Advising at CSU, Chico

At Chico State  undergraduate students are provided support through both the Academic Advising Programs office and their academic major department. Advisors in the office of Academic Advising Programs, serve as “general practitioners,” providing students with assistance in understanding graduation requirements, general education, major exploration, course selection and registration, GPA concerns and academic success strategies, and University policies and procedures. Academic Advising is also the advising home for Undeclared students and the first stop for students with general advising questions.

Once a student declares a major, the student will be assigned a major advisor within the academic department. (Please note: the method for assigning advisors varies by department. Contact the department for details.) The major advisor is a “specialist,” providing specific advice on program planning and course selection within the major, advice on internships, and other opportunities in the major.

Get to Know Your Advisor

Expectations

You can expect your advisor to listen and respond to your interests and concerns, to accept you as a unique person, to be reasonably accessible, to know policies and procedures and where to find information, and to be a personal resource for your academic, career and life goals. In turn, you are expected to initiate and maintain contact with your advisor; to discuss information that may affect your academic performance (such as work and family commitments); to learn basic University, college and departmental requirements, and to recognize your responsibility for meeting them; and to seek assistance when you need it. A good academic advising relationship promotes achievement of your educational goals.

Advisor Assignment

Go to your major department to be assigned a faculty advisor. If you are undecided about a major, you will receive advising from Academic Advising Programs, Student Services Center 220.

Suggestions for a Successful Advising Partnership

DON'T

• Avoid academic advisement as long as possible, or rely on friends and neighbors to tell you what you need to do.
• Wait until registration periods to see your advisor.
• Mislead or withhold information from your advisor.
• Assume your advisor has all of your records.
• Assume your advisor will tell you automatically everything you need to know.
• Assume your advisor will remember what you talked about from one appointment to the next.
• Limp along with an advisor if the two of you don't communicate satisfactorily with each other.
• Assume that it is only your advisor who should be familiar with the university rules and regulations.

DO

• Take advantage of the opportunity to talk with an expert even though you've talked with friends.
• Make appointments when your advisor has more time for you, generally after the second week of classes and before the last four weeks of the semester.
• Share information about educational and career goals; report any learning problems; tell about important success or failure experiences. Your advisor needs this information to help you.
• Keep your own personal records and bring them with you when you see your advisor: GE evaluations, degree audits, transcripts from schools other than Chico, letters you have received from the University, etc.
• Be assertive. Ask questions. It's a good idea to write down some questions and bring them to your advising appointment.
• Keep your own notes. Remind your advisor of what you talked about at your last meeting.
• Request another advisor if you are not getting the assistance you need.
• Take responsibility for reading about those rules and requirements which affect you. Most of them are published in The University Catalog.