Academic Advising
Academic Advising is a one-on-one meeting with a faculty member in your program. During this meeting, you’ll discuss the classes you’ve already taken, your grades, and the classes you’ll schedule for the upcoming semester. You may also discuss internships, study abroad opportunities, what you need to know about graduating, or applying for graduate school.
New students are assigned a faculty or academic staff advisor who will counsel them regarding their academic progress. The appropriate academic department will assign students a faculty or staff advisor specific to their major.
What if I have questions about my major?
Students who have questions regarding their major fields of interest or who want help with decisions are invited to consult their advisors, staff in the Student Success Center, Department Chairs/Program Directors, or Deans at any time during the school year.
What if I don’t have a major yet?
Undeclared students will be advised by faculty or staff members from the Student Success Center, which is located in Reneau Hall and is open daily for questions regarding academic schedules, programs, and requirements.
Why do I need to be advised?
Before each registration, students must consult with their advisors. All W students should see their advisor not only for program planning prior to each registration, but also for guidance and evaluation throughout the school year. An advising period is published during the fall and spring semesters. See the Academic Calendar for specific dates.
You will receive your Registration Access Pin (RAP) from your advisor.
What do I need to know?
Schedule your advising meeting
You are responsible for scheduling your advising meeting with you advisor. Your advisors schedule students for advising meetings based on their classification (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate). Check the Academic Calendar for a listing of when advising opens for your classification each semester. Keep in mind, some classes fill up fast. A few classes can fill and close in a few days! You should schedule your advising meeting as soon as your classification is able to register.
You are responsible for your education
In all academic programs at The W, some courses are required while others are elective. It is the student’s responsibility to make certain that all required courses of the chosen curriculum are completed. Faculty advisors are available to assist students in planning their academic work.
Course Rotation
Not all courses are offered every semester. Some are only offered in alternating semesters, alternating years, or sometimes on three year cycles—if you miss certain classes, you may not get a chance to take them again before you graduate. The University is not responsible for scheduling problems that result from the student’s failure to take these intermittent courses when they are available, nor is the institution responsible for those students in an accelerated program who cannot be accommodated by the regular course rotation or students who are off sequence due to failing courses.
Courses & Scheduling
You should have some idea of what classes you’d like to take in the upcoming semester. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with Schedule of Courses. (And the campus map!) It’s okay if you are not quite sure what classes you want to take, you’re advisor can discuss your options with you. In your first two years, your classes will mostly be the same regardless of your major, these are called “general education courses.” In your junior and senior year, your classes will be focused on you major.
You should also know when and where classes meet. Synchronous courses meet at a specific time and location, either on campus or online. You’ll want to make sure you don’t have overlapping class times and you’ve given yourself enough time to walk across campus to your next class or eat lunch. Asynchronous classes are typically online classes with the same time commitment each week, but don’t have a time when the entire class meets together.