Department of EnglishDepartment of EnglishAcademic Advising Academic Advising

ENGL 198ENGL 198Jill Heney: Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising, Jill Heney: Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising,

EnglishEnglish

Christy Vance, Associate Coordinator, EnglishChristy Vance, Associate Coordinator, English

Gabriel Stephens, Peer Advisor, EnglishGabriel Stephens, Peer Advisor, English

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Overview of the Overview of the PresentationPresentation

• Define advisingDefine advising

• Give tips for working with your Give tips for working with your advisoradvisor

• Describe degree requirementsDescribe degree requirements

• Discuss the Registrar’s OfficeDiscuss the Registrar’s Office

• Describe some Boise State policiesDescribe some Boise State policies

• Give some adviceGive some advice

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Who determines whether you graduate?

1. English department chair2. English undergraduate

advising coordinator3. Registrar’s office4. Provost’s office

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How do you know if you’re on track for graduation?

1. Read the requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog.

2. Review your Academic Advisement Report in BroncoWeb.

3. Ask your advisor for clarification.

4. 1, 2, and 3.

What is Advising?“Academic advising is a planning process that helps

students to approach their education in an organized and meaningful way.” --Edward ‘Chip’ Anderson

“Academic advising is a process of…teaching students how to make viable academic decisions.”--Juliet Kaufman

National Academic Advising Association

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What is Advising?

AdvisingAdvising Advice

What do I need to do to graduate?

What should I do with my life?

Which course will better suit my career plans?

College Students Are Responsible for Choosing Their Classes; Advisors Help When Asked.

This is a key difference between high school and college.

This means that you must become informed about your degree requirements.

This means that help is available if you ask for it.

It is easy to make appropriate choices, but it is also possible to make unwise choices.

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What Do Advisors Do at Boise State?

Help you process academic information and university policy and procedure

Help you interpret your Academic Advisement Report and understand major requirements

Provide networking opportunities for on- and off-campus contacts

Provide referrals to experts on career information

Help you sort out personal circumstances and determine how they affect your success; provide referrals to appropriate resources

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You Should Find Your Advisor Look in your BroncoWeb Student Center,

on your Academic Advisement Report. Find his or her office and e-mail:

http://english.boisestate.edu/contact/faculty

Set up appointments only after you have reviewed your degree requirements first.

Your advisor most likely has training and expertise related to your English emphasis. English teaching and writing majors are matched to faculty throughout the department.

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Important Parts of BroncoWeb

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Asking QuestionsYour advisor might be able to answer:

You or another campus source might be able to answer:

I’m interested in X. Does someone in the department study X?

What classes do I need to graduate? (Catalog; BroncoWeb Advisement Report)

What types of courses will prepare me for graduate school?

Do I have to take this course listed on my degree requirements? (Catalog; BroncoWeb Advisement Report)

What advice do you have for finding information about X author?

Can you help me with my financial aid form? (Financial Aid Office)

There are Three Categories of Degree Requirements

Core/Foundations: General education courses in arts and humanities, social sciences, math and natural sciences. Read the Core list!

Requirements for the major. Electives: These include minors in other

subjects.

Spring 2012: Undergraduates must complete a total of 128 credits (120 for the 2011-12 literature emphasis), including 40 upper-division credits

Read your catalog. See check sheets at

http://english.boisestate.edu/advising/

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Consider Adding a Minor

A minor is a way to use your elective courses to provide additional substance to your degree.

A minor can give you something specific to talk about in a job interview or a graduate program application.

A minor gets you out of the LA Building and exposes you to points of view available in other departments.

It is Important to Plan and to Read the Undergraduate Catalog

Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency for anyone else (Registrar’s Office, your advisor, an administrator in another department at Boise State, etc.).

Example: A student with 144 total credits that included 39 upper-division credits did not graduate on time. The requirement is 40 upper-division credits and 128 total credits (120 credits for the literature emphasis).

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The Registrar’s Office Takes a Binary View of Degree Requirements

In binary code, information is conveyed in 1’s and 0’s.

Either you have completed a degree requirement (1), or you haven’t (0). There is no in-between state.

Your Academic Advisement Report tells you whether your requirements have been completed.

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Academic Adjustments Allow Substitutions of One Course for Another

Courses from other universities might be able to be used in place of Boise State courses. (Courses must match.)

In rare cases, one Boise State course, with approval, may be used in place of another required Boise State course.

In rare cases, a waiver will be used to let a student graduate without completing a required course.

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Requesting an Academic Adjustment

This process takes time.Approach the department that offers that

course. (Biology for BIOL courses, English for ENGL, LING, & HUM courses)

Find the person who processes adjustments. (Chair, Advising Coordinator)

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Requesting an Academic Adjustment

Provide the following:Name of institution and when you attendedName and number of courseInstitution’s catalog course descriptionCourse syllabus (if available)

The Chair or Advising Coordinator assesses the request -> if approves, sends the request to the Associate Dean -> if approves, sends request to the Registrar’s Office ->changes your transcript.

This takes time.18

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Know the Structure of Boise State President: Administration over

everything Provost: Administration over

academics VPs: Oversee specific areas

VP of Student Affairs 7 Colleges (incl. C.O. Arts & Sciences)

Dean: Administration over everything Associate Dean: Administration over

student issues

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Know the Structure of the English Department

Chair: Administration over everything (Dr. Michelle Payne)

Associate Chair: Administration over student issues and class schedule (Dr. Roger Munger)

Discipline Directors: Oversee particular areas (English Teaching, Linguistics, Literature, Tech Comm, Writing)

Coordinators: Assist the Chair and the department with various duties (advising, internships, scholarships, and more) Undergraduate Advising Coordinator: Assists

with course equivalencies and degree requirements

You Might Need to Withdraw from a Course A “W” means you have withdrawn from one

course. A “CW” (complete withdrawal) means you have

dropped all courses in a semester; obtain assistance from the C.O.A.S. dean’s office if you need a CW.

Deadlines apply. See the Academic Calendar at http://registrar.boisestate.edu/.

Students must withdraw themselves if they want to drop a class. (If you just stop attending a class, you get an F.)

Withdrawals can affect your eligibility for financial aid.

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You Might Need to File an AppealIf something big happens in your personal

life (extenuating circumstances) and if it has a negative impact on your Boise State status, you may appeal.

To withdraw after the deadline To contest an administrative decision To exceed a certain limit on coursework Etc. The form is on the Registrar’s website.

Submitted forms are evaluated by a committee once each week.

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There Are Some Known Problems for English Majors

ENGL 275 fills quickly. LING 305 fills quickly. Often there are not many upper-

division classes in the summer. Math is a requirement for

graduation—you must complete a MATH course numbered 124 or higher.

Consider Study Abroad and US Student Exchange Programs

Do it if you can! It’s not as impossible as it sounds.

You can use financial aid. Scholarships are available.

You may choose summer or semester-long programs.

You should get course credits approved in advance.

You don’t have to take just ENGL classes.

http://international.boisestate.eduhttp://usac.unr.edu

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Some Scholarships and Awards Are Available

The English department gives out several $K each spring.

GPA is important. (>3.0) Must be an English major. Deadline for continuing Boise State

students: March. (See site for details.)

http://english.boisestate.edu/advising/

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Final Thoughts…Final Thoughts…

• This is your degree. Own it.This is your degree. Own it.

• Stretch yourself; explore new interests; Stretch yourself; explore new interests; expand your horizons. expand your horizons.

• Be realistic about balancing school and Be realistic about balancing school and work.work.

• Get experience through an internship or Get experience through an internship or other means. Talk to someone at the other means. Talk to someone at the Career Center soon.Career Center soon.

• Develop a strategy for reaching your goals.Develop a strategy for reaching your goals.

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Find Our Advising ResourcesFind Our Advising ResourcesWebsite:Website:

http://boisestate.edu/english/http://boisestate.edu/english/

Click the “Advising” link.Click the “Advising” link.

• Degree check sheetsDegree check sheets

• Four-year plansFour-year plans

• Advice for English Teaching majorsAdvice for English Teaching majors– http://english.boisestate.edu/englishteaching/http://english.boisestate.edu/englishteaching/

The Advising TeamThe Advising Team

• Your Faculty Advisor: See BroncoWeb for Your Faculty Advisor: See BroncoWeb for detailsdetails

• Gabriel Stephens, English Majors Peer Gabriel Stephens, English Majors Peer Advisor, LA 211-J, Advisor, LA 211-J, englpeeradvisor@boisestate.eduenglpeeradvisor@boisestate.edu– Intake advisor, first point of contact: Assists Intake advisor, first point of contact: Assists

with general advising questions: degree with general advising questions: degree planning, course questions, enrollment, and planning, course questions, enrollment, and questions about campus resourcesquestions about campus resources

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The Advising TeamThe Advising Team

• Christy Vance, Associate Coordinator Christy Vance, Associate Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising, LA 211-J for Undergraduate Advising, LA 211-J EnglishAdvising@boisestate.eduEnglishAdvising@boisestate.edu– Assigns students to advisorsAssigns students to advisors– Assists with general advising: degree Assists with general advising: degree

planning, course questions, enrollment, planning, course questions, enrollment, and questions about campus resourcesand questions about campus resources

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The Advising TeamThe Advising Team

• Jill Heney, Coordinator for Jill Heney, Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising, LA 211-A Undergraduate Advising, LA 211-A EnglishAdvising@boisestate.eduEnglishAdvising@boisestate.edu– Assists with transfer questions, academic Assists with transfer questions, academic

adjustments, second-degree seeking adjustments, second-degree seeking issues, and study abroad questionsissues, and study abroad questions

– Assists with general advising: degree Assists with general advising: degree planning, course questions, enrollment, planning, course questions, enrollment, and questions about campus resourcesand questions about campus resources

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