite completion and upper-level transfer credit. Courses that may be taken are highlighted and notes are made on the worksheet for any rotations/prerequisite issues.

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Advising the Accepted

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Keeping the Continuing

Each semester (after 12th Day), transcripts and advisory audits are run for each student assigned to SOBA faculty for advising. Courses required for degree completion are highlighted, notes are made and course sequencing is noted (in some cases). This allows faculty to easily determine courses missing and advise the student more efficiently and accurately. It also helps make a point to students when they are missing a prerequisite that they’ve been putting off.

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Keeping the Continuing

School of Business Administration

Keeping the Continuing

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To help students prepare for advising, a mail merged email is sent out listing major/concentration, advisor and advisor contact information. The email also gives instructions as to how to run an audit, how to plan for classes, etc.

Because we noticed that a number of students (international and domestic) were showing up for advising unprepared, we put together a step-by-step guide for how to choose classes. This is also under Advising Information on the SOBA webpage.

Student Guide - How to Search for Courses

Because we noticed that there seemed to be a problem with some students being advised, but not actually registering, we put together another step-by-step guide - this one for how to register online.

Student Guide - How to Register for Courses

Keeping the Continuing

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In an effort to help faculty with advising, a file on the SOBA shared drive has been set up. This file contains all advising forms and references currently available, projected schedules for the next 2 semesters and a document on the Advising Process that covers instructions, pointers, reminders (prerequisites especially), links to forms, suggested sequencing for core courses, courses that can be taken off campus and other resources.

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