Making the Most of Academic Advising and Major Exploration

Parents can play a quiet but powerful role in how their students benefit from university academic advising. With the proper approach, you can help your student make the most of academic advising as a strategic career development tool.

Why Advising Matters

I’ve addressed the importance of academic advising and how students should approach their advising appointments. Far from focusing just on next semester’s classes, proper advising helps students understand degree requirements, and connect their interests with possible majors and careers. And we know that a close correlation among a student’s major, interests and aptitude are closely linked to persistence and graduation. Good advising also saves time and money by preventing unnecessary classes and delays in graduation. Your positive engagement in supporting your student as they prepare for advising also supports higher grades and graduation rates.

Helping Your Student Prepare For Advising

The most successful students set up their advising appointments earlier rather than later. So the first step you might take is to suggest that your student set up their appointment early. If they balk at this (students often do that to their parents) suggest to them that it helps them register for their courses before they’re filled up. That they understand. At the same time, ask what questions they intend to ask their advisors about their major, course selection and degree requirements. Just as preparation makes all the difference in painting a wall, it makes a critical difference with academic advising.

As I’ve previously said, students should come to their advising appointment with at least one potential schedule—preferably two—for the courses they believe they should take the following term. This both saves time during advising, and gives your student more time with their advisor.

Ensure that your student is prepares for this conversation with their advisor. They should be ready to discuss:

• How this semester is going academically (courses they enjoy or struggle with, study habits, time management).
• What majors or career paths currently interest them and why.
• Any personal concerns that might impact the following semester (work hours, health, family responsibilities, finances).

In addition, have them flip the usual questions that students ask their advisors. For example: instead of “What should I take?” they might ask, “Given that I’m considering psychology and I enjoy research and writing, which courses next semester would keep my options for other majors open for me?”

Exploring Majors Is Often Healthy

Research tells us that students will often change their majors at least once—perhaps multiple times. Also, many enter college without a major in mind. And whether we refer to these students as “undecided,” or “exploratory,” proper academic advising helps students explore majors and careers in a structured way. Advisors can connect students to interest and strengths assessments, and exploratory courses. Further career services can help them link majors to real career paths. And the more that students speak with their advisors about major choices, their interests, and careers, the sooner they will be able to make an informed choice about their major.

I usually discourage parents from pushing specific majors solely for perceived job security. I’ve also encountered students who were told by their parents that they had to major in one specific field or their parents won’t pay for college. I get it: you want your kids to have lives of opportunity and choice. In addition, you want them to have financial security. But parents should also know that students are more likely to succeed and persist in fields that align with their interests and strengths. That doesn’t mean you should abandon showing your students fields with positive financial potential that fit their interests. But for any potential field, help them weigh fit, requirements, and career possibilities along with their advisor’s guidance.

The Ball’s In Their Court

Ultimately, you are trying to equip your student with the tools they’ll need to make the most of their advising appointment—and graduate on time. One of my pet peeves is when a student walks in and asks, “what should I take next semester?” That question tells me that they’re trying to put the heavy lifting of advising on my shoulders. Of course, I don’t take on the burden.

My approach is to ask them the questions about careers, major and interests. In truth, they should have asked themselves before they came to the office. Then, I point them toward the tools they can use to make informed course choices. Mind you, I don’t abandon them, but I make it clear that the ultimate course selections are theirs to make with my guidance. Most students both understand and appreciate this, knowing that I’ll be there to back them up.

As your student’s primary advisor/ mentor, please encourage them to be in charge of their advising appointment. By treating advising as an ongoing relationship rather than a one‑time meeting, and by positioning yourself as a coach instead of a director, you can help your student build the confidence and skills they’ll need to navigate college—and life—in the best way possible.