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LSA Academic Advising
Newnan Advising Center Location
1255 Angell Hall
435 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003
Fall 2007 General Advising Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm
30 Minute Appointments Available
Phone: (734) 764-0332
Fax: (734) 764-2772
To make an appointment to see an advisor, or to find out if your question requires an appointment, stop in at the reception area or phone 764-0332.
You cannot make an appointment via e-mail.
Quick Questions During Fall and Winter:
For short, straight-forward questions that don't require a full appointment, there are quick-question advisors available to answer student questions. The Quick Question advisor is available every day, 10:00-4:00.
Information about General Advising:
- What is Academic Advising?
- What can I expect from an advisor?
- What's the difference between a general advisor and a concentration advisor?
- When do I need to see a general advisor?
- When do I need to see a concentration advisor?
- Where do pre-professional advisors fit in?
- Are all general advisors the same?
- My general advisor has a "specialty" in Mathematics. Is that the same as a Math concentration advisor?
- Is there a general advisor already assigned to me?
- What is Academic Advising?
The purpose of academic advising is to help you to formulate and reach your own educational goals, while also making sure that you understand the objectives and requirements of the liberal arts degree. You'll find a certain amount of red tape in your relationship with an advisor, such as getting permission to withdraw from a class, or approval of distribution credit from transfer courses. In the process of doing all of those things, however, advisors will also help you to make the most of the opportunities that LSA has to offer.
- What can I expect from an advisor?
Perhaps it's best to start with what not to expect from an advisor. Your advisor won't tell you what classes to take, what to concentrate in, or how to get out of some requirement or another. What he or she will do is listen carefully to your questions and concerns, offer suggestions for how to match available courses and programs to your interests, and most of all, make sure that you fully understand all of the options so that you can make intelligent choices on your own.
A key tenet of advising is that each student is responsible for his or her own decisions. But advisors exist because students can often use a lot of help in making those decisions. And because it's nice to have someone to keep you focused on the bigger picture: on what a liberal education means to you, and on the learning opportunities that sometimes get lost in all of the requirements.
| An Academic Advisor Can: |
An Academic Advisor Cannot: |
| Describe reasonable options for your circumstances. |
Make decisions for you. |
| Help you to match available classes to your skills, interests, and goals. |
Tell you what classes are "good" or "easy." |
| Help you choose a concentration that fits your skills, interests, and goals. |
Tell you what to major in. |
| Help you handle academic difficulties in a timely manner. |
Solve your problems if you have ignored them for too long. |
Inform you about degree requirements and college policies and procedures.
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- What's the difference between a general advisor and a concentration advisor?
A general advisor deals with general LSA degree requirements (those that don't depend on your choice of concentration) while a concentration advisor deals with the requirements specific to a given concentration. Thus, if you have questions about your distribution or race & ethnicity courses, you should see a general advisor, but if you are concerned about your cognates, required courses or allowable substitutes in your concentration, you'll need to see a concentration advisor.
All of the regular staff advisors in the Advising Center are general advisors. Some concentration advisors also keep a few hours a week in the Advising Center, but they mostly work from their own offices in their department.
- When do I need to see a general advisor?
We can't give a complete list, but some good examples include:
- Checking on your fulfillment of the distribution requirement.
- Considering what concentration to choose.
- Figuring out what requirements a given course can count towards.
- Dealing with a disappointing grade.
- Seeking permission to elect more than 18 credits.
- Getting transfer or study abroad credits approved for general requirements.
- Considering the impact of a withdrawal or a pass/fail election.
- Trying to make the best use of your electives to further a particular career or personal interest.
- Mapping out a way to fit in all the courses you need to graduate.
- Figuring out how best to prepare yourself for a graduate or professional degree.
- When do I need to see a concentration advisor?
We can't give a complete list, but some good examples include:
- Declaring the concentration.
- Considering what concentration to choose, but requiring specific details about the requirements in a given concentration before making your decision.
- Filling out a Senior Audit Form.
- Getting transfer or study abroad credits approved for your concentration.
- Deciding between different concentrations within the same department (for example Biology, General Biology, and Microbiology).
- Making substitutions in prerequisite or program courses.
- Choosing cognates.
- Mapping out a way to fit in all the courses you need to graduate.
- Figuring out how best to prepare yourself for graduate school in the discipline.
- Where do pre-professional advisors fit in?
You may want to see a pre-professional advisor in addition to your general and concentration advisors if you are considering applying to medical, law, or business schools. These advisors have information about requirements for specific schools, how to identify which schools are right for you, and how to navigate the admissions process.
- Are all general advisors the same?
No, but that doesn't mean most of them can't answer most types of questions. Advisors, like students, have specialties, usually derived from their own areas of study or research. If you are primarily interested in the sciences, for example, but have yet to choose a specific concentration, it might be good to speak with a general advisor who has a science background. If you are torn between concentrating in Philosophy and Religion, on the other hand, it would obviously be more helpful to speak with a general advisor who specializes in the humanities. You can check the specialties of different general advisors by browsing the staff listing page.
- My general advisor has a "specialty" in Mathematics. Is that the same as a Math concentration advisor?
No. A general advisor who specializes in an subject knows a lot about that discipline, but does not have the authority to approve concentration courses and cognates, or to sign a Concentration Release Form. Only the department's concentration advisor can do that.
- Is there a general advisor already assigned to me?
Most likely, yes. If you came through a First-Year Orientation session, then the advisor you saw there is "your" advisor. Chances are, you are receiving occasional e-mail notices from this advisor, as part of your orientation group.
You should try to see this advisor when you can, simply because you're likely to get more personalized advice from someone who has seen you before and who knows something about you besides what's written in your file. Of course, you are not constrained by this. You are free to make an appointment to see any advisor at any time. And certainly during peak busy times or urgent situations, when you may have difficulty finding "your" advisor free, you should not hesitate to make an appointment with another advisor instead.
Content Author(s): lsa saa academic advising: gaylene
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